Dec 21 Watch 9:52 Some of Trump's judicial picks are being approved at a record pace. How will they reshape the courts? By PBS News Hour President Trump and Republicans have been quietly and systematically reshaping the federal judiciary. The Senate has confirmed a record 12 Trump picks for the influential federal appeals court -- the fastest success rate for any president ever. John Yang gets… Continue watching
Dec 21 How do states name the winner in a tied election? By Associated Press Virginia's state elections board plans to print each candidate’s name on a separate piece of paper, place each paper into a separate film canister, place the canisters into a glass bowl or some other container and shake them up. The… Continue reading
Dec 21 Congress rushes to approve spending bill to avoid government shutdown By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Failure to pass the temporary spending measure would trigger a government shutdown at midnight Friday, which would amount to a political pratfall just after the GOP scored a major win on the landmark tax bill. Continue reading
Dec 21 Jim Mattis is the first Pentagon chief to visit Guantanamo since 2002 By Robert Burns, Associated Press U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited the American Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to offer holiday greetings to troops Thursday. It was the first trip there by a Pentagon chief in almost 16 years. Continue reading
Dec 21 WATCH: UN General Assembly votes to declare U.S. Jerusalem decision 'null and void' By Joshua Barajas In a 128-9 vote, the U.N. General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution demanding the U.S. rescind its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. U.S. neighbors Mexico and Canada were among the 35 abstentions. Continue reading
Dec 21 Lawmakers scramble to approve a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press House Republicans early Thursday unveiled a new, stripped-down spending bill to prevent a government shutdown this weekend and allow quarreling lawmakers to punt most of their unfinished business into the new year. Continue reading
Dec 20 Watch 7:25 What you need to know now that the GOP tax bill is going to be law By PBS News Hour President Trump and congressional Republicans took a victory lap on Wednesday after scoring their first sweeping legislative win by passing their tax code overhaul into law. Democratic leaders warned the bill, estimated to add $1.5 trillion to the federal debt,… Continue watching
Dec 20 Watch 4:52 News Wrap: Tied Virginia state legislature battle will be decided by drawing names By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Wednesday, Virginia's vacant state legislative seat has come down to a tie. Judges ruled today that candidates Shelly Simonds and David Yancey are dead even, after Simonds had been originally told she won by a single… Continue watching
Dec 20 Watch 6:29 The GOP tax bill deals a blow to the Affordable Care Act. Here's how By PBS News Hour The sweeping tax bill passed by Congress on Wednesday extends beyond what you file with the IRS. It also affects American health care by repealing Obamacare's so-called individual mandate. John Yang learns more from Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News… Continue watching
Dec 20 3 charts that show how the GOP tax bill will affect you By Lisa Desjardins We now have a final estimate of how the GOP tax bill will affect different income groups at different points over the next several years. Continue reading