Ted Cruz pushes for car manufacturers to keep AM radio, a tool for emergency communication and conservative talk
Cruz on Tuesday requested a unanimous consent decision on his AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The legislation was blocked by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, who said the mandate on private companies would be an overstep of congressional power.
Meta and X questioned by lawmakers over lack of rules against AI-generated political deepfakes
US Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York sent a letter Thursday to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X CEO Linda Yaccarino expressing โserious concernsโ about the emergence of AI-generated political ads on their platforms and asking each to explain any rules theyโre crafting to curb the harms to free and fair elections.
In wake of floods, typical barbs at Kentucky political event
While Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was consoling families displaced by historic flooding in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, Republicans at the stateโs premier political event on the other side of the state were campaigning to oust him from office in 2023.
Pandemic preparedness bill moves ahead; funding still needed
A Senate committee has approved a bipartisan blueprint to overhaul the nationโs public health system, applying the lessons of COVID-19 to future outbreaks through a new chain of command, a stronger medical supply chain, and clearer crisis communications.
How American cash for Canada protests could sway US politics
The Canadians who have disrupted trade with the U.S. and occupied downtown Ottawa for nearly three weeks have been cheered and funded by American right-wing activists and conservative politicians who also oppose vaccine mandates and the countryโs liberal leader.
A first: US Senate confirms transgender doctor for key post
Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Levine to be assistant secretary of health. She becomes the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP, File)Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nationโs assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.
A first: US Senate confirms transgender doctor for key post
Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Levine to be assistant secretary of health. She becomes the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP, File)Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nationโs assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.
Senatorโs annual โFestivusโ report highlights government grant for boat slips, marinas
โItโs been really, really hard,โ said Murray, who was a victim of Harvey. Back at Laguna Harbor, the feds have earmarked dollars for another building project, a new marina. โIโm tired of you spending money on rich people, letโs spend it on those who need money,โ said the Junior U.S. On page 66 of last yearโs report, Paul highlights Laguna Harbor. Johnson said he has sent a demand letter to Senator Paul on behalf of Laguna Harbor to retract the defamatory claims in the Festivus report.
Senate confirms Cardona as Biden's education secretary
FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2021, file photo, Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate has confirmed him as Education Secretary on March 1. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool, File)The Senate voted Monday to confirm Miguel Cardona as education secretary, clearing his way to lead President Joe Bidenโs effort to reopen the nationโs schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. AdCardona, who gained attention for his efforts to reopen schools in Connecticut, has vowed to make it his top priority to reopen schools. In an increasingly fractionalized world of education, Cardona has vowed to be a unifier.
Trump acquitted, denounced in historic impeachment trial
In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., speaks about the motion to call witnesses during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. Coming amid the searing COVID-19 crisis, the Biden White House is trying to rush pandemic relief through Congress. Most of them ultimately voted to acquit, doubting whether Trump was fully responsible or if impeachment is the appropriate response. Within a week Biden was inaugurated, Trump was gone and Pelosi sent the article of impeachment to the Senate days later, launching the proceedings. At the same time, this year's trial carried similar warnings from the prosecutors that Trump must be held accountable because he has shown repeatedly he has no bounds.
Trump lawyers: Impeachment based on hatred, not facts
Trump's lawyers made an abbreviated presentation that used less than three of their allotted 16 hours. But in trying to draw that equivalency, the defenders minimized Trump's months-long efforts to undermine the election results and his urging of followers to do the same. On Friday, as defense lawyers repeated their own videos over and over, some Democrats chuckled and whispered among themselves as many of their faces flashed on the screen. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet said it felt like the lawyers were โerecting straw men to then take them down rather than deal with the facts." Trump's lawyers say that goal only underscores the โhatredโ Democrats feel for Trump.
โDistressing and emotionalโ: Senators relive horror of riot
Reporters vie for a response from Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, as Senators take a dinner break while arguments continue in former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON โ For 90 tense minutes, members of the Senate relived the horror. The rioters were โ58 stepsโ from senators at one point, impeachment manager Eric Swalwell told them. Senators were silent afterward, some sitting quietly and alone, as if to process it all. He walked out of the room in the middle of the presentation, as impeachment manager Stacey Plaskett detailed the threats to Penceโs life.
