Cornyn’s loss proves election rules still apply
ANALYSIS —After Donald Trump’s election in 2016, there was a narrative that the typical rules about elections were extinct. But Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s recent fate has proved that many of the political laws of gravity still apply. Last fall, national Republicans were excited that Cornyn had closed the initial gap between himself and state […]
Congress finds a unifying issue — geothermal energy
Republicans and Democrats in Congress seem to have found a unifying issue, and it’s a hot one lurking beneath the earth’s surface: geothermal energy. Without objection and without partisan digs from either side, the House on Tuesday passed by voice vote a package of six bills — three from Republicans and three from Democrats — […]
An autopsy of the DNC campaign autopsy
After weeks of stalling, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin finally released the long-awaited campaign autopsy to nearly universal bad reviews. What the DNC needed was a candid after-action report. What they got was an extraordinarily incomplete post-mortem that fails to get to the heart of what worked, what didn’t and why. The party is […]
Bennett will face Kean in high-profile matchup in New Jersey
Democrat Rebecca Bennett will face New Jersey Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr. this fall in a closely watched battleground race that could help determine which party wins control of the House. Bennett won the Democratic primary for the 7th District on Tuesday, securing 47.8 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race […]
In Iowa, Hinson-Turek matchup set for November
Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who bills himself as a “commonsense prairie populist,” won the Democratic nomination for the state’s open Senate seat Tuesday. Turek beat state Sen. Zach Wahls in a contest that symbolized some of the party’s ideological divisions. Wahls ran as an anti-establishment outsider who rejected Senate […]
White House ‘reviewing’ college sports bill ahead of Senate hearing
The House and Senate could be headed toward a showdown over competing bills that would usher in major changes to college sports, but President Donald Trump has yet to make clear just what he would sign. The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday morning is slated to hear from expert witnesses as both chambers push differing […]
Supreme Court allows Alabama to use new congressional map
The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to move forward with its new congressional map in a decision issued Tuesday evening, pausing a lower-court ruling that the map was likely unconstitutional. The unsigned order from the court’s conservative majority allowed the state to use its preferred map, one first adopted in 2023 and twice blocked by a […]
Blanche says ‘anti-weaponization’ fund not moving forward
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday that the Justice Department is scrapping its plans for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” after a wave of bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill. His comments mark an abrupt reversal for the Justice Department amid criticism that the money would amount to a slush fund aimed at funneling […]
He hasn’t been seen in months. The Congressional Record disagrees
It’s been nearly three months since he last cast a vote on the House floor, but Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr. has been keeping busy — or at least trying to look like he is. In the New Jersey Republican’s absence, five speeches under his name have appeared in the Congressional Record. Staff in congressional […]
Pulte pick raises concerns about DNI independence
President Donald Trump’s pick of Bill Pulte to be the acting director of national intelligence got mixed reviews Tuesday on Capitol Hill, as some worried that the Trump ally may seek to weaponize the agency. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has been tapped […]