The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court late Friday to dismiss a dispute over a Trump era rule barring federally funded health care providers in the Title X family planning program from referring patients for abortions. In a petition to the court filed after hours on Friday, Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said the parties
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A coordinated call from the majority of New York’s Democratic congressional delegation for Andrew Cuomo to resign in the face of sexual harassment and bullying claims as well as questions surrounding nursing home deaths from Covid-19 badly imperils the New York governor’s chances of surviving this series of growing scandals. Those calling for Cuomo to
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Affordable Care Act enrollees and those looking for Obamacare coverage can start accessing the stimulus-enhanced premium subsidies on the federal exchange on April 1, the Biden administration announced Friday. But the jobless will have to wait longer to enroll in the zero-premium plans provided by the $1.9 trillion relief package that President Joe Biden signed
Continue Reading Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is quietly maneuvering to field a slate of GOP Senate candidates in critical battleground states, attempting to avoid a repeat of election cycles a decade ago when candidates emerged from primaries only to implode and deny his party the chance to take back the majority. This time around, the wily
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The Biden administration on Friday granted humanitarian protection to Burmese nationals and residents in the United States due to the military coup and violence against civilians in Myanmar. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas designated Myanmar for Temporary Protected Status, a humanitarian protection, for 18 months. “Due to the military coup and security forces’ brutal violence
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President Joe Biden took to the Rose Garden on Friday for the first time as president, celebrating passage of his $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief measure even as he acknowledged the pressure he now faces in meeting the bill’s promise. The speech was the kickoff to a weeks-long sales effort both to promote his debut legislative
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A federal judge ordered one of the alleged Oath Keepers charged in the Capitol riot to be released on Friday, and questioned the strength of the conspiracy case against him. Thomas Caldwell, a 65-year-old veteran from rural Virginia, was charged in a wide-ranging conspiracy along eight members of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia group.
Continue Reading Police in Washington, DC, are investigating an allegation that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones threatened to push a pro-Trump political organizer off of an event stage in December, according to people familiar with the incident. The allegation was filed with DC police by Kylie Jane Kremer, executive director of the organization Women for America First, a
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to keep nearly 2,300 National Guard troops on Capitol Hill security duty through May 23 came after the secretary decided against an Army recommendation that less than half that number was actually needed to support US Capitol Police. Three defense officials confirm that Austin reviewed the lower option to keep
Continue Reading Senate Democrats will move forward on new gun legislation, promising to bring a bill expanding background checks on all firearm sales to the floor for a vote, despite the uphill climb ahead to garner the 60 votes needed for it to pass. The promise for a Senate vote comes after the House passed two pieces
Continue Reading Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked for volunteers from the agency to support the federal government’s efforts along the US-Mexico border as the Biden administration continues to grapple with an influx of migrants at the southwest border. Volunteers were requested to help Customs and Border Protection with security for migrant families and unaccompanied children, according to
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The Justice Department is preparing some of the first guilty plea offers for people charged in the Capitol insurrection, as prosecutors grind through massive amounts of evidence, videos and tips against more than 400 possible defendants in an investigation called one of the “largest in American history.” Department officials are working on the timing of
Continue Reading Trevor Reed, an American jailed in Russia, was transferred without notice to a different pre-detention center last week and his family has not heard from him since, according to the family spokesperson. “On March 2nd, Trevor was taken by two urbane, English speaking FSB agents to a Court ordered evaluation. After that exam, he was
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The $1.9 trillion stimulus package that President Joe Biden signed into law Thursday includes close to $50 billion in housing assistance to struggling renters, homeowners and people experiencing homelessness. The aid included in the American Rescue Plan Act — the third round of housing relief approved in a year — is intended to support the
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The US State Department on Friday designated a senior official to lead the agency’s response to the invisible attacks against diplomats and US personnel that have left dozens suffering from debilitating symptoms known as the “Havana Syndrome.” Amb. Pamela Spratlen, a career foreign service officer, will serve as the Senior Advisor to the Health Incident
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The majority of House Democrats from New York, including prominent and powerful members of Congress, on Friday called on Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign from office in the wake of sexual harassment allegations and his handling of Covid-19 deaths at state nursing homes. Thirteen House Democrats from New York on Friday said Cuomo must
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House and Senate Democrats are bracing for a clash over the next phase of President Joe Biden’s agenda, preparing for a long slog and intense debate over competing priorities and legislative tactics after quickly coming together on the massive relief plan signed into law Thursday. A wide array of Democrats in both chambers, in the
Continue Reading Last weekend, a prominent Republican senator, Ted Cruz of Texas, and the second-ranking Democratic senator, Dick Durbin of Illinois, had an argument on the Senate floor about whether undocumented immigrants are eligible to receive checks from the pandemic relief bill President Joe Biden signed on Thursday, the American Rescue Plan Act. Cruz said “every illegal
Continue Reading The White House’s coronavirus response team on Friday outlined the different ways the federal government will be working to implement President Joe Biden’s ambitious goals unveiled during his prime-time address to the nation Thursday night. During a speech marking the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, the President committed to directing all states
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Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan will be the first foreign leader to visit the United States since President Joe Biden took office and the global coronavirus pandemic halted much international travel, according to a senior administration official. No firm date has been established yet for the trip, the official said. Biden met virtually with
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