Trial highlights: Harrowing footage, focus on Trump's words
NEW SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGETo reconstruct the siege for senators, Democrats aired never-before-seen security footage from inside the Capitol that showed the attack unfolding. AdโVice President Pence had the courage to stand against the president, tell the American public the truth and uphold our Constitution. Many Republicans had been appalled by Trump's treatment of his most loyal soldier during his final days in office. REPUBLICANS HOLD FIRMThere appears little chance enough Republicans will break with Democrats to convict Trump at the end of the trial. AdThe video evidence was โnothing new here, for me, at the end of the day,โ said Hawley, who maintains the trial is unconstitutional.
Trump trial gets go-ahead after emotional, graphic first day
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would not be watching the trial of his predecessor. Though the trial now proceeds, thatโs a legal issue that could resonate with Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior. Trump attorney David Schoen turned the trial toward starkly partisan tones, saying the Democrats were fueled by a โbase hatredโ of the former president. On the vote, six Republicans joined with Democrats pursue the trial, just one more than on a similar vote last week. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.
Trump's trial starting: 'Grievous crime' or just 'theater'?
Under COVID-19 protocols senators will distance for the trial, some even using the visitors' galleries. โThis trial is one way of having that difficult national conversation about the difference between dissent and insurrection," he said. Trump's defenders are preparing to challenge both the constitutionality of the trial and any suggestion that he was to blame for the insurrection. The trial was set to break Friday evening for the Jewish Sabbath at the request of Trump's defense team, and resume Sunday. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.
Senate Republicans back Trump as impeachment trial nears
AdMany senators including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell immediately denounced the violence and pointed a finger of blame at Trump. Those partisan divisions appear to be hardening ahead of Trumpโs trial, a sign of his continuing grip on the GOP. On Sunday, Wicker described Trump's impeachment trial as a โmeaningless messaging partisan exercise." Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont will preside over the trial as Senate president pro tempore. Forty-four Republican senators sided with Paul and voted to oppose holding an impeachment trial at all.
Democrat floats Trump censure as conviction grows unlikely
House Democrats are busy preparing their formal case against the former president for inciting an insurrection, with arguments starting the week of Feb. 8. A week later, on Jan. 13, the Democratic-led House impeached Trump with the backing of 10 Republicans. She said that five is probably โa high mark on what youโre going to see for Republican supportโ for convicting Trump at trial. Some said the censure resolution was too late because Democrats had rejected GOP suggestions of censure before the House voted to impeach. โI guess if we can censure former presidents, then when Republicans get in charge, we can censure Barack Obama or Democrats can censure George Bush."
Ted Cruz, John Cornyn vote in favor of failed attempt to dismiss Trump impeachment case
John Cornyn and Ted Cruz joined with most of their Republican colleagues on Tuesday to support a measure that would have declared the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump as unconstitutional. The point of order, raised by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, had the backing of most other Republican senators. Supporters of Trump overtook the Capitol โ including the U.S. Senate chamber โ and killed one Capitol Police officer. The House impeachment managers โ de facto prosecutors โ will have to convince at least 17 Republican senators to join the expected unanimous Democratic vote in convicting Trump. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
GOP largely sides against holding Trump impeachment trial
In this image from video, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is presiding over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, swears in members of the Senate for the impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Late Tuesday, the presiding officer at the trial, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was taken to the hospital for observation after not feeling well at his office, spokesman David Carle said in a statement. The vote means the trial on Trump's impeachment will begin as scheduled the week of Feb. 8. โYouโre asking me to vote in a trial that by itself on its own is not constitutionally allowed?โ he asked. Instead, Leahy, who serves in the largely ceremonial role of Senate president pro tempore, was sworn in on Tuesday.
Federal judge in Iowa ridicules Trump's pardons
Pratt, who has warned that systemic political corruption is a threat to U.S. democracy, is ridiculing President Trump's pardons, including those issued to convicted Republican campaign operatives and members of Congress. "It's not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals," Judge Pratt of the Southern District of Iowa said Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall File)IOWA CITY, Iowa โ A federal judge in Iowa who has warned against political corruption is ridiculing President Donald Trumpโs pardons, including those issued to convicted Republican campaign operatives and former members of Congress. โItโs not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals,โ senior U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt of the Southern District of Iowa told The Associated Press in a brief phone interview Monday. Trump also pardons turkeys โ this year two from Iowa โ annually before Thanksgiving.
