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What to expect in Biden’s State of the Union speech Thursday night?
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to deliver his State of the Union address Thursday night, with a grueling reelection campaign already fully underway and speaking to a chamber full of Republicans poised to seize on what they see as his shortcomings. Biden, seeking to unify Democrats, is expected to focus on issues core […]
Five months late, Congress is poised to pass a huge chunk of federal spending
WASHINGTON — Congress is on track to approve a staggering $468 billion in government spending this week, finishing part of the work it was supposed to complete by Oct. 1 — including a big boost intended to shore up the federal WIC nutrition program for women, infants and children. Other agencies will see cuts, including […]
South Dakota’s John Thune enters race to succeed McConnell as U.S. Senate GOP leader
WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota announced Monday that he plans to run for U.S. Senate GOP leader. “I hope to be,” Thune said in an interview with KELOLAND News, a news outlet in his home state. “I’m going to do everything I can to convince my colleagues.” Currently the No. […]
Presidential campaign moves to the border, as Biden urges Trump to back immigration deal
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon paid competing visits to the nation’s southern border, where Biden called on Congress to reconsider a bipartisan border security deal that Republicans tanked at Trump’s direction. Biden traveled to Brownsville, Texas, while Trump journeyed to Eagle Pass, highlighting how immigration policy has […]
A day ahead of shutdown, Congress works on advancing stopgap spending bills
WASHINGTON — Congress passed a short-term funding extension Thursday intended to give lawmakers a bit more time to wrap up work on the annual spending bills — dodging a shutdown despite election year politics and narrow margins. The stopgap spending bill, sometimes called a continuing resolution, or CR, would keep funding mostly flat for programs […]
U.S. Senate Republican blocks legislation protecting in vitro fertilization
WASHINGTON — U.S. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi blocked a bill from passing Wednesday that would have preserved access to in vitro fertilization nationwide, stalling a push by Democrats following a landmark Alabama state Supreme Court decision. The court ruled earlier this month that frozen embryos counted as children under state law and parents […]
McConnell to step down as U.S. Senate GOP leader
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November, he said on the Senate floor Wednesday, announcing the end of a run as party leader that broke records for its length and shaped American politics over nearly two decades. “One of life’s most underappreciated talents is […]
A partial government shutdown is days away. There’s no agreement on federal funding yet.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden huddled with top congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday amid a crunch over government funding as well as a familiar stalemate over assistance to two major allies — and no solution immediately in sight. Lawmakers leaving the meeting, which lasted about an hour, said it was worthwhile, even […]
Biden and Trump both heading to the southern border on Thursday
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will visit the southern border in Texas on Thursday, according to a White House official, the same day as the GOP presidential front-runner, Donald Trump. Their visits are a sign of the importance the immigration issue has assumed in what’s expected to be a 2024 rematch in November between Biden […]
U.S. House Republicans impeach Homeland Security chief Mayorkas on second try
WASHINGTON — In their second attempt in as many weeks, U.S. House Republicans impeached Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday, marking an inflection point in the growing rift between the GOP and the White House over immigration policy decisions at the southern border. In a 214-213 vote, the House approved two articles […]
Immigration advocates seek restart after Senate deal flops
WASHINGTON — Immigrant advocacy groups that opposed the bipartisan Senate deal to overhaul U.S. immigration law called for restarting policy discussions as the bill failed Wednesday in the U.S. Senate. Several advocacy organizations opposed the deal, which was defeated in a 49-50 procedural Senate vote Wednesday after all but four Republicans declined to support it. […]
Bleak future for immigration action after U.S. Senate GOP abandons border security deal
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Tuesday walked away from the bipartisan border security and immigration deal clinched after months of painstaking negotiations, siding with their House colleagues and presidential front-runner Donald Trump. The decision to block the bill released just two days ago not only leaves laws in place that GOP lawmakers say have […]