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Senate acquits Trump in his second impeachment trial; 7 Republicans vote to convict
By: Laura Olson - February 14, 2021
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate voted on Saturday to acquit former President Donald Trump on a charge of inciting the deadly Jan. 6 insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol, concluding his second impeachment trial with the same verdict as his first impeachment. In the 57-43 vote, seven Republicans joined every Senate Democrat and independent in […]
GOP senator blasts Trump legal team’s ‘terrible’ performance, backs impeachment trial
By: Laura Olson - February 10, 2021
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was one of six GOP senators who voted Tuesday to uphold the Senate’s authority to hold an impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, taking Republicans aback by reversing the position he took in a vote last month. Speaking to reporters Tuesday evening, Cassidy also contrasted the […]
Feds boost state COVID vaccine shipments to 11M doses next week
By: Laura Olson and Susan J. Demas - February 9, 2021
WASHINGTON — States will see another increase in the COVID-19 vaccine doses they receive, with the Biden administration announcing Tuesday that the federal government will distribute 11 million doses next week. That’s an increase from 10.5 million doses this week, and 8.6 million during the week President Joe Biden took office last month. Those increases were […]
What Senate Republicans are saying about Trump’s 2nd impeachment trial
By: Laura Olson - February 9, 2021
WASHINGTON — The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is set to begin Tuesday, when the Senate will start hearing arguments over whether Trump should be convicted of inciting the violent mob that lay siege to the Capitol. So far, no Senate Republican has outright backed a vote to convict Trump, and many […]
Biden sticks with $1.9T relief package despite GOP push for less
By: Laura Olson - February 5, 2021
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Friday he’s seeking to “act fast” on the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package he’s proposed, endorsing the path forged by congressional Democrats to position that legislation for a vote that could pass without support from Republicans. Biden’s remarks concluded a week he began by meeting with Senate Republicans, who had […]
Upton joins Dems in yanking Greene’s committee posts in rare rebuke
By: Laura Olson and Susan J. Demas - February 5, 2021
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House in an extraordinary move voted Thursday to remove U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from her committee assignments, citing a series of violent, anti-Semitic comments and social media posts she made before being elected to Congress in November. The 230-199 vote — with 11 Republicans joining with Democrats in support […]
Khaldun appeals to Congress for more vaccines, better communication, increased funding
By: Laura Olson - February 3, 2021
WASHINGTON — State health officials in Colorado, Louisiana and Michigan had a clear answer when asked Tuesday what they need to better vaccinate their residents: more doses, more information to guide their planning, and more money to pay for the mammoth undertaking. That guidance from state leaders came during a U.S. House Energy and Commerce […]
Dems protest naming Greene to education panel after she cast doubt on school shootings
By: Laura Olson - January 29, 2021
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats are denouncing GOP leaders for tapping Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to serve on the Education and Labor Committee, amid a growing outcry over the Georgia Republican’s past comments challenging the veracity of deadly school shootings. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “appalling” that Republicans selected someone who “has mocked the […]
Feds try to ease vaccine backlog by enlisting retired nurses and doctors
By: Laura Olson - January 28, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced a move Wednesday to bolster the number of people who can administer COVID-19 vaccines by making it easier for retired doctors and nurses to give those shots. The federal government also will allow current doctors and nurses to administer vaccines in states other than where they are licensed. The […]
Biden admin. unveils boost to state COVID-19 vaccine shipments
By: Laura Olson - January 26, 2021
WASHINGTON — Amid frustrations at the slow pace of the national COVID-19 vaccination effort, the Biden administration says it is boosting the number of doses sent to states each week and will be giving state officials more certainty on the number of doses they can expect in future shipments. Starting next week, a minimum of 10 […]
Biden orders tougher mask rules as part of overhauled COVID-19 strategy
By: Laura Olson - January 22, 2021
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s first policy focus after being sworn in? Overhauling the disjointed federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed another 4,400 American lives on his first day in office alone. “The brutal truth is, it’s going to take months before we can get the majority of Americans vaccinated,” Biden said Thursday. […]
Biden takes the oath of office with troops on guard and towering challenges ahead
By: Laura Olson, Ariana Figueroa and Susan J. Demas - January 20, 2021
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden is now the 46th president of the United States. At noon, he took the oath of office while standing on the same platform where insurrectionists swarmed just two weeks ago as they sought to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory. That violent mob of rioters damaged the U.S. Capitol, attacked police […]