Congress
‘Suspicious substances’ target senators on anniversary of attack
On the 25th anniversary of anthrax attacks that shook Capitol Hill in 2001, authorities are investigating “multiple letters containing suspicious substances that were mailed to various addresses nationwide, including multiple Congressional offices,” according to a notice from the Senate sergeant-at-arms. “Law enforcement are working to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered, however, it […]
DOJ sues California over mail ballots, alleging they were sent to noncitizens
The Trump administration is seeking to stop the counting of some votes in California through a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, arguing that more than 20,000 voters in the state may not be citizens. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, argues the state should set aside the ballots of more than 20,000 voters who the […]
‘Scrappy’ conference chair helped shape GOP midterm message
Few House lawmakers have risen through party leadership ranks as fast as GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain. Now comes the toughest political challenge she’s faced in her short time in office: helping maintain Republicans’ tenuous grasp on the majority. The third-term Michigan Republican, who took just four years to secure the No. 4 slot in […]
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz faces sex trafficking lawsuit
Republican former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is facing a lawsuit accusing him and others of sexually trafficking and abusing two women from 2017 to 2019. The lawsuit, filed anonymously by a pair of women in Florida federal court and docketed Thursday, alleges that Gaetz and coconspirators coordinated to pay for travel, sex and illicit […]
Calling off livestream of execution was right call, members say
Members of Congress expressed relief Thursday after President Donald Trump overturned a Pentagon plan to livestream the execution of a man convicted of a deadly 2009 shooting spree at a Texas Army base. On Oct. 8, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a broadcast interview, announced the department’s plan to air the Dec. 3 execution by […]
Amid ‘time of transition,’ Freedom Caucus sees room to grow its influence
The House Freedom Caucus is poised to look very different next year, with several stalwarts of the hard-line conservative bloc moving on. Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Byron Donalds of Florida and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin are all running for governor. Alabama Rep. Barry Moore is favored to win election to the Senate. Reps. Ralph […]
Omar home search raises fears about election season probes
A search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home has sent shockwaves through electoral politics weeks before the midterms, as experts said it appeared to flout longstanding norms meant to keep prosecutors out of elections. While the Minnesota Democrat herself has been on a glide path to reelection in a deep-blue district, some worry it could set […]
Pentagon OKs second destroyer for Maine’s Bath Iron Works
The Pentagon has given the green light for the Navy to build a second Arleigh Burke-class destroyer this fiscal year at a shipyard in Maine, an announcement that could provide a boon to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in the final weeks of her exceedingly tight race for reelection. In a news release Monday, the Pentagon […]
He’s retiring from the Senate. What will happen to his ‘dream’?
When Sen. Richard J. Durbin first proposed what’s known as the DREAM Act, his current interns weren’t born yet. Pagers were often used instead of cellphones, and George W. Bush was president. More than 25 years later, it hasn’t become law. And in just a few months, Durbin will leave the bill — and the […]
Plan for public military execution sparks bipartisan backlash
Lawmakers in both parties are blasting the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of the man convicted of carrying out the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. “I absolutely support the sentence of death, but live-streaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than that,” Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., a member […]