September 2026
Trump administration cuts mileage rules for cars, light trucks
The Transportation Department released a final rule Monday that aims to “reset” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s fuel economy standards, rolling back substantial required mileage increases for automakers’ fleets implemented under the Biden administration. Dubbed “Freedom Means Affordable Cars” by the department, the 892-page rule will impact Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for cars […]
Midterms looming, Trump opts for football, golf and a late dinner with Dario Amodei
President Donald Trump spent the weekend using Air Force One to buzz the tower at major sporting events after last week’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and as the Senate takes a final vote on a college athletics bill the chamber has spent weeks on. He is slated to emphasize domestic issues as the […]
Senators gear up for Judiciary clash with Jack Smith
The special counsel who supervised the dismissed federal criminal cases against President Donald Trump is set for a confrontation with the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. Even the title of the hearing — “Oversight of Jack Smith’s Abuse of Authority and the Targeting of Republicans and Related Matters” — gives a hint of the tone […]
Supreme Court again rejects Missouri effort to use GOP-friendly map
The Supreme Court on Friday effectively shelved Missouri’s effort to enact a congressional map that would have helped Republicans pick up a House seat, issuing an order that reinstated boundaries first enacted in 2022. Friday’s unsigned ruling set aside a Monday ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, […]
White House cancels health, education funds approved by Congress
The Trump administration announced plans Friday night to cancel $810 million in funding for health, education and other programs just days before the end of the current fiscal year, triggering another fight with Congress over the power of the purse. The so-called pocket rescission claws back money already appropriated by Congress, with little time for […]
Calder clouds are rising on Capitol Hill
Outside, the weather was sunny with a slight breeze, a perfect early fall afternoon. But inside the Hart atrium, it was starting to look overcast — Alexander Calder’s Mountains and Clouds sculpture was one step closer to being restored to its original design. Workers prepped the dark metal “clouds” of the mobile to be hoisted […]
Democrats call for hearings on suicide attempts on USS Lincoln
A pair of Democratic lawmakers is calling for hearings after the Navy disclosed that there were eight suicide attempts during the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group’s record-long time at sea. “That this administration can find endless taxpayer dollars for bombs, ballrooms, and billionaires, but cannot take care of our service members, is completely unacceptable,” […]
Senate plots its final week before elections with potential data center electricity vote
The Senate will return next week to wrap up business before the November midterm elections, seeking to take action on an affordability issue and score a political win for an endangered Republican incumbent. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Thursday that a wide array of bills could potentially come to the floor next […]
Tech taxes would drive Kelly’s labor-focused ‘AI Horizon Fund’
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., has proposed legislation that seeks to address artificial intelligence-fueled shifts in the workforce as his party works to define a clear position on the controversial technology ahead of the midterms and beyond. Introduced Thursday, his bill would rely on new artificial intelligence and digital advertising taxes on the largest technology companies […]
Supreme Court revives expansion of federal voter database
The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Trump administration to restart its effort to create a nationwide database of purportedly eligible voters, setting aside a lower court ruling which found likely privacy and accuracy problems with the database. The unsigned order from the court’s conservative majority allowed the administration to move forward on expanding the […]