WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security within hours of it clearing the House on Thursday, effectively ending an 11-week partial shutdown.

The bill, which the House cleared on a voice vote, funds all of the vast department — covering the Secret Service, Coast Guard, ...Read more

Shares in spirits companies rose on Thursday after President Donald Trump announced he is lifting the 10% tariffs on alcohol sales between the United Kingdom and the U.S.

The move came at the behest of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, according to Trump’s post on Truth Social.

“In honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed a short-term extension of a key surveillance power, sending it to the White House just hours before it is set to expire at midnight.

The bill, which would extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through June 12, passed amid bitter disagreements over a longer-term extension.

...Read more

WASHINGTON — At long last, a farm bill has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives, but without a provision pushed by crop growers and ethanol producers.

The Republican-crafted legislation passed on Thursday, April 30, in a 220-200 vote on what has historically been bipartisan legislation for farm country. The massive omnibus bill gives $1....Read more

The U.S. Air Force agreed to buy an undisclosed number of interceptor drones from a company backed by President Donald Trump’s sons, according to the firm, deepening the military’s ties to defense contractors linked to the first family as the U.S. war with Iran enters its third month.

The West Palm Beach, Florida-based company, Powerus, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Senators will now be barred from trading on prediction markets, after adopting a resolution by unanimous consent Thursday afternoon.

It’s the latest in a flurry of efforts to squash insider trading by government officials as prediction markets grow in popularity. Led by Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, the resolution adopted...Read more

The palace intrigue surrounding President Donald Trump’s endorsement in Kentucky’s May Republican U.S. Senate primary has begun.

After many months of a heated race with no hint from the president on whether he’d endorse among the candidates running to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday that Trump...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump focused on other matters this week as House Republicans struggled to pass measures related to surveillance powers, agricultural policy and immigration enforcement funding, with former officials saying the president’s own priorities are likely to increasingly draw him away from the legislative grind.

The ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A bitterly contested race for an open seat in Congress representing a deep-blue Philadelphia district has become something of a symbol of a broader national debate among Democrats about how far the party should go in criticizing Israel.

While voters in the city have long said that economic concerns, public safety, and ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Hot rotisserie chickens could be purchased by families using food stamps under a measure led by a Michigan lawmaker and added Thursday to the latest farm bill to pass the U.S. House.

Current rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, don't consider hot rotisserie chickens to be an eligible purchase for ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The House cleared a Senate-passed bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, effectively ending an 11-week partial shutdown.

The bill, which the House sent to President Donald Trump’s desk on a voice vote, would fund all of the vast department — covering the Secret Service, Coast Guard, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Artificial intelligence chatbot providers would need to verify users’ ages and ban minors from using AI companion chatbots under a bill that advanced unanimously in a Senate committee Thursday.

The Judiciary Committee voted 22-0 to approve the bill, which would make it a crime to knowingly provide a chatbot that might encourage...Read more

NEW YORK — Donald Trump Jr. could be poised to succeed his father.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Amazon is mulling a reboot of “The Apprentice” with Don Jr. as the potential star. The reality competition show, which previously ran on NBC from 2004 to 2017, was originally hosted by his father. It’s also where President ...Read more

Eight candidates for California governor shared a stage for 90 minutes Tuesday night, their second of three scheduled debates before the June 2 primary.

My colleagues Gustavo Arellano and Mark Z. Barabak joined me to decide who the winner was, or if there was a winner at all.

Arellano: The real MVP in this debate? State Supt. Tony Thurmond.

...Read more

Rep. Mike Lawler traded barbs Thursday with Tucker Carlson after the right-wing pundit and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted the New York Republican congressman as a backstabbing hypocrite and closet liberal.

Lawler slammed Carlson as a “moron” and “grifter” after Carlson accused him of backing Israel too strongly, rubber-...Read more

“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump,” read 22 emails sent from the White House Presidential Personnel Office on Friday afternoon, April 24, 2026, “I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Science Board is terminated, effective immediately.”

The email was signed “Thank you for your service...Read more

Divided along ideological lines, the U.S. Supreme Court on April 29, 2026, issued a ruling that severely weakens a provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. That provision, known as Section 2, prohibited any discriminatory voting practice or election rule that results in less opportunity for minority groups to exercise their ...Read more

President Donald Trump sparked immediate outcry on April 12, 2026, when he posted an image of himself as a Jesus-like figure. The post, which Trump later said was supposed to depict him as a doctor, came shortly after the president criticized Pope Leo XIV as “weak” and “terrible.”

Three days later, Trump posted an image ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Almost a decade after a workplace harassment overhaul on Capitol Hill, staffers aren’t fully comfortable reporting misconduct — that is, if they even know where to turn, a range of lawmakers and aides told Roll Call.

Congress should finish the job it started during the #MeToo era, several said, especially after the recent ...Read more