Politics
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Congress takes holiday decorating seriously. This year it caused an outcry
Since its inception in 2019, the holiday decorating contest in the Longworth House Office Building has been plagued by “skullduggery” and “holiday espionage,” to borrow phrases from two of its founders.
From stolen nutcrackers to deflated snowmen, members of Congress have been known to get competitive. But rarely has the annual December...Read more

Haley takes fire from DeSantis, Ramaswamy: 3 takeaways from the fourth GOP debate
Nikki Haley weathered biting attacks from Ron DeSantis in the fourth Republican presidential primary debate while the trailing pair largely disregarded front-runner Donald Trump, who again ducked a fight with his rivals in order to preserve his extensive lead in the homestretch before 2024 voting commences.
The final primary debate of the year ...Read more

It's still legal, but this kind of abortion is harder to get in Michigan
DETROIT — Although abortion remains legal in Michigan, access to surgical procedures is declining and forcing patients to drive farther to get one — in some cases to neighboring states.
When Michigan voters approved Proposal 3 last year in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights activists ...Read more

Putin's last liberal critic says deal to end war is inevitable
Veteran Russian pro-democracy politician Grigory Yavlinsky is mounting what may be his last political challenge to Vladimir Putin to try to campaign for peace with Ukraine.
The three-time candidate is weighing another presidential election run against Putin. After receiving around 1% of the vote in the last election in 2018, he’s under no ...Read more

Ireland allowed mental health abortion exception 30 years ago
While 18 U.S. states have essentially banned abortion for pregnant people facing a mental health crisis, Ireland, which had one of the strictest abortion laws in the European Union until 2018, has taken a different approach.
Ireland has protected the right to seek an abortion because of the risk of suicide since 1992. While more than two-thirds...Read more

House votes to rebuff Biden on student loan relief plan, again
The House passed a measure Thursday to block implementation of a new Biden administration student loan repayment option tied to income.
The joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act would disapprove of an Education Department rule that includes family size and income in calculating the amount borrowers must repay. The option would ...Read more

Wall Street darling Haley draws fire from Republican rivals at debate
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley emerged as the top target of her rivals during the fourth Republican presidential debate, defending her growing base of Wall Street donors and her foreign policy stances.
Haley, who has been surging in polls and attracted new interest from big-dollar donors in recent weeks, drew pointed attacks straight out ...Read more

In feisty GOP debate, insults fly as Trump's rivals clash
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With the start of primary elections looming, the four Republicans fighting to emerge as Donald Trump’s top alternative scrapped Wednesday in the most combative debate yet.
Some of the sharpest clashes took place between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who traded barbs throughout a two-...Read more

Kevin McCarthy will retire from Congress at end of year
WASHINGTON — Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will not seek another term in Congress, ending a tumultuous two-decade career in public office that was marked by a swift ascent and descent in Washington GOP leadership. He said he would leave the House by the end of the year.
McCarthy announced his decision days before the state's deadline to...Read more

McCarthy quitting Congress, says he'll serve country 'in new ways'
WASHINGTON — Rep. Kevin McCarthy, whose tumultuous tenure as speaker ended not-quite nine months after it began, announced Wednesday he would leave Congress at the end of the year.
“I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways,” the California Republican wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “I...Read more

Ferguson hits Reichert on abortion rights -- and Trump -- at big Seattle fundraiser
The gubernatorial primary may be eight months away, but Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson is already looking ahead to a presumed 2024 matchup against former Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert — and Donald Trump.
Speaking to a packed fundraising lunch Tuesday at the Seattle Convention Center, Ferguson and his supporters brought up Trump...Read more

Tonight's GOP debate: Who, when and where to watch
Four presidential hopefuls will face each other for the fourth time Wednesday night for the final Republican primary debate of the year.
The candidates — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — will take the stage at the University of Alabama...Read more

Will the fourth GOP debate in Alabama change the 2024 race?
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The fourth Republican debate on Wednesday in Alabama is both starkly different and strikingly similar to the previous three GOP showdowns.
The 8 p.m. NewsNation debate will feature the smallest stage yet, with just four candidates as the field tightens. It’s also the first in the heart of the Deep South after previous ...Read more
Analysis: Trump initially sidesteps 'dictator' question before adoring Iowa crowd
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump initially sidestepped a question about whether he intends to govern as a “dictator” or “abuse power” during a possible second term as friendly Iowa voters repeatedly drowned him in cheers Tuesday at a town hall.
The 2024 Republican front-runner did not immediately and directly answer that ...Read more
Biden to sign order to ease federal funding for native tribes
President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Wednesday intended to make it easier for Native American tribes across the U.S. to secure federal funding.
The order, to coincide with the annual Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, will require U.S. agencies to take steps to ensure that federal funding for tribes is more accessible and ...Read more

Editorial: Booting George Santos doesn't fix the GOP's Donald Trump-size problem with the truth
It’s almost astonishing: Even with a slim Republican majority, the House of Representatives actually voted to expel New York GOP Congressman George Santos, after a searing Ethics Committee report last month laid out the damning case against him.
Santos allegedly stole money from donors for gambling junkets, high-end spa treatments and online ...Read more

Biden says he might not have sought reelection if Trump weren't running
President Joe Biden said he may have decided to serve just one term if Donald Trump were not seeking to return to the White House, arguing the former president poses a grave threat to American democracy.
Biden, 81, has faced persistent voter doubts about his decision to seek four more years in office due to his age. The president has sought to...Read more

Trump will dodge debate for fourth time, four others qualify
Some Republican presidential candidates will again meet for a debate Wednesday, and for the fourth time in a row the party’s leading candidate has other plans for the evening.
Of the other candidates only four remain who qualified to mount the debate stage, as the Republican National Committee tightens requirements in an effort to narrow a ...Read more

Biden urges all to 'forcefully condemn' Hamas rapes, torture
President Joe Biden called on policymakers and international organizations to “forcefully condemn” violent sexual acts committed by Hamas against Israeli hostages, amid criticism of comments by a Democratic congresswoman.
“The world can’t just look away at what’s going on,” Biden said Tuesday at a political fundraiser in Boston, ...Read more

Biden says he might not have sought reelection if Trump weren't running
President Joe Biden said he might not be running for a second term if former President Donald Trump were not seeking to return to the White House, arguing Trump poses a grave threat to American democracy.
“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” Biden, 81, told donors Tuesday at a campaign fundraiser in Massachusetts. ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Ferguson hits Reichert on abortion rights -- and Trump -- at big Seattle fundraiser
- Kevin McCarthy will retire from Congress at end of year
- McCarthy quitting Congress, says he'll serve country 'in new ways'
- Biden to sign order to ease federal funding for native tribes
- Democrats divided over Biden's move on digital trade