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McConnell doesn’t rule out U.S. Senate vote outlawing abortion if GOP takes control
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell isn’t ruling out bringing a nationwide abortion ban up for a vote, should the U.S. Supreme Court end the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy and his party regains the chamber in the November elections. The Kentucky Republican was somewhat reserved last week when repeatedly asked by reporters […]
Bernie Sanders at U.S. Senate hearing rips Amazon over union opposition
WASHINGTON — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders took Amazon to task Thursday at a congressional hearing, bashing the online giant’s leadership for fighting union drives and questioning whether the federal government should continue contracting with the multibillion-dollar company. Amazon executives didn’t attend the hearing but U.S. senators did hear from labor unions and the U.S. Government […]
U.S. Senate to try again on abortion rights after bombshell disclosure of draft opinion
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday pledged a new vote codifying the right to an abortion after publication of a draft court ruling that showed the Supreme Court on track to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision. Democrats, who likely won’t have the votes to advance that bill, also predicted that abortion […]
States rush to revise their abortion laws as a major U.S. Supreme Court decision nears
WASHINGTON — Abortion access throughout the country could soon depend on a patchwork of state laws if a U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservatives overturns the constitutional right it established nearly 50 years ago. The court’s decision on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban is expected sometime within the next two months. But state legislatures have been […]
Jan. 6 panel asks three GOP members of the U.S. House to cooperate in probe
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House committee looking into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol sent letters Monday to Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Ronny Jackson of Texas, asking them to share information about meetings and conversations they had in the days and weeks leading up to the insurrection. “The […]
Nine rare cancers tied to burn pit exposure added to VA benefits list
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is adding nine rare respiratory cancers linked to burn pit exposure to the list of illnesses eligible for disability and health benefits.
U.S. to lend and lease military supplies to Ukraine under bill cleared by Congress
The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to use the framework of a World War II-era program to allow the federal government to lend and lease military equipment to Ukraine as it resists Russian troops.
Biden asks Congress for $33 billion for Ukraine aid, pleads again for COVID funds
President Joe Biden on Thursday asked Congress to approve $33 billion more in funding to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion that has lasted more than two months and claimed thousands of lives.
White House pushes COVID antiviral amid funding stalemate with Congress
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration hopes that a new push to get a COVID-19 antiviral into more pharmacies, along with getting the message through to doctors that it’s no longer in short supply, will help reduce hospitalizations. The plan to ship out more of the antiviral comes as Congress returns from a recess this week […]
Biden to ask Congress for more Ukraine aid after earlier U.S. funding runs dry
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is preparing to ask Congress for billions more in aid to Ukraine as the war shifts to the Eastern regions of the country, following Russia’s failure to take the capital city of Kyiv. “I’m asking the Defense Department to put together what they think we need,” Biden said this week. […]
U.S. House panels probe election disinformation in Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Texas
WASHINGTON — The chairs of two U.S. House committees said Thursday they are asking election officials from four states to detail what they are doing to “counter lies and conspiracy theories and protect the integrity of federal elections.” California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, chair of the House Administration Committee, and New York Democratic Rep. Carolyn […]
U.S. immigration, border agencies face funding shortfall after public health order ends
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security expects to be short on cash for border and immigration operations later this year after the federal government ends a Trump-era policy that prevents migrants from claiming asylum during a health crisis. A halt to the program, known as Title 42, has divided Democrats, some of whom […]