Aug 04 Mitch McConnell’s legacy comes under fire in Kentucky Senate race to replace him By Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press Towering over Kentucky politics for decades, McConnell is regarded as the master strategist behind the GOP’s rise to power in a state long dominated by Democrats. Continue reading
Aug 04 Congress is in August recess, but tensions lie ahead on spending and Trump nominations By Kevin Freking, Associated Press Lawmakers have left Washington for the annual August recess, but a few weeks of relative quiet at the U.S. Capitol can’t mask the partisan tensions that are brewing on government funding and President Donald Trump’s nominees. Continue reading
Aug 04 U.S. may require visa applicants to post bond up to $15,000 to enter country By Matthew Lee, Associated Press The State Department is proposing requiring applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States. Continue reading
Aug 04 Trump’s deadline for the Kremlin looms but Putin shows no sign of making concessions By Associated Press U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected in Moscow midweek. Trump has set a Friday deadline for Russia to stop its aggression or face severe economic penalties. Continue reading
Aug 04 Texas governor threatens to remove Democrats who left state over Trump-backed redistricting By Joey Cappelletti, Andrew DeMillo, Associated Press The dramatic move Sunday could expose Democrats to fines and other penalties. Democrats have cast the decision to leave the state as a last-ditch effort to stop Republicans from pushing through a rare mid-decade redrawing of the congressional map. Continue reading
Aug 02 Watchdog agency investigates ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith for alleged illegal political activity By Darlene Superville, Eric Tucker, Associated Press An independent watchdog agency responsible for enforcing a law against partisan political activity by federal employees has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel who brought two criminal cases against then-candidate Donald Trump before his election to the White… Continue reading
Aug 02 Analysis: The trade-offs in Trump’s trade policy By Michael Froman, Council on Foreign Relations President Donald Trump’s tariff policies create conundrums that challenge his other stated goals of winning the AI race, reindustrializing the United States, and reducing trade deficits. Continue reading
Aug 02 Watch 5:26 Economist analyzes fallout of Trump’s sweeping new tariffs and firing of BLS commissioner By Ali Rogin, Zoie Lambert The White House’s announcement Friday that it will impose hefty tariffs on imports from nearly 70 countries next week triggered the worst day on Wall Street in more than a month. Those economic jitters were compounded by a weaker than… Continue watching
Aug 02 WATCH: ‘I think their numbers were wrong,’ Trump says after firing BLS head over jobs report By Associated Press President Donald Trump says he "did the right thing" by having his team remove the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs figures, after a weak report showed hiring slowed and was much weaker in April and May… Continue reading
Aug 01 Watch 8:32 Tariffs will help improve ‘broken global economic situation,’ economist Oren Cass says By Geoff Bennett, Jackson Hudgins President Trump announced another list of new tariffs on more than 60 countries, an unprecedented economic move that seeks to remake the global trade system. The tariffs, which range in rates from 10 to 41 percent, will take effect next… Continue watching