Politics

Senate confirms Keith Sonderling as labor secretary in party-line vote

The Senate voted 47-41 along party lines to confirm Keith Sonderling as labor secretary, ending a five-month vacancy left by Lori Chavez-DeRemer's resignation and closing out the chamber's business before lawmakers head home to campaign ahead of the midterms.

Pentagon drops 'never lived in the U.S.' option from overseas voter forms weeks before midterms

Using emergency authority that bypassed the usual public comment process, the Department of War rewrote the federal ballot-request forms used by Americans abroad, eliminating a category for citizens who have never lived in the United States — a group Republicans have been suing in eight states to disqualify from voting.

Senate blocks stock-trading ban after Republicans attach voter ID mandate

The Senate fell seven votes short Wednesday of advancing a House-passed bill restricting lawmakers' stock trading, after Democrats said the measure was full of loopholes and carried an unrelated voter ID requirement Republicans had attached to it.

Supreme Court lets Trump resume third-country deportations, sets December arguments

A divided court granted an emergency Justice Department request to lift a lower-court order requiring notice and a safety hearing before migrants are deported to countries they have never lived in, while agreeing to rule on the underlying policy by next year.

DHS diverts $20 million in border funds to pro-Trump ad blitz, drawing bipartisan fire

A taxpayer-funded ad campaign built around the song "Love Me" has grown from a $14,000 cable buy into a roughly $20 million push airing during NFL and college football games, with officials confirming part of the money came from Customs and Border Protection funds — and Republicans joining Democrats in calling it illegal.

News Outlets Ask Court to Permanently Block Trump's White House Press Ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico told a federal judge the administration has kept violating a two-week restraining order and asked for a preliminary injunction before it expires next week.

Second prosecutor quits Justice Department probe of Trump's perceived enemies

Kurt Olsen's resignation from the "grand conspiracy" investigation is the second senior departure in a month, leaving a politically charged inquiry into former intelligence chiefs without an indictment more than a year after it began.

Trump hosts AI industry leaders at White House, unveils new federal website

The president dismissed calls for AI safety regulation as executives including Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jensen Huang joined a White House lunch marking the rollout of a new government web portal, America.gov.

Alito steps aside from major Supreme Court climate case after scrutiny over oil stock holdings

Justice Samuel Alito will not hear Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, reversing the court's own position from months earlier, after advocacy groups tied his personal stock holdings in ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66 to the case's outcome.

Jack Smith set to testify publicly for first time before Senate Judiciary on 'Arctic Frost' records fight

Former special counsel Jack Smith appears Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, capping a yearlong standoff over his public testimony and facing Republican allegations that his investigators improperly obtained phone and text records from dozens of lawmakers.

Senate nears final passage of bill rewriting NCAA pay and antitrust rules

The bipartisan Protect College Sports Act would let schools pay athletes up to roughly $50 million a year and give the NCAA a limited shield from antitrust suits, but the NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus and labor groups say it strips away athletes' bargaining leverage. The Senate could pass it as soon as Monday evening, sending it to a House that isn't due back in force until after the midterms.

Record diesel prices push rural Republicans into open break with Trump on exports

President Trump says he is looking "very seriously" at banning U.S. diesel exports after fuel costs tied to the Iran war hit record highs, but his own agencies are split and Democrats call the idea a distraction from ending the war.

ICE Sweeps Through Kansas Beef Country Draw Rare GOP Pushback as Senate Race Tightens

A week of ICE operations in southwest Kansas meatpacking towns disrupted the beef supply chain and pushed two Republican senators into open friction with the Trump administration, five weeks before a midterm election that could cost the GOP a Senate seat it has held since 1932.

Whistleblowers say Kennedy Center leaders sat on funded repairs, then cited the damage to justify closing it

A Senate Democrat has given the arts center two weeks to explain $9.3 million in shelved repair funds, adding a financial-mismanagement claim to an already active court fight over its renaming and closure.

Fetterman rejects talk of leaving the Democratic Party as his standing erodes at home

At a Texas festival appearance capping months of criticism over his voting record and work habits, the Pennsylvania senator said he has "no path as a Republican," even as new polling shows a majority of the state's Democrats now view him unfavorably.

White House Cancels $810 Million in Funds Congress Already Approved

Using a rarely invoked "pocket rescission," the administration voided money for refugee, housing and education programs five days before it would have expired — a maneuver the Government Accountability Office has called illegal and that the Senate's own Republican Appropriations chair calls unlawful.

Trump, Xi Strike Narrow Trade Truce as Senate Democrats Warn on Taiwan

A three-day state visit produced a $30 billion tariff-relief deal and an extended trade truce, but 21 Senate Democrats say the summit left Taiwan's delayed security assistance and China's chip access unresolved.

Watchdog Finds ICE Wasted Tens of Millions in Rushed Detention Expansion

A new Government Accountability Office report says Immigration and Customs Enforcement expanded detention capacity without a strategic plan, wasting money on warehouses it later moved to sell.