New round of Trump clemency benefits Manafort, other allies
FILE - In this Thursday, June 27, 2019 file photo, Paul Manafort arrives in court in New York. President Trump's former campaign manager is to be arraigned on state mortgage fraud charges. Manafort, who led Trump's campaign during a pivotal period in 2016 before being ousted over his ties to Ukraine, was among the first people charged as part of Muellerโs investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Though the charges against Manafort did not concern the central thrust of Mueller's mandate โ whether the Trump campaign and Russia colluded to tip the election โ he was nonetheless a pivotal figure in the investigation. Trump and the elder Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009.
A look at the 29 people Trump pardoned or gave commutations
Trump commuted his sentence in July just days before he was scheduled to report to federal prison. The president commuted her sentence; the White House said the commutation was supported by several former U.S. attorneys general. A White House news release praised the men as โmodel prisoners,โ who had earned support and praise from other inmates. She was in the White House when Trump signed the overhaul measure, known as the First Step Act, into law. Black was a co-defendant in the case and was also convicted; Trump previously pardoned him.
$900B COVID relief bill passed by Congress, sent to Trump
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON โ Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package that would finally deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The bill approved Monday night went to President Donald Trump for his signature, which was expected in the coming days. The relief package, unveiled Monday afternoon, sped through the House and Senate in a matter of hours. The bill combines coronavirus-fighting funds with financial relief for individuals and businesses. Democrats and Senate Republicans prevailed in a bid to use bookkeeping maneuvers to squeeze $12.5 billion more for domestic programs into the legislation.
Sen. Rand Paul delays defense bill vote over troop drawdowns
Paul said on the Senate floor that he opposes provisions in the defense bill that would limit President Donald Trump's ability to draw down U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Germany. Paul said he would drop his objection if GOP leaders allowed a final vote on the National Defense Authorization Act on Monday. 2 Senate Republican, said he thought Paul โ who has provoked government shutdowns before โ was using the time-crunch for maximum leverage to remove the provision on troop withdrawals. A procedural vote on the defense bill was expected Friday, setting the stage for final votes on the defense bill and the stopgap spending measure later in the day. If he does veto the defense bill, Congress could cut short its Christmas recess to hold override votes, senior House members said.
Sen. Rand Paul delays defense bill vote over troop drawdowns
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, speaks during a news conference following a weekly meeting with the Senate Republican caucus, Tuesday, Dec. 8. Paul said he would drop his objection if GOP leaders allowed a final vote on the National Defense Authorization Act on Monday. 2 Senate Republican, said he thought Paul โ who has provoked government shutdowns before โ was using the time-crunch for maximum leverage to remove the provision on troop withdrawals. A procedural vote on the defense bill was expected Friday, setting the stage for final votes on the defense bill and the stopgap spending measure later in the day. If he does veto the defense bill, Congress could cut short its Christmas recess to hold override votes, senior House members said.
Senate falls short of halting Trump's $23B arms sales to UAE
But on Wednesday the effort to turn back the arms sales failed to reach the 51-vote majority needed for passage. The Senate will take up the broader defense bill soon. Israeli officials have previously expressed some concern about an F-35 sale. Even after Wednesday's setback, Congress is poised to approve the sweeping annual defense bill despite Trump's objections. Trump has warned he would veto the bill over a provision to study stripping the names of Confederate leaders from U.S. military bases.
Trump's return means more anxiety for White House reporters
A member of the cleaning staff sprays The James Brady Briefing Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington. CNN's Kaitlan Collins said it was โirresponsible, at best.โโItโs frustrating,โ said Jonathan Karl, ABC News White House correspondent. โThe only people who have habitually not followed that rule have been that White House staff,โ Karl said. For example, the White House arranged to increase the buffer zone between the audience at Trump rallies and journalists. But at the White House, Ryan said she is concerned for fellow reporters.
GOP senator with virus says he'll make Supreme Court vote
Hours after President Donald Trump announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus, Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee revealed he too had been infected with the disease. Trump disclosed that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive overnight; Lee tweeted his own diagnosis mid-morning Friday. It's unclear when and how the Utah Republican caught the virus, but Lee said he had tested negative ahead of the Saturday visit to the White House. Lee previously self-quarantined for two weeks in late March and April, after his colleague Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky tested positive for the coronavirus. Lee rode back to Utah then with fellow Utah Sen. Mitt Romney on a plane chartered by the former presidential candidate.
