Nov 19 U.S. trade deficit dropped nearly 24% in August as Trump's tariffs reduce imports By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press In a report delayed for more than seven weeks by the federal government shutdown, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the the gap between what the United States buys from other countries and what it sells them fell to $59.6 billion in… Continue reading
Nov 19 Watch 5:01 New poll reveals signs of hope for Democrats and red flags for Republicans By Amna Nawaz, Matt Loffman With the midterm elections now less than a year away, a new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll has signs of hope for Democrats and a few red flags for Republicans. Amna Nawaz and NPR's Domenico Montanaro break down the numbers and discuss… Continue watching
Nov 19 Labor Department won't release full October jobs report due to 43-day shutdown By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press The Labor Department said Wednesday that it will not be releasing a full jobs report for October because the 43-day federal government shutdown meant it couldn't calculate the unemployment rate and some other key numbers. Continue reading
Nov 19 Judge to proceed with contempt probe over U.S. flying migrants to El Salvador prison in March By Sudhin Thanawala, Associated Press A federal judge said Wednesday he plans to move ahead quickly on a contempt investigation of the Trump administration for failing to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March. Continue reading
Nov 19 Trump nominates new CFPB director, though White House says agency is still closing By Ken Sweet, Associated Press President Trump nominated Stuart Levenbach as the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday, using a legal maneuver to keep his budget director Russell Vought as acting director of the bureau while the Trump administration continues on… Continue reading
Nov 19 WATCH: Bondi sidesteps questions about Epstein files at press conference By Associated Press Asked at a press conference Wednesday about the Epstein files, Attorney General Pam Bondi repeatedly said the Justice Department would “continue to follow the law with maximum transparency.”… Continue reading
Nov 19 Tom Steyer running for California governor as a populist billionaire By Bill Barrow, Associated Press Billionaire businessman and activist Tom Steyer is running for California governor as a Democrat. Continue reading
Nov 19 Senate officially passes the Epstein files bill, sending it to Trump By Associated Press In an unusual move, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate agreed Tuesday evening to pass the bill as soon as it was sent over from the House, which had passed it 427-1 earlier in the day. Continue reading
Nov 19 Why Trump's plan to help GOP keep control of the House could backfire By Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press President Donald Trump is finding that redistricting his way to a GOP House majority in next year's midterms is a lot harder than it sounds. That's because there's a tangle of laws and conflicting political pressures in redistricting. Continue reading
Nov 19 DOJ says full grand jury in Comey case was not presented copy of final indictment By Eric Tucker, Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press The prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey has hit another hurdle. The Justice Department acknowledged in court Wednesday a possible lapse in how the case was presented to a grand jury. Continue reading