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Struggle for U.S. Senate control enters its final tense hours
WASHINGTON — Democrats have a shot at winning the White House, capturing the Senate majority and keeping their hold on the House — an election result that could dramatically shift the policy agenda away from the gridlock that’s gripped the nation’s capital for years. In the Senate, the clearest route to that outcome is through […]
Biden vows an immigration overhaul in his first 100 days as president
WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday night distanced himself from the President Obama administration’s handling of undocumented people that led to the highest rate of deportations of any presidency and said he would act swiftly on immigration as president. During the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Biden admitted that […]
Barrett nomination advances to the U.S. Senate floor with a GOP-only vote
WASHINGTON — Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, as Democrats boycotted the markup in a show of protest. The 12 Republicans on the panel speedily voted on Barrett’s nomination and sent it to the Senate floor. The full Senate will […]
Klobuchar questions Barrett on rolling back abortion rights
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar pressed Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Tuesday about why she doesn’t classify the landmark case that allows pregnant women to chose to have an abortion as “super precedent,” meaning Roe v. Wade would never be overturned. Barrett told the Minnesota Democrat that scholars have noted that even though Roe v. Wade isn’t considered […]
Few precedents for presidential candidates unable to stay on the ticket
President Donald Trump’s diagnosis with COVID-19 just a month before Election Day raises the question of what happens in the unlikely case a nominee is unable to continue as a candidate for the presidency. The answer is murky at best, and complicated, with little precedent to follow. Trump arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical […]
Trump to stay ‘the next few days’ at military hospital for COVID-19 treatment
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Maryland late Friday afternoon, where White House officials said he is expected to stay for “the next few days” for treatment of COVID-19. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany described Trump, who disclosed his diagnosis earlier Friday, as having […]
U.S. House passes new pandemic relief bill, but talks lag on a bipartisan deal
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday night narrowly passed a slimmed-down $2.2 trillion Democratic coronavirus relief bill that retains hundreds of billions in aid for states and local governments, boosts unemployment benefits and extends another round of $1,200 checks for each taxpayer. But the package, passed on a 214-207 vote, with 18 Democrats splitting from […]
Trump tells far-right group to ‘stand back and stand by’ in presidential debate
President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Tuesday night’s chaotic and messy presidential debate were each asked how they would deal with the nation’s institutional racism. Trump directly addressed a far-right group, the Proud Boys, telling them to “stand back and stand by,” and failed to answer a question about why Americans should […]
Months into the pandemic, digital divide still leaves poor kids at a disadvantage
Members of the U.S. Senate are pushing for $4 billion in the next coronavirus relief package to help students in rural and low-income areas gain access to high speed internet. A digital divide that emerged as a major problem when schools shut down amid the pandemic last spring has persisted into the new academic year, […]
Trump nominates Barrett for SCOTUS, Michigan GOP Senate nominee says he backs process
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump at the White House on Saturday introduced federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his Supreme Court nominee, setting off a confirmation battle that could secure a conservative court for generations. “She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect and sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution,” […]
Trump reportedly passes over Michigander for Amy Coney Barrett on SCOTUS
President Donald Trump plans to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to several media reports. Trump had indicated this week that Michigander Joan Larsen, who Trump nominated to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, was on his short […]
Congress launches inquiry into claims about gynecological procedures at immigrant facility
Top U.S. House Democrats are investigating a whistleblower’s allegations that immigrant women in a Georgia detention center endured gynecological procedures without their consent or full understanding of the treatment that was being performed. Dawn Wooten, a nurse who worked at the Irwin County Detention Center, said women at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility […]