Politics
- PoliticsNBC News
Biden faces new Democratic divisions after Israel shift
President Joe Biden significantly shifted his policy toward Israel this week by threatening to withhold U.S. weapons if the Israeli government moves forward with a full-scale invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, while also pledging “ironclad” support for the Jewish state in a speech condemning the rise of antisemitism.
6 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Senate passes bill improving air safety and service for travelers, a day before FAA law expires
The Senate has passed a $105 billion bill designed to improve safety and customer service for air travelers, a day before the law governing the Federal Aviation Administration expires. The bipartisan bill, which comes after a series of close calls between planes at the nation’s airports, aims to boost the number of air traffic controllers amid a shortage, improve safety standards and make it easier for customers to get refunds after flights are delayed or canceled, among other measures. After
5 min read - USAssociated Press
1 lawmaker stops South Carolina health care consolidation bill that had overwhelming support
A bill that would have consolidated six South Carolina heath care agencies and was overwhelmingly passed by both chambers of the General Assembly died on the session's final day Thursday in a procedural move by a member angry he was mocked by his colleagues. Republican Rep. Josiah Magnuson has been against the bill from the start, saying it would create a health care czar who could take over like a dictator if there was another pandemic emergency like COVID-19.
3 min read - USAssociated Press
Court rejects Hunter Biden's appeal in gun case, setting stage for trial to begin next month
Hunter Biden's federal gun case should move forward, an appeals court ruled Thursday, setting the stage for the president's son to stand trial on criminal charges next month in Delaware. Hunter Biden's lawyers went to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after the judge overseeing the case last month rejected his bid to dismiss the prosecution. A three-judge panel of the appeals court did not rule on the merits of his claims, but said the court doesn't have jurisdiction to review the matter.
3 min read - PoliticsCNN Business
How Rupert Murdoch quietly helped Mike Johnson survive Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ouster attempt
Rupert Murdoch might not be flexing for the cameras, but he did just quietly demonstrate the power he still wields inside the Republican Party.
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Top Biden aide highlights upcoming tax showdown with GOP over 2017 cuts that are due to expire
The Biden White House wants voters to know its differences with Republicans over taxes, with a top aide making the case for higher rates on corporations and the ultra-wealthy. Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, will deliver remarks at the Brookings Institution on Friday that get at the major tax challenge for whomever wins the November presidential election. Many of the 2017 income tax cuts signed into law by then-President Donald Trump are set to expire afte
5 min read - USNBC News
Two political operatives struck plea deals in Rep. Henry Cuellar's bribery case
Mina Colin Strother and Florencio “Lencho” Rendon agreed to cooperate in the Justice Department's case against the Texas Democrat, according to unsealed documents.
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump gets Barron's age wrong when asked about his youngest son's convention role
Former President Donald Trump misstated the age of his youngest son in an interview, saying that Barron Trump was 17 years old — even though he turned 18 in March.
2 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Third week of testimony in Trump's hush money trial draws to a close, with Michael Cohen yet to come
The third week of testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial draws to a close Friday after jurors heard the dramatic, if not downright seamy, account of porn actor Stormy Daniels, while prosecutors gear up for their most crucial witness: Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney. Daniels' story of an alleged sexual encounter with Trump was a crucial building block for prosecutors, who are seeking to show that the Republican and his allies buried unflattering stories in the waning weeks of the 20
4 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump's lawyers imply Daniels' work in porn industry undermines her testimony
Adult film star Stormy Daniels returned to the stand in Donald Trump's criminal trial Thursday, pushing back during cross-examination against his defense attorney's attempts to discredit her in sometimes bizarre and uncomfortable exchanges.
11 min read - PoliticsPolitico
Facing Hill pressure, tech group kicks out TikTok
NetChoice, a right-of-center tech lobbying group, dumped the video app following scrutiny from GOP leadership on Capitol Hill.
3 min read - PoliticsReuters
Biden set to impose tariffs on China electric vehicles, sources say
WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden is set to announce new China tariffs as soon as next week targeting strategic sectors including electric vehicles, according to two people familiar with the matter. The full announcement, which could take place as soon as Tuesday, is expected to largely maintain existing levies, according to one of the people. An announcement could also be pushed back, the person said.
2 min read - WorldPolitico
‘We would need to make choices’: Why Biden is threatening Israel now
Biden’s announcement is an unintentional admission that his efforts to privately sway Netanyahu have had limited effects.
6 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Biden is caught in a no-win situation on Israel: From the Politics Desk
President Joe Biden is in a no-win situation after his threat to cut of certain weapons to Israel amid the Jewish state's war with Hamas.
6 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
The Biden-Netanyahu relationship is strained like never before. Can the two leaders move forward?
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have long managed a complicated relationship, but they're running out of space to maneuver as their views on the Gaza war diverge and their political futures hang in the balance. Netanyahu, for his part, is brushing off Biden’s warnings and vowing to press ahead, saying, “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone.” Biden has long prided himself on being able to manage Netanyahu more with carrots than sticks.
7 min read - PoliticsYahoo News
Trump trial updates: After Stormy Daniels wraps testimony, judge denies motions to declare mistrial and loosen Trump's gag order
When asked by lawyers for Donald Trump whether she had made up her story about a sexual affair with the former president, adult film actress Stormy Daniels had an emphatic, one-word answer: “No!”
3 min read - WorldBusiness Insider
Withholding US weapons from Israel could force changes in how it fights but may not stop its devastating assault
The US paused one shipment of bombs to Israel last week, but President Joe Biden has threatened to block additional weapons over Rafah concerns.
6 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Donald Trump spends day off from his hush-money trial attacking Biden's crypto knowledge and pushing mugshot NFTs
Donald Trump hosted supporters who bought NFTs from his "Mugshot Edition" collection at a dinner in Mar-a-Lago, Axios reported.
2 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
Trump’s hush-money trial: here’s what’s happened in the case so far
Catch up on latest news out of Donald Trump’s criminal trial for hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels
5 min read - USAssociated Press
US utility pledges more transparency after lack of notice it empowered CEO to make plant decisions
The nation's largest public utility on Thursday pledged to be more transparent after it took months to disclose that a general budget vote by its board last year also gave the CEO the final decision over several proposed natural gas power plants. The decision followed an August meeting in which the federal utility's board cast the budget vote that quietly gave President and CEO Jeff Lyash the final say over the projects, including the replacement of the aging coal-fired Kingston Fossil Plant wi
4 min read - BusinessReuters
Biden concerned over Boeing firefighters' lockout
(Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday he is concerned that Boeing has locked out its unionized firefighters, raising pressure on the U.S. planemaker to resolve the contract dispute. Earlier this month, Boeing locked out nearly 130 members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local I-66 who have rejected two contract offers. "I’m concerned by reports that Boeing locked out IAFF I-66 members," Biden wrote on the social media site X. "I encourage folks to return to the
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Pennsylvania to ban cell phone use while driving and require police to collect traffic stop data
Pennsylvania will join the majority of states that ban motorists from handling a cell phone for almost any purpose while driving, as backers of the legislation hope to reduce distracted driving accidents and deaths after nearly two decades of pressing the measure. Gov. Josh Shapiro's office said Thursday that the Democrat will sign the bill, 18 years after he first introduced a similar bill when he served in the state House of Representatives. The bill also includes a provision long-sought by
4 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Biden's threat to cut off weapons for Israel isn't the same as what got Trump impeached
There are numerous differences between Biden's comments and how Trump handled Ukraine aid.
6 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
New rule aims to speed up removal of limited group of migrants who don't qualify for asylum
A new Biden administration rule announced Thursday aims to speed up asylum processing at the southern border for a a limited group of people believed to have committed serious crimes or who have terrorist links and ultimately more quickly eject them from the country. The change comes as the administration has been struggling to demonstrate to voters during an election where immigration is a key issue that it has a handle on the southern border. Republicans have consistently slammed the Biden a
4 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Trump's 'Access Hollywood' tape prompted RNC to discuss replacing him as a candidate, his former assistant testifies
Donald Trump's ex-executive assistant Madeleine Westerhout described the top-of-the-ticket tumult on Thursday at his criminal hush-money trial.
