Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
In light of a recent attempt by Congress to bring back earmarks, a group of Republican senators sent a letter Tuesday to President Donald Trump urging him to help fight against congressional special-interest spending. Republican Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain of Arizona, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas,…
Neil Gorsuch will be a defender of the rule of law and a worthy successor to Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, a panel of prominent lawyers said Tuesday at The Heritage Foundation. “I think that with this addition [of] Judge Gorsuch, we’ll see … a lot more pressure put on the Congress to do…
Conservatives in the House and Senate are forging their own path ahead on Obamacare’s repeal and replacement, with plans to introduce legislation unwinding the health care law that Congress passed in 2015. In a press conference Tuesday, just hours after two House committees released the GOP’s replacement for the health care law, Rep. Jim Jordan,…
As the debate over transgenderism and gender identity continues to divide the nation, a politically diverse group of women came together to form a coalition called Hands Across the Aisle. Their voices include a conservative, a rape survivor, a feminist, and a lesbian activist, all of whom believe that defining sex based on gender identity…
After seven years of promises to repeal and replace Obamacare, House Republicans finally have a bill detailing how they plan to reform the health care system once the Affordable Care Act is dismantled. The House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees revealed their replacement plan, the American Health Care Act, on Monday evening….
Walter E. Williams, an economist and professor at George Mason University, is one of four recipients to be awarded the 2017 Bradley Prize, an award given out annually by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. The $250,000 award, given to up to four distinguished individuals each year, “recognize[s] individuals of extraordinary talent and dedication,” whose…
President Donald Trump has promised a new strategy for fighting terrorism, including the Islamic State, or ISIS. Last week in his congressional address, he signaled a big change when he used a phrase President Barack Obama refused to utter for 8 years—“Radical Islamic Terrorism.” Trump clearly has a different style. But is there substance behind his…
There isn’t yet a paper trail, but there is a potential press trail to follow on President Donald Trump’s claim of surveillance by the Obama administration. Still, there’s a question about whether this action was illegal and whether the former president directed it—as Trump asserted in a series of tweets Saturday. “President Trump is onto…
President Donald Trump sought to settle legal and political concerns Monday with his revised executive order pausing travel from six countries plagued by terrorism—and temporarily keeping out all refugees. While the order contains notable revisions—including removing restrictions on Iraq, a crucial counterterrorism partner, and applying restrictions only to prospective new travelers—its intent remains the same….
A key conservative lawmaker is urging Republicans to make good on their promises to repeal Obamacare before they get distracted by other legislative issues. “We think it is time to repeal it, clean repeal, and replace with market-centered health care [and] patient-centered health care,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said of conservatives and Obamacare in a…
For the last five years, conservative lawmakers have rallied behind efforts to close the Export-Import Bank, and were successful in 2015, albeit briefly, when the bank’s charter lapsed for the first time in its history. But now, with President Donald Trump in the White House, conservative lawmakers may have a chance to shutter the bank…
Cornell University students hosted a protest to demand the college provide funds for all illegal immigrant students. The protest, organized by the Cornell Coalition for Inclusive Democracy, drew about 250 students and faculty members, reports Heat Street. The protesters want the school to provide special funding for all immigrant students, even those not protected by the…
President Donald Trump on Monday signed a revised version of his executive order to impose temporary travel restrictions on residents of six countries the Obama administration and Congress had designated as posing risks of terrorism. The new order addresses many of the concerns that followed Trump’s announcement of the original directive five weeks ago. Federal…
Brianne Nadeau, a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, organized a meeting Thursday to help local illegal immigrants in the District of Columbia resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The meeting took place at the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School auditorium and was filled with translators and illegal immigrants, as part…
In light of Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusing himself from the Russian investigation, a government watchdog group is asking every senator to provide a list of ambassadors they met with over the past three years. “No prosecutor would ever bring that case,”@factdc says. A spokeswoman for Sessions said that as a senator he had 25 conversations…
A man arrested and charged with issuing threats against Jewish establishments has been identified as an anti-Trump journalist previously fired for falsifying news stories. ABC News reported that 31-year-old Juan Thompson, a St. Louis resident, is charged with making a minimum of eight threats across the country targeting Jewish community centers, schools, a Jewish civil rights organization, and…
Texas is taking measures to protect its citizens from laws that hinder “common sense and public safety” when it comes to transgender persons being allowed to use both men’s and women’s restrooms. “This is a public safety issue,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, said during a conference call with reporters Friday. Legislation filed…
In states across the country, Republican lawmakers are aiming to combat sanctuary cities and counties, and in some cases banding together to develop new ways to prod local jurisdictions into helping enforce federal immigration law. While these efforts are not unique—18 states introduced legislation to limit sanctuary policies in the 2016 state legislative session—they are…
For at least one conservative lawmaker, the current process for repealing and replacing Obamacare is beginning to look very similar to that of 2009, when Republicans accused Democrats of writing the Affordable Care Act behind closed doors. Armed with a portable copy machine, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., went on a crusade through the U.S. Capitol…
