Online competition measure again draws industry opposition
A bill that would stop large online platforms from discriminating against outside services has been revived in the Senate after versions in recent years died amid strong opposition from the technology industry. Judiciary Chair Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced the legislation on Wednesday in what they say is an effort […]
House vote puts surveillance authority on path to lapse
The House did not pass a short-term extension of a powerful surveillance tool Thursday morning as members headed out of town for a recess, all but ensuring the spy power’s statutory authority would lapse going into the weekend. The vote to reject a reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act now sends […]
College sports bill authors making pitch to Black caucus
The authors of a Senate bill that would overhaul college athletics warned this week that a lack of congressional action this year could financially wreck historically Black colleges and universities and could reduce chances for college educations for minority students. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said they […]
Turning down the lights on US surveillance authorities at a time of peril
This Friday at midnight, while the American military may very well be trading fire once again with Iran, the single most productive foreign intelligence collection authority in the U.S. government’s arsenal will expire. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — the law that lets our government collect communications of foreign terrorists, spies and […]
As senators depart, will their traditions endure?
A dozen of New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s staffers huddled around a loading dock in the basement of the Hart Building, eagerly awaiting a special delivery. When a U-Haul truck arrived, they began unloading coolers filled with food and drinks, clearing the way for the main event — an 8-foot-tall moose named Marty and […]
At the Races: Eyes on the ball and the ballot
Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari Call it a sports week. New Yorkers are ecstatic after the Knicks went up 3-1 over the San […]
Bipartisan bill targets government censorship threats
A Biden-era push to remove certain social media posts about COVID-19 and the 2020 election and more recent pressure by the Trump administration against TV broadcasters have brought together a bipartisan Senate duo to try and prevent indirect government censorship. Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. unveiled legislation Thursday that […]
Orthographic glitterati? Press beat politicians at annual spelling bee
On a muggy Wednesday evening, a raucous crowd gathered to cheer on politicos as they competed in what has become a beloved Washington tradition. It wasn’t the Congressional Baseball Game, which was being held across town the same night. But the rivalry was no less fierce at the National Press Club’s Press and Politicians Spelling […]
A data center caused an uproar in Utah. Congress is watching (and waiting)
ST. GEORGE, Utah — Residents from a state starving for water have become the face of local struggles against Big Tech, locked in protests against a proposed data center that at one point was set to sprawl thousands of acres larger than its infamous Bryce Canyon. Some are looking for federal guardrails to protect against […]
Top GOP appropriators dominate earmarks in House bills
ANALYSIS — When it comes to congressional earmarks, the big dogs usually eat first. So it’s no surprise that House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., leads the pack on “community project funding” included in his panel’s fiscal 2027 spending bills, with $188.4 million. The No. 2 House Republican, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, comes […]