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Here's what stops -- and what doesn't -- if the US government shuts down

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — Longer lines at airports, missed paychecks, shuttered national parks and delayed economic data — those are some of the potential impacts of a looming federal government shutdown.

Infighting among House Republicans is driving the government to the brink of a potentially protracted shutdown this weekend. Barring a breakthrough, ...Read more

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GOP has lots of ideas to halt a shutdown but can't agree on one

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — Republicans have plenty of ideas on how to stop a shutdown. They just can’t agree on one plan, much less get Democrats to go along.

Hard-line conservatives on Friday defeated House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s proposal, which was in itself a bit of a fantasy. It demanded that in return for keeping the government open just one ...Read more

Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register/TNS

Trump attacks Pelosi and Newsom while rallying California Republicans

Politics / Political News /

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Former President Donald Trump, opening up the California Republican Party’s fall convention, assailed Gov. Gavin Newsom, “California radicals” and “tech tyrants” on Friday in a rambling speech that drifted from mandated vaccines for schoolchildren to the quality of his Palos Verdes golf course.

The clear front-...Read more

Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register/TNS

Former President Trump, in Anaheim, says he'd 'bring back law' to California

Politics / Political News /

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Speaking to a friendly crowd in Anaheim, former President Donald Trump vowed “to bring back law” to California if elected back to the White House.

In a speech riddled with Republican talking points but few specifics, Trump vacillated between praising California’s Republicans — from former Presidents Ronald Reagan and...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

GOP has lots of ideas to halt a shutdown but can't agree on one

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — Republicans have plenty of ideas on how to stop a shutdown. They just can’t agree on one plan, much less get Democrats to go along.

Hard-line conservatives on Friday defeated House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s proposal, which was in itself a bit of a fantasy. It demanded that in return for keeping the government open just one ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Stopgap funding bills hung up in both chambers

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — Efforts to pass a stopgap funding measure before Saturday night’s deadline were sputtering in both chambers Friday, with lawmakers openly predicting a partial government shutdown was inevitable. The only question appeared to be how long the funding lapse would last.

Border security talks in the Senate stalled Friday ahead of a ...Read more

Fulton County Sheriff'S Office/EFE via ZUMA Press/TNS

First Trump co-defendant in Ga. election case pleads guilty

Politics / Political News /

ATLANTA — Bail bondsman Scott Hall on Friday became the first defendant in the Fulton County election interference case to take a plea agreement with prosecutors, signaling the probe has entered a dynamic new phase.

During an impromptu hearing before Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, Hall, with his attorney by his side, pleaded guilty...Read more

Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman/TNS

Can Idaho doctors get prosecuted for providing emergency abortions? Court says yes

Politics / Political News /

BOISE, Idaho — A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court’s decision that shielded emergency room physicians from prosecution under Idaho’s abortion ban when a pregnant patient’s health is in jeopardy.

Last year, the U.S. Justice Department won a partial injunction on Idaho’s criminal abortion penalties, after federal ...Read more

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Nikki Haley draws insults from Trump in sign she is gaining ground in Republican presidential race

Politics / Political News /

Nikki Haley drew nasty taunts from former President Donald Trump Friday in a sign she is gaining some traction in the still one-sided Republican presidential race.

Trump derided Haley as “birdbrain” and vowed that neither he nor his loyal supporters would back his former U.N. ambassador for the White House or any other position.

“MAGA, ...Read more

Fulton County Sheriff'S Office/EFE via ZUMA Press/TNS

First Trump co-defendant in Ga. case takes plea agreement

Politics / Political News /

ATLANTA — Bail bondsman Scott Hall on Friday became the first defendant in the Fulton County election interference case to take a plea agreement with prosecutors.

During an impromptu hearing before Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, Hall pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

House GOP looks ahead to Plan B after doomed stopgap vote

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — House Republicans are starting to come around to the idea of a very short-term stopgap funding measure — keeping the government open for perhaps one extra week — as they seek to buy time for more progress on spending bills.

The GOP conference was set to discuss next steps at a 4 p.m. meeting after the chamber rejected, 198-...Read more

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Supreme Court to hear arguments on funding for financial protection agency

Politics / Political News /

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in a case that threatens to wipe out funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and limit Congress’ ability to fund agencies outside of normal appropriations.

The Biden administration wants the justices to overturn a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that ...Read more

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Judge in Trump racketeering case denies motion to suppress evidence

Politics / Political News /

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Friday denied a motion by former Donald Trump campaign attorney Kenneth Chesebro to toss out emails and memos he wrote detailing a plan to use a Republican slate of electors in Georgia and six other swing states won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Chesebro’s lawyers had argued that the documents were ...Read more

Arvin Temkar/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Abortions increased last year in Georgia -- except for Black women

Politics / Political News /

ATLANTA — As what was then known as House Bill 481 made its way through Georgia’s legislative process in 2019, abortion rights activists repeatedly said that enacting new restrictions would disproportionately affect Black women.

That prediction looks to be coming true, with state Department of Public Health data showing that Black women ...Read more

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Supreme Court will decide if Texas and Florida can regulate social media to protect 'conservative speech'

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Friday it will rule on how the 1st Amendment applies to social media and decide whether Texas and Florida can impose heavy fines on Facebook, YouTube and other popular sites for allegedly discriminating against conservatives.

The justices said they would review the new and never-enforced laws from the two ...Read more

Supreme Court justices' ideologies don't always fit 'liberal' and 'conservative' labels

Politics / Political News /

When the Supreme Court is in the news for overturning a long-standing precedent or violating standard judicial ethics, the news is often accompanied by the description of one or more justices as liberal or conservative.

You’d think it would be easy to tell the difference between the two, but judicial scholars will tell you it’s ...Read more

These are the seven lawmakers to watch in government shutdown talks

Politics / Political News /

A U.S. government shutdown is now a near-certainty, with House Republicans unable to even agree on their demands to continue funding federal operations, much less reach a deal with Democrats and President Joe Biden.

The ultimate resolution hinges on these seven lawmakers and how they navigate the complicated dynamics in the deeply fractured ...Read more

House panel details the ethics rules of a shutdown

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — All House members, officers and employees are still subject to the ethics rules and regulations during a government shutdown, including the gift rule, a House Ethics Committee memo Thursday states.

The panel emphasized privately sponsored trips during a government shutdown are not allowed. “If you have received Committee ...Read more

Even in lefty California, Trump has a firm grip on Republicans. Inside the strategy

Politics / Political News /

ANAHEIM, California — Despite being a bastion of liberalism and the home base to Democratic heavyweights including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Gov. Gavin Newsom, California is a political keystone for former President Donald Trump and his 2024 campaign.

For most of the nation, California is an afterthought in the race for the ...Read more

The 'Barbie' and 'Star Wars' universes are entertaining, but they also unexpectedly can help people understand why revolutions happen

Politics / Political News /

Barbie dolls and “Star Wars” movies and toys have entertained generations of American children – in many cases, well into adulthood. But these brands’ influence stretches beyond a penchant for hot pink and lightsaber battles.

In particular, both the “Barbie” movie, released in July 2023, and a “Star Wars” franchise ...Read more