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Economic effects of state abortion bans debated by U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators heard detailed testimony Wednesday on the economic impacts women face and how those considerations can play into whether they seek elective abortion access. The Senate Budget Committee also heard examples of the increased pressures women who need abortions for medical reasons have experienced after more than a dozen states severely restricted […]
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 […]
Congress brokers deal on government spending deadlines, trying to avoid shutdown
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans and Senate Democrats attempting to avert a partial government shutdown brokered an agreement Wednesday to extend government funding deadlines for a little while longer. The bipartisan deal will give Congress until March 8 to pass six spending bills lawmakers have finalized and until March 22 to pass another six bills […]
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 […]
U.S. Senate Dems to try to push through legislation protecting in vitro fertilization
WASHINGTON — A group of Democrats will attempt to pass a bill in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday protecting access to in vitro fertilization, saying its availability should not be restricted. Their push to quickly approve the health care legislation comes shortly after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that fertilized eggs are […]
Biden calls on governors to press Congress on immigration overhaul, Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used a meeting with the National Governors Association at the White House on Friday to press for assistance to Ukraine and bipartisan immigration policy changes, both of which are stalled in Congress. “You deal with this every day, some of you deal with it every single day,” Biden told governors […]
Biden unveils latest round of student loan cancellation to aid 153,000 borrowers
President Joe Biden expanded his push to eliminate student loan debt Wednesday, saying during a speech the initiative is part of a campaign promise to address the “broken” system. “While a college degree is still a ticket to a better life, that ticket is too expensive,” Biden said. “And too many Americans are still saddled […]
White House preps new sanctions package against Russia after Navalny death
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday again urged U.S. House Republican leaders to hold an up-or-down vote on military assistance for Ukraine and said a new sanctions package against Russia is on the way, citing the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as placing new pressure on Western democracies to rally against the […]
U.S. Senate sends to the House a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly early Tuesday to approve a $95 billion emergency spending package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The measure now goes to the U.S. House, where Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t committed to putting the bill on the floor for debate and votes amid opposition to the military and humanitarian assistance […]
Some GOP senators shy away from Trump threat he won’t aid ‘delinquent’ NATO allies?
WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic senators on Monday distanced themselves from comments Donald Trump made about NATO over the weekend, when the GOP front-runner said the United States might not assist those countries should Russia expand its war in Europe. Speaking at a rally in South Carolina, Trump recalled a conversation he had when he […]
Five big takeaways from the special counsel’s report on Biden and classified documents
WASHINGTON — Special Counsel Robert Hur’s nearly 400-page report on the classified documents that President Joe Biden kept after leaving office includes new details on why it’s become commonplace for politicians to end up with sensitive information after they leave their posts. The report also sheds light on why Biden, then a former vice president, […]
No prosecution of Biden in classified documents case, DOJ special counsel says in report
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department released a lengthy report Thursday concluding that while President Joe Biden “willfully retained” classified materials following his time as vice president, he won’t be charged with a crime. Special Counsel Robert K. Hur wrote in the 388-page report that prosecutors considered “that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present […]