3 min read - PoliticsPolitico
Judge denies Hunter Biden‘s bid to dismiss gun charges
Separately, a federal appeals court panel ruled against Biden earlier Thursday in another bid to have the charges against him tossed.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Former aide and consultant close to U.S. Rep. Cuellar plead guilty and agree to aid investigation
A top former aide to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and a political and business consultant have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to help the Democrat congressman from Texas launder more than $200,000 in bribes and to assist prosecutors in a federal criminal investigation, according to court documents unsealed this week. Colin Strother, Cuellar's former chief of staff and campaign manager, and Florencia Rendon, a business consultant and former chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, str
3 min read - USNBC News
Appeals court dismisses Hunter Biden's effort to toss out gun case
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected Hunter Biden's effort to dismiss his gun case in Delaware.
2 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Asa Hutchinson, Fierce Never Trumper In The GOP Primary, Won’t Be Voting For Biden
America, the former governor of Arkansas said, will be OK whether Trump or Biden are reelected.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Maryland governor signs online data privacy bills
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed two measures into law on Thursday that are aimed at better protecting personal data online from Big Tech, including a bill making Maryland the second state to try to create strong limits on information collected on children. The measure, known as the Maryland Kids Code, seeks to limit data that could be collected from children online and protect them from being flooded with harmful material they were not trying to find. “Look, the bottom line is Big Tech has been
4 min read - USAssociated Press
Biden administration will seek partial end to special court oversight of child migrants
The Biden administration will seek to partially end the 27-year-old court supervision of how the federal government cares for child migrants traveling alone, shortly after producing its own list of safeguards against mistreatment, an attorney involved in the case says. The Justice Department has told opposing attorneys it will ask a federal judge on Friday to terminate the so-called Flores agreement at the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which takes custody of unaccompanied children
4 min read - WorldReuters
US warning on arms supplies prompts Israeli defiance, doubts
U.S. President Joe Biden's announcement that he would withhold arms supplies if Israel went through with its assault of Rafah drew a defiant reaction on Wednesday alongside unease at the possible longer term fallout from the open clash with Israel's most vital ally. The warning came after months of increasingly urgent calls for restraint by officials from the administration, which has been paying a heavy political price for its continued support for Israel despite the mounting death toll in Gaz
4 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Democratic ex-White House aide Maggie Goodlander is running for Congress in New Hampshire
Goodlander, who is married to President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is the third Democrat to enter the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, a fellow Democrat who announced in March that she would not seek a seventh term in the state’s 2nd Congressional District. Goodlander, 37, grew up in Nashua and recently moved back there from Washington, where she worked in the Justice Department as a top antitrust official and as counsel to Attorney General Merrick Garland befo
2 min read - PoliticsReuters
Hunter Biden loses bid to dismiss gun charges, clearing way for June trial
WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) -A federal appeals court panel rejected a bid by U.S. President Joe Biden's son to dismiss criminal gun charges, clearing the way for Hunter Biden's June 3 trial, a first for the child of a sitting president. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia said Hunter Biden could not appeal because the lower court had not yet entered a final judgment in the case. Shortly after the appeals court ruled, U.S. District Judge Mar
2 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Rick Scott Misses Senate Vote To Join Donald Trump At His Hush Money Trial
Scott's absence in the Senate did not affect the legislative outcome, but it's the latest sign of Republican devotion to the former president.
3 min read - WorldAssociated Press
US says Rafah offensive would jeopardize cease-fire talks as Biden threatens to halt more Israel aid
The United States warned on Thursday that Israel will be dealing a strategic victory to Hamas if it carries out plans for an all-out assault on Rafah, the militants' last major stronghold in Gaza. The warning was backed by a new threat from President Joe Biden: He says he will pause more offensive military assistance to Israel if it goes through with the operation in a city where more than 1 million civilians are sheltering. Biden last week put on hold a shipment of large bombs to Israel over
7 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Biden administration to propose new rule for asylum-seekers
The Biden administration is expected to propose a rule Thursday that would accelerate the pace at which certain migrants could be processed and denied asylum after having crossing the southern border, according to two sources familiar with the decision.
