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Immigration advocates push Biden to not just bring back DACA but expand it
WASHINGTON—President-elect Joe Biden is promising to reinstate an Obama-era program that shields deportation for some undocumented people who were brought to the United States by their parents when they were children. But immigration advocates are pushing for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to not just be reaffirmed but expanded, and written into law. […]
Biden promises ‘no national shutdown’ despite surge in COVID-19
WASHINGTON—President-elect Joe Biden pressed the urgent need for economic relief and a vaccine distribution plan for states and tribes after a video meeting Thursday with bipartisan leaders of the National Governors Association. But Biden in a press conference in Wilmington, Del., also vowed there will be “no national shutdown” despite a surge in COVID-19 cases […]
Wisconsin Republicans in Congress chime in on Trump claims of a stolen election
WASHINGTON—Leading Wisconsin Republicans are agreeing with President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the election was stolen from him, and backing legal challenges to voting results in states won by President-elect Joe Biden. “There’s nothing to congratulate him about,” Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told reporters on Tuesday when asked if he had congratulated Biden […]
Georgia voters could determine control of the U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON—Control of the U.S. Senate may depend on two runoff races in Georgia, where the outcome won’t be known until early January—opening the door to a fresh round of massive campaign spending in the Peach State. One runoff between GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock is already set. While the second runoff […]
Democrats reel after losses, setbacks in Congress
WASHINGTON—Tuesday’s election was a disaster for congressional Democrats, who were expected to pick up nearly a dozen GOP seats in the House but instead lost races while also failing to flip Senate seats held by vulnerable Republicans. The outlook for Democratic control of the Senate did not improve the day after the election, either, as […]
Struggle for control of the U.S. Senate enters its final tense hours
WASHINGTON — Democrats have a shot at winning the White House, capturing the Senate majority and keeping their hold on the House — an election result that could dramatically shift the policy agenda away from the gridlock that’s gripped the nation’s capital for years. In the Senate, the clearest route to that outcome is through […]
Barrett nomination advances to the U.S. Senate floor with a GOP-only vote
WASHINGTON—Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, as Democrats boycotted the vote in a show of protest. The 12 Republicans on the panel speedily voted on Barrett’s nomination and sent it to the Senate floor. The full Senate will vote Monday, […]
Few precedents for presidential candidates unable to stay on the ticket
President Donald Trump’s diagnosis with COVID-19 just a month before Election Day raises the question of what happens in the unlikely case a nominee is unable to continue as a candidate for the presidency. The answer is murky at best, and complicated, with little precedent to follow. Trump arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical […]
Trump taken to Walter Reed hospital; Biden tests negative
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Maryland late Friday afternoon, where White House officials said he is expected to stay for “the next few days” for treatment of COVID-19. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany described Trump, who disclosed his diagnosis earlier Friday, as having mild symptoms […]
U.S. House passes new pandemic relief bill, but talks lag on a bipartisan deal
WASHINGTON—The U.S. House on Thursday night narrowly passed a slimmed-down $2.2 trillion Democratic coronavirus relief bill that retains hundreds of billions in aid for states and local governments, boosts unemployment benefits and extends another round of $1,200 checks for each taxpayer. But the package, passed on a 214-207 vote, with 18 Democrats splitting from their […]
Trump tells far-right group to ‘stand back and stand by’ in presidential debate
President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Tuesday night’s chaotic and messy presidential debate were each asked how they would deal with the nation’s institutional racism. Trump directly addressed a far-right group, the Proud Boys, telling them to “stand back and stand by,” and failed to answer a question about why Americans should […]
Trump picks Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court, and D.C. girds for a fight
President Donald Trump at the White House on Saturday introduced federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee, setting off a confirmation battle that could secure a conservative court for generations. “She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect and sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution,” Trump said […]