Judge Orders White House to Restore Press Access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico After Trump Ban

A federal judge found the White House likely violated due process rights when it stripped three news organizations of their credentials, but the outlets say compliance with his order has been incomplete and the underlying legal fight is far from over.

Supreme Court Blocks Missouri's Republican Congressional Map for a Third Time

In an unsigned order with no noted dissents, the justices ruled Missouri must use its 2022 congressional map in November, ending a chaotic five-week legal scramble over a GOP redraw that would have erased one of the state's two Democratic-held House seats.

GOP Senators Break With Trump Over Push to Subpoena His Son on Russian-Funded Wedding

A Republican senator's call to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. over a Kremlin-linked oligarch's payment for his wedding party has drawn support from GOP colleagues even as the White House and House leadership dismiss it as a distraction.

Section 301's Own Architect Tells Court Trump Tariffs Are Illegal

Ambassador Alan Wolff, who helped write the 1974 statute the administration cites for its latest tariffs, joined a legal brief arguing the levies exceed what Congress authorized, ahead of a September 30 trade court hearing.

Democrats hold double-digit lead in new midterm polls as Trump approval hits term low

Two independent national surveys released this week show Democrats with an 11-to-14-point edge on the generic congressional ballot, as inflation and a Federal Reserve rate hike sour voters on the economy 40 days before Election Day.

Senate Falls One Vote Short of Ending Trump's Iran War

A 49-50 vote to force withdrawal from the seven-month conflict failed by a single ballot, as four Republicans broke with the president and gas prices reshape competitive Senate races six weeks before the midterms.

Trump Says He Wants a Diesel Export Ban. His Energy Secretary Says It Won't Work.

As the national average price of diesel hit a record $6.53 a gallon, the president said he had personally called for restricting exports, only for the White House to deny a formal plan existed and for his own energy secretary to call the idea unworkable.

Judge Orders Return of Honduran Man the U.S. Deported to Central African Republic

A Colorado federal judge found the Trump administration wrongly sent a longtime U.S. resident to a country he had never set foot in, ordering his immediate return and barring officials from detaining him again without a hearing.

Trump Administration Cancels Coverage for 760,000 ACA Enrollees, Freezes New Insurance Brokers

A CMS crackdown led by Vice President JD Vance cancels roughly 315,000 marketplace policies and claims $2.2 billion in recovered subsidies, while a new federal rule halts broker registrations for five months just before open enrollment begins.

New York Leads Eight States Suing Trump Administration Over $1.4 Billion in Offshore Wind Payouts

New York and seven other states argue the Interior Department misused a taxpayer fund reserved for legal settlements to pay Bluepoint Wind and Invenergy to abandon four East Coast leases and invest in fossil fuels instead.

Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for first state visit in 11 years as trade truce hangs in balance

President Trump personally greeted Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, opening a three-day state visit that will test a fragile tariff truce and has already drawn sharp, bipartisan criticism in Congress over human rights and Taiwan.

Federal Appeals Court Revives Missouri GOP Map, Setting Up Third Supreme Court Fight in Three Weeks

An 8th Circuit panel ordered Missouri to restore a Republican-drawn congressional map that dismantles Kansas City's Democratic district, reversing a state Supreme Court order from earlier this month and setting a September 28 deadline for the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in again.

CNN, Politico and MS NOW Sue Trump Over White House Press Ban

Three news organizations ask a federal judge to restore White House access after credentials were revoked following coverage the president called "fake news."

Epstein files fight intensifies as discharge petition nears 218 and judge sets contempt deadline

A bipartisan discharge petition is two signatures from forcing a House vote on a new Epstein files bill, as a federal judge gives the Justice Department until Thursday to explain its compliance or face possible contempt.

Trump orders Justice Department not to appeal ruling that deregulated silencers and short-barreled guns

President Trump has told the Justice Department to let stand a Texas federal ruling that struck down decades-old registration requirements for silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns, overriding career lawyers who wanted to appeal before an October 5 deadline.

DHS email pairing non-English voting jurisdictions with a prosecution checklist raises alarm

A newly disclosed internal email shows Department of Homeland Security officials circulated a list of counties that print ballots in languages other than English alongside a Justice Department checklist for voter-fraud prosecutions, deepening fears that language-minority communities could be targeted as the midterms approach.

Newsom orders California agencies to draft AI "kill switch" safety rules

California's governor directed state agencies to recommend new oversight of advanced AI systems within two months, reviving parts of legislation he vetoed in 2024 after a string of AI safety incidents.

First Circuit rules migrants must get notice before deportation to third countries

A federal appeals court in Boston upheld most of a lower-court ruling that the Trump administration's policy of rapidly deporting migrants to countries where they have no ties violates federal law, requiring effective notice and a chance to raise safety concerns first.

Judge Strikes Down Trump Administration's Anti-DEI Teacher-Grant Policy, But the Money Stays Frozen

A federal judge in Boston ruled the Education Department broke the law when it canceled $600 million in teacher-training grants over claims they promoted "divisive ideologies," but the decision does not by itself restore the funding.