3 min read - USBusiness Insider
Tyler Boebert still hasn't gotten a lawyer for his theft case: 'I've gotten a lot closer on working things out'
The teenage son of GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert told a Colorado judge Thursday that he only applied for a public defender "a couple days ago."
4 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
House Speaker Mike Johnson survived a motion to vacate. Here's why his job is far from safe
In a stunning show of unity in the often divided House, Democrats joined a majority of Republicans on Wednesday to save the GOP speaker from an attempt by fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to remove him from his post. The episode highlights the increasingly precarious situation for Johnson, who faces the same conservative forces that took down his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, but with an even smaller majority that has forced him to continuously rely on Democratic support to carry ou
5 min read - USAssociated Press
In a revised case, a former congressman is charged with lying about an illegal campaign contribution
Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry has been charged with lying to federal authorities about a foreign billionaire's illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign, reviving a case that was derailed by an appellate court. A federal jury convicted the Nebraska Republican in 2022, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Fortenberry's conviction last year, ruling that the case should not have been tried in Los Angeles. A grand jury in the nation's capital indicted Fortenberry on Wednesday on tw
2 min read - PoliticsThe New York Times
10 Big Biden Environmental Rules, and What They Mean
The Biden administration has been racing this spring to finalize a slew of major environmental regulations, including rules to combat climate change, a first-ever ban on asbestos and new limits on toxic chemicals in tap water. Many of the rules had been in the works since President Joe Biden’s first day in office, when he ordered federal agencies to reinstate or strengthen more than 100 environmental regulations that President Donald Trump had weakened or removed. The president has pledged to cu
7 min read - PoliticsReuters
Key Democrat backs embattled US FDIC chief amid harassment scandal
An outside review released on Tuesday found the agency needed to adopt sweeping changes to fix workplace culture and address harassment, racial discrimination and other longstanding problems, citing accounts from more than 500 people, mostly current staff. Republican lawmakers since November have angrily called for FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg to resign in the wake of the Wall Street Journal expose which prompted the investigation, conducted by the law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
2 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Haley will meet with donors to her shuttered presidential campaign. No Trump endorsement is expected
Nikki Haley is meeting next week with donors who supported her now-abandoned Republican presidential campaign, a reentry into public life that comes as the former South Carolina governor keeps drawing notable support in some state primaries despite Donald Trump's status as the presumptive nominee. Haley will appear at events on Monday and Tuesday with about 100 donors in Charleston, according to a person with knowledge of the plans. The gathering, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is
4 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Trump Reportedly Asks Fossil Fuel CEOs For $1 Billion
In exchange, the former president vowed to undo many of President Joe Biden's green energy policies.
4 min read - WorldReuters
Chinese companies hit with US trade restrictions over spy balloon incident
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration added 37 Chinese entities to a trade restriction list on Thursday, including some for allegedly supporting the spy balloon that flew over the United States last year, heightening tensions between Beijing and Washington. The Commerce Department also said it was adding some units of China Electronics Technology Group to the list for allegedly trying to obtain American technology to support China's quantum technology capabilities, "which has serious r
2 min read - WorldCBS News
Israel's far-right blasts Biden as Netanyahu promises Rafah assault
One member of Israel's government says Hamas loves Mr. Biden, but other Israelis worry their leaders are losing the vital war for global support.
5 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Barron Trump gets into politics
Donald Trump's youngest son plans to join him at July's Republican National Convention.
2 min read - WorldNBC News
Israel fumes as Biden signals a harder line against a Rafah ground assault
Israel reacted with a mix of concern and fury Thursday to President Joe Biden's warning that he would cut off weapons to the U.S. ally's military if it moves forward with a full-scale assault on Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.
6 min read - USPolitico
Federal prosecutors reissue criminal charges against ex-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry
The Nebraska Republican was convicted of lying to the FBI two years ago, but an appeals court ruled the charges should’ve been brought in a different venue.
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's attempt to oust Johnson blocked and Miss Teen USA gives up her crown: Morning Rundown
President Joe Biden threatens to cut off Israel’s supply of offensive weapons if it invades Rafah. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's attempt to oust Speaker Johnson blocked.
7 min read