Former congressman Ron Paul hospitalized, says he's OK
AUSTIN, Texas โ Former GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul posted a picture of himself in a hospital Friday but said he was OK after video circulated online of him struggling to speak during an interview. The 85-year-old former Texas congressman, who ran for president three times, posted a picture on Facebook showing him smiling in a hospital gown and giving a thumbs-up. The post came after a video took off on social media showing Paul having trouble speaking during an appearance on his livestreamed show โRon Paul Liberty Report.โ The video cuts away to the interviewer as Paul struggles. Paul is the father of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., whose office did not immediately return a message Friday. He faced an electorate frustrated by a weak economy and two wars, and saw his once outsider views become more mainstream.
AP Exclusive: Pence to attend event hosted by QAnon backers
FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, file photo, Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a campaign event on the grounds of Kuharchik Construction, Inc., in Exeter, Pa. Labor Day kicks off the unofficial start to fall election campaign. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
AP Exclusive: Pence to attend event hosted by QAnon backers
The hosts of the fundraiser, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, their social media activity shows. The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking. While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon, the fundraiser is another sign of how the conspiracy theory is gaining a foothold in the party. Representatives for the Trump campaign didn't immediately comment on the fundraiser. They posed for photos from the White House South Lawn, including one that shows Michael Alfaro, a Trump fundraiser from Illinois, in the foreground.
Trump spins baseless tale of thugs flying to protests
Thousands of social media users shared posts suggesting a covert network was coordinating the protests and rioters were descending on communities across the country. Trump is picking up on unproven conspiracy theories that began spreading earlier this year during protests for racial justice. A social media message sent to Wade on Tuesday was not immediately returned. Other social media posts claimed that throngs of antifa, a term for leftist militants, were plotting to violently disrupt cities and towns. In Facebook and Twitter posts earlier this summer, Trump also blamed antifa for violence that broke out during racial justice protests.
Sen. Paul complains about 'angry mob' encounter after RNC
Paul alleged, without offering any evidence, that the demonstrators were paid to create trouble on the streets of the nations capital. I think were going to find out that these people are hired and from out of town, specifically in our case, Paul claimed. Paul said that was ironic because he proposed legislation that would end no-knock raids. Videos showed other attendees of Trump's RNC speech being confronted by protesters after leaving the event. The FBI needs to investigate.___This story has been corrected to show Pauls tweet thanked police for saving our lives, not saving his life.
Protesters try to drown out Trump speech, yell at Sen. Paul
I hope you hear us, Trump, the leader of the popular local band TOB shouted Thursday night near the site of Trump's speech. One protester held up a sign, Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue the street where the White House is located. Paul later tweeted that he had been attacked by a crazed mob a block from the White House. Lafayette Park, a traditional site of demonstrations across from the White House, was sealed off and there were some street closures. A longtime D.C. signature sound, Go-Go music emerged last year as a battle anthem for activists fighting fast-moving gentrification in the nations capital.
Takeaways from GOP Convention: Policy, Pompeo, more Trump
A EYE ON 2024The 2020 Republican National Convention is squarely focused on the election in 70 days. A RATINGS DISAPPOINTMENTRatings for the opening night of the convention trailed not just Trumps convention four years ago, but the Democrats convention last week. Foxs audience was up 238%, but Democratic convention viewership beat Republicans on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC. While MSNBC and CNN combined had just under 10 million viewers for Bidens first night, they had 3.6 million for Trump, Nielsen said. Trump on Tuesday complimented CNN for carrying nearly the entirety of the Monday night convention, implicitly chiding his favored Fox News for repeatedly breaking away from the scripted programming to conduct live interviews.
WHAT TO WATCH: Melania, Pompeo and Trump at GOP convention
What to watch at the convention Tuesday:TRUMPTrump appeared frequently during the first day of his partys convention. THE FIRST LADYFirst lady Melania Trump is set to give the marquee address from the Rose Garden. Her speech at the 2016 GOP convention, the night she introduced herself to voters, was well-received but was later found to have included lines that were very close to what former first lady Michelle Obama said in her 2008 speech at the Democratic convention. Two of the presidents children, Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump, are scheduled, along with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Iowa Gov. BIDENUnlike Trump, who planned events to counter the Democratic convention, the Biden campaign has not scheduled their candidate to make appearances during the GOP gathering.