Judge Blocks Kennedy Center Demolition Without 30-Day Notice as Trump Renews Threat

A federal judge ordered 30 days' notice before any demolition, hours after President Trump said the arts center could be "ripped down" in a dispute over putting his name on the building.

House Democrat places hold on Trump's $2.8 billion bomb sale to Israel

Representative Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, says the Trump administration has not shown that 40,000 heavy bombs bound for Israel would be used lawfully in Gaza and Lebanon.

Senate advances bill setting national rules for college athlete pay and transfers

A bipartisan 77-22 vote pushes the Protect College Sports Act toward final passage, teeing up a fight over athlete pay, antitrust protections and collective bargaining before it reaches a House that is not scheduled to return until after the midterms.

White House Withdraws Trump's Nominee to Lead ICE, Ending Stalled Confirmation Bid

Lance Schroyer's nomination collapsed after a Senate Republican chairman refused to schedule a hearing without answers on fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis, leaving the agency without a permanent, Senate-confirmed director for a ninth straight year.

Eighth Circuit Hears Missouri Map Fight That Won't Change November's Ballot

A federal appeals panel weighed the fate of Missouri's Trump-backed congressional map Thursday, but two Supreme Court orders have already locked in the state's 2022 districts for this year's election.

Record wave of departures leaves Congress with its steepest turnover since 1992

Nearly one in five lawmakers who started the current Congress will not return next year, as retirements, primary defeats and six deaths combine for the biggest exodus from Capitol Hill in more than three decades.

Speaker Johnson sends House home early, sidestepping vote to impeach Hegseth over Iran war

House Republican leaders canceled Thursday's session and sent members home for a seven-week recess, using a scheduling maneuver to avoid a forced vote on Rep. Thomas Massie's resolution accusing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of illegally waging war in Iran, Yemen and Venezuela.

Trump's Third Surgeon General Pick Faces Senate Panel After Two Nominations Collapsed

Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist with financial ties to an unregulated supplement firm, testified before the Senate health committee twenty months into a vacancy that has already claimed two other Trump nominees.

FBI director Kash Patel faces hostile Senate hearing over hiring rules, journalist inquiries

FBI Director Kash Patel clashed with Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats over loosened hiring standards, a $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic and whether agents could appear near polling places in November, even as Republicans pointed to a record drop in violent crime.

Federal judge blocks new visa time limits for international students hours before they were set to begin

A Boston judge froze a DHS rule that would have ended open-ended "duration of status" for foreign students and exchange visitors, calling the agency's national-security justification unpersuasive.

Mitch McConnell returns to the Senate after 92 days, casting the deciding vote on a judgeship

The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican, hospitalized since a June fall complicated by his childhood polio, cast the tie-breaking vote to advance a federal judicial nominee as the Senate reconvened for its final pre-midterm stretch.

Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to revive mail-ballot rule before midterms

A 7-2 order leaves a lower court's injunction in place, blocking new Postal Service envelope and voter-list requirements for the November election; Justice Kavanaugh cited insufficient time to implement the rule, while Justice Alito, joined by Justice Thomas, dissented.

Appeals court keeps Trump's mail-ballot rule blocked as Supreme Court weighs emergency appeal

A First Circuit panel refused to lift an injunction against new Postal Service ballot-mail rules, leaving the fight over the regulation before the Supreme Court as several states begin printing and mailing ballots for November.

House Oversight Panel Moves to Hold Billionaire Leon Black in Contempt Over Epstein Subpoenas

Chairman James Comer has scheduled a markup on a resolution finding Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black in contempt of Congress, after Black skipped a deposition and sued the committee rather than turn over records tied to his years-long financial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Husted Campaign Fires Political Director Over Nazi Photo, Rhodesia Playlist

Stephen Woytek's ouster is the second staffing scandal in two months for Sen. Jon Husted's campaign against Sherrod Brown, in an Ohio Senate race both parties call one of the tightest in the country.

Democratic Socialist Ousts Providence Mayor in Historic Primary Upset

State Rep. David Morales defeated incumbent Mayor Brett Smiley in Providence's Democratic primary, becoming the first challenger to unseat a sitting mayor in the city's history on a promise to cap rents.

DOJ's felony assault cases against ICE protesters mostly collapsed in court, records show

An Associated Press review of 102 felony assault prosecutions brought after last year's immigration protests in four cities found dismissals, acquittals and one Chicago case a federal judge says was built on a rigged grand jury.

Trump, in Dublin, says Irish reunification "would be a great thing"

President Trump held talks with Ireland's president and taoiseach before heading to his County Clare golf resort for the Irish Open, drawing attention for unscripted remarks on a united Ireland.

Al Franken and dozens of Jewish Americans back El-Sayed in pivotal Michigan Senate race

An open letter from the former Minnesota senator and more than two dozen other Jewish policy veterans seeks to blunt Republican attacks on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's Israel record, in a toss-up contest that could help decide Senate control.