Author

Jacob Fischler

Jacob Fischler

Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.

Trump spread claims of election fraud debunked by his own legal team, Jan. 6 panel says

By: - June 13, 2022

Former President Donald Trump planted the seeds for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by continually promoting theories that he lost the 2020 election through fraud, even though top advisers and officials told him there was no evidence to support the claim, according to testimony a U.S. House committee presented Monday. In its […]

5 things we learned about Jan. 6 and Trump from the first hearing

By: - June 11, 2022

The opening U.S. House hearing in a series on the Jan. 6 attack included some eye-opening new details about the events of the day and the broader plot to halt the peaceful transfer of presidential power. The nine-member investigative committee put former President Donald Trump at the center of the plot, while accusing leaders of two […]

Jan. 6 panel says Trump, far-right groups responsible for insurrection

By: - June 10, 2022

A widely anticipated hearing Thursday by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol alleged two groups supporting then-President Donald Trump planned the riot to stop the transfer of presidential power — while Trump tacitly endorsed the insurrection and was indifferent to calls to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence. […]

First Jan. 6 hearing to reveal new evidence of Trump conspiracy, panel aides say

By: - June 9, 2022

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol will use its first public hearing to tie the violent attempt to overturn the election directly to former President Donald Trump, committee aides told reporters Wednesday. In addition to live witnesses — a U.S. Capitol Police officer injured by rioters during the […]

What to know about Thursday’s public hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol

By: - June 8, 2022

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol will launch the first in a series of public hearings Thursday night in the hopes of drawing a major prime-time national television audience. The Democratic-led committee, which includes two Republicans who defied their party leadership to join, has been tight-lipped about […]

Remote voting in the U.S. House hits a second anniversary, but it may be its last

By: - June 2, 2022

Updated, 10:30 a.m., 6/3/22 After two years of a temporary provision to allow remote voting in the U.S. House, the top 36 users of the proxy voting system are all Democrats, though Republicans have also taken advantage of it. Proxy voting was meant to keep crowds of House members smaller and thereby limit the spread […]

Proposal to ban mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters sets off battle in Congress

By: - May 31, 2022

A U.S. House panel broke along party lines last week as its members debated mining near the most popular wilderness area in the country, following President Joe Biden’s decision earlier this year to block federal approval of a new mine. Democrats on the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee said they supported Minnesota […]

Misinformation, violence and a paper shortage threaten midterm elections, officials say

By: - May 23, 2022

Members of a U.S. Senate panel and election administrators raised a bevy of concerns Thursday about the challenges elections officials will face this fall, saying problems ranging from a lack of paper to coordinated misinformation campaigns could affect confidence in U.S. democracy. A bipartisan panel of current and former elections officials and experts told the […]

Jan. 6 investigators want Georgia’s Loudermilk to explain pre-attack U.S. Capitol tour

By: - May 19, 2022

The U.S. House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday asked Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia to appear before the committee to answer questions about a tour of the Capitol that Loudermilk gave the day before the assault. Shortly after the attack, 34 House Democrats, led by New […]

Congress, White House scramble to ease baby formula shortage

By: and - May 19, 2022

WASHINGTON — Both the Biden administration and Congress moved Wednesday to try to relieve a national infant formula shortage, as the White House invoked the Defense Production Act and the U.S. House approved $28 million for the Food and Drug Administration. President Joe Biden said he would use the law to address the formula shortage, requiring suppliers […]

Biden condemns racist theory of white supremacy in visit to Buffalo after mass shooting

By: - May 18, 2022

President Joe Biden on Tuesday commemorated the victims of last weekend’s mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, and condemned the ideology that drove the killer to “carry out a murderous, racist rampage” at a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood. In a visit to the Upstate New York city, Biden and other New York […]

U.S. House Jan. 6 Committee subpoenas 5 GOP members who declined to testify

By: - May 13, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol subpoenaed five Republican House members Thursday who the panel believes have knowledge of the events leading up to the attack, including communication with then-President Donald Trump. The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol […]