Elections, governments, public policy, political analysis, and the decisions influencing everyday life.
At a minimum, we need clear, highly visible pump labels with standardized language that says plainly: "E15 is not for boats."
Progressives are facing their latest test in this week’s Wisconsin and Minnesota primaries as Democrats grapple with their party’s direction in the high-stakes midterm elections.  In Wisconsin, democratic socialist Francesca Hong has surged in the swing state’s Democratic primary for governor amid concer
Senate Republicans are rallying behind Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) after President Trump declined to support the GOP leader serving another term following the midterm election. Many Republican senators say Thune will have their full support, even if Trump backs a challenger because of the Senate leader&#
President Trump is facing trouble on two fronts in the Middle East — and it’s not clear how he gets out of it. Iran is pressing what it sees as its strategic advantage over control of the Strait of Hormuz, ratcheting up its rhetoric and its demands. The Islamic Republic’s leadership is now insisting the…
Francesca Hong hasn’t drawn big name backers like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to her gubernatorial campaign, unlike other candidates this cycle.
The president of the American Medical Association on Monday said President Trump’s new recommendations on childhood immunizations put “children’s health at risk,” joining the chorus of medical experts criticizing the executive order. “Vaccines are among the most thoroughly studied, effective tools we have to protect ch
A judge in Staten Island, N.Y., temporarily blocked New York City Zohran Mamdani’s (D) rollout of a new tax on second homes worth more than $5 million, according to multiple reports. The ruling from Judge Wayne Ozzi, a Democrat on the state’s Supreme Court, required the city to take down a public list of 900,000-plus&#
Republicans in North Carolina selected state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (R) as the new GOP nominee in the state’s 11th Congressional District, after Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) dropped out of the race last week.  Members of the state GOP’s executive committee for the 11th district selected Balkcom just 85 days before E
A deal between Iran and Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is teetering over steep demands from Tehran for the United States and vice versa.  Iran on Sunday said the agreement to set up new shipping lanes was in its final stages but repeated that the vital waterway would only reopen once Washington met…
President Trump said Monday he has not spoken to Attorney General Todd Blanche nor Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., regarding prosecuting Dr. Anthony Fauci. “I have not spoken to them about that, no,” Trump told Semafor’s Shelby Talcott in the Oval Office. Last Thursday, Republicans on the Senate
The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics blasted President Trump’s Monday executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccines.  “As measles cases reach a 35-year high in the U.S. and with cold and flu season quickly approaching, today’s executive order on vaccines is not only disheartening
A U.S. Appeals Court on Monday declined to drop the thousands of online safety lawsuits against social media firms, ruling Meta and TikTok appealed the cases too early. In an opinion issued Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined the technology liability shield — Section 230 of the Communications Decen
Democrat Roy Cooper has a healthy lead over Republican Michael Whatley in the North Carolina Senate race, according to a new poll. Half of the 915 respondents to the Carolina Forward survey, conducted by left-leaning Change Research, backed Cooper with less than three months before the general election. That gave the f
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted Rep. Max Miller’s (R-Ohio) seat from “Likely Republican” to “Toss Up” on Monday, underscoring the growing political fallout from allegations of domestic violence against the incumbent. Miller has faced mounting scrutiny in recent weeks over allegations from his ex-wife, Emi
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) blasted an executive order President Trump signed Monday that splits the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot across three separate visits. “I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines
July marked the hottest month on record in the contiguous U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  Temperatures in the mainland 48 states and Washington, D.C., averaged 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit. That was roughly 0.1 to 0.2 degrees hotter than July 1936 and July 2012, according
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced on Monday companion legislation to the Russia sanctions bill that passed the Senate earlier this month, a symbolic move but one that signals critical support. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) introduced the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and I
Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Ron Johnson (Wis.) on Monday released text messages Dr. Anthony Fauci sent and received in 2021 regarding the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women.  Obtained from Fauci’s government cellphone, the text messages are among more than 34,000 on the device, according to
An executive order signed by President Trump Monday would upend the childhood vaccine schedule by recommending splitting up the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot across three separate visits.  The order builds on other efforts by Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to
Most Americans back stronger social media oversight, according to a new survey. In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 61 percent of respondents said that additional government oversight is needed for social media companies, 27 percent were against additional government oversight, and 17 percent did not respond or were unsure. Mor
President Trump signed an executive order Monday afternoon that changes the childhood immunization schedule, taking aim at the measles, mumps and rubella shot, which he calls for splitting across three separate visits.  Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Healt
Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) unveiled a new cybersecurity bill dubbed the Water Cyber Shield Act on Monday in an effort to prevent attacks on water infrastructure. The legislation would increase the drinking water and clean water state revolving funds by $300 million annually for cybe
President Trump’s former personal attorney Todd Blanche was sworn in as attorney general on Monday, making him the second official to hold the top law enforcement position during the second Trump administration.  Trump’s aide Margo Martin posted a video of Blanche’s swearing in from the Oval Office on Monday after
The Trump administration is once again waiving U.S. shipping rules as part of an effort to keep gasoline and other fuel costs down, the White House said Monday. In particular, it issued another 90-day waiver of the Jones Act, a 100-year-old law that requires shipping between U.S. ports to be conducted by American ships
Alani Bankhead said Monday she will not exit the race ahead of Monday’s deadline, likely boosting the GOP’s chances of winning in the fall.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said Sunday it intercepted two aircraft over Bedminster, N.J., where President Trump watched the LIV Golf Bedminster tournament at his New Jersey golf course. According to a statement from NORAD, “F-16s intercepted multiple general aviation aircraft today that
President Trump is headed to Geneva, Ohio, on Tuesday to cheer on young Americans participating in the “Patriot Games,” a sporting competition created by his administration to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. One male and one female athlete from each of the 50 states were selected to participate. The
President Trump on Monday demanded reparations from Iran for those who have died amid the conflict, after Tehran called for compensation for damages. “I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict (started
The U.S.’s emergency oil reserve has fallen below 300 million barrels of oil for the first time since it was being filled decades ago. New Energy Department data shows that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) contained 298.7 million barrels as of Friday. The last time the level was below 300 million barrels was in th
A Government Accountability Office report indicates that the Technology Modernization Fund has begun yielding significant savings and cybersecurity improvements, prompting calls for Congress to reauthorize the fund before its expiration this September.