Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
Scott Turner, nominated to be secretary of Housing and Urban Development, on Thursday likened his proposed approach to leading the federal agency to his days as a cornerback playing for the NFL’s then-Washington Redskins. “When I played in the NFL, we relied on game films to identify our mistakes and areas for improvement. I spent…
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer is set to meet Friday with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees to run the Justice Department and the FBI. In Comer’s meetings with Pam Bondi and Kash Patel—Trump’s picks to be the next attorney general and FBI director, respectively—they will discuss topics including potential corruption by outgoing President…
With the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, the House Freedom Caucus’ conservative members could have a veto over the upcoming budget reconciliation package that aims to pass massive portions of President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda. The Freedom Caucus made its budget reconciliation priorities known Thursday, releasing a proposal that seeks to make the…
At his confirmation hearing Thursday, EPA administrator-designate Lee Zeldin suggested he would rein in a weaponized—literally weaponized—bureaucracy at the EPA. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held the hearing for Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be the Environmental Protection Agency administrator. During the hearing, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, relayed instances during the administrations…
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A high-ranking military appointee of California Gov. Gavin Newsom diminished the state’s emergency response volunteer firefighting units, according to Maj. Gen. Jay Coggan, retired commanding general of the California State Guard. California is now struggling to contain destructive wildfires, which have killed 25 people and displaced more than 80,000 in…
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Sen. Steve Daines is set to introduce a bill Thursday afternoon to prohibit the federal government from using taxpayers’ funds to enter contracts with anti-Second Amendment companies. “Democrats and woke corporations have proven over and over again that they want to carry out an unconstitutional, overreaching, gun-grabbing agenda, and under no…
With President Donald Trump’s inauguration less than a week away, Hamas has agreed to a deal that includes a ceasefire and the release of the hostages being held in Gaza. “Soon, the hostages will be returned home to their families,” President Joe Biden said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon before going on to explain the known…
When Sen. Marco Rubio was asked Wednesday how he would define success as secretary of state, for which he has been nominated, he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “The alignment of our foreign policy to our national interest.” Throughout the hearing, Rubio outlined a foreign policy philosophy of skepticism toward the postwar consensus. “The…
Russell Vought, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to direct the Office of Management and Budget, faced tense questioning from both Democrat and Republican senators during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. When Vought previously served in the same office during the first Trump administration, he helped Trump design a new classification for federal employees—“Schedule F”—to reclassify tens of…
Alliance Defending Freedom is voicing its concerns to Republicans in the Virginia Legislature about a Democrat-introduced resolution that would inject "gender" into the state Constitution, deeming it distinct from sex. The Marriage Amendment, which includes gender provisions, eliminates the state's current definition of marriage—between one and one woman—to recognize same-sex marriage. Deeming "gender" or "gender…
Chris Wright, nominated to lead the Department of Energy, received a generally warm welcome from senators of both parties at his Senate committee confirmation hearing Wednesday—despite raucous protests from climate activists. Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, a natural gas company based in his home state of Colorado. Wright made clear in his opening…
Attorney General-designate Pam Bondi vowed Wednesday that her focus, if confirmed, would be on restoring integrity to a politicized Justice Department and to “make America safe again,” as she fended off criticism from Democratic senators. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing for Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. While Republicans on…
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The Israeli Cabinet still needs to formally ratify the agreement, and multiple details still need to be resolved, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. President-elect Donald Trump responded to the news Wednesday afternoon, calling the ceasefire agreement…
House Speaker Mike Johnson is looking for a new chaplain for the House of Representatives. Johnson, R-La., the leader of the House Republicans, initiated the personnel change last week when the incumbent chaplain, Margaret Grun Kibben, was made acting chaplain, rather than being included in the resolution for new officers of the House. The move…
Taylor Muthoka was first exposed to pornography at the age of 7. A friend showed it to her online, and all the children had to do to access the website was check a box saying they were 18. Little did she know that moment would lead to a 10-year addiction. “That one moment of exposure…
John Ratcliffe, a former congressman and President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the CIA, faced a confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday, where Democrats pressed him on the claim he “politicized intelligence” while serving as director of national intelligence in Trump’s first administration. According to his prepared opening remarks to the committee, Ratcliffe…
The more often Americans attend virtually any Christian denomination, as well as Jewish services, the more likely they are to adopt conservative political views, according to a recent statistical analysis. “The more Democrats go to church, the more they look like Republicans,” states the study. “Being politically liberal and being highly religious are just not…
As taxpayers have spent billions to pay for mostly vacant federal office space, President Joe Biden’s administration worked with federal employee unions to lock in telework levels to help “Trump-proof” agencies, according to a congressional investigation. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee released a report Wednesday morning ahead of a hearing titled, “The Stay-at-Home Federal…
Republican senators highlighted a growing deep state opposition to President-elect Donald Trump, citing a revealing new poll on the federal bureaucracy and urging Trump to be vigilant as he enters office next week. The poll, which the firm RMG Research conducted on behalf of the Napolitan Institute and released Monday, revealed that 42% of what…
Lawmakers and allies weighed in on Tuesday as the Senate Armed Services Committee held its confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, the former Army National Guard officer, former Fox News host, and President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense. “I’ve known Pete for some time. I was a female in the military. We want to…