congress
Republicans showcase their ‘big beautiful bill’ to voters, but the law’s impact has been mixed
WASHINGTON | Working to keep the majority in Congress, Republicans at the midterm convention in Dallas are showcasing their chief legislative accomplishment — the sweeping package of tax breaks, social service cuts and immigration enforcement that President Donald Trump signed into law. A year on, what’s known as the One Big Beautiful Bill — or, […]
Trump promises to campaign for Republicans and says they have a winning midterm message
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Republican lawmakers facing tough reelection campaigns to run on his record in the White House despite his sagging popularity, and he pledged to campaign in all of the roughly three dozen contests that are likely to determine control of Congress. Voters’ dim views of the economy and […]
Supreme Court lets White House continue construction on Trump’s $400 million ballroom
WASHINGTON | A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the White House to continue construction on a $400 million ballroom project as lawsuits play out, a win for President Donald Trump as he flexes unprecedented executive power and remakes the capital in his image. The apparent 5-4 decision replaces a temporary order issued earlier this […]
Judge removes one hurdle for Trump mail voting order as states file new challenge before midterms
A federal judge on Wednesday lifted a major obstacle to President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting, even as Democratic state officials filed a new court challenge with the midterm elections fast approaching. The fresh round of legal wrangling comes just two days after the Supreme Court handed down a procedural ruling in Trump’s […]
CDC’s new director is pressed to do something about its zombie programs
NEW YORK | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still has an Alzheimer’s disease program. Congress appropriated $41 million to it this year. There’s just no one staffing it. Then there’s the agency’s Office on Smoking and Health. Congress allocated $246 million for that. Its staffers were cut, too. Same for the epilepsy program. […]
FACT FOCUS: Trump boasts about the economy but there’s more to the story
President Donald Trump has been extolling his economic accomplishments on social media and at events like a rally at a Las Vegas resort Wednesday. He touts recent record stock market highs and claims a boom in hiring, manufacturing and investment. Some of the claims are clearly true, some exaggerated, some unclear. Ahead of Nov. 3 […]
America already tried permanent daylight saving time. It lasted less than a year. Could it work now?
NEW YORK | It’s an idea whose time, as it were, may have come — again. The twice-yearly changing of the clocks in the United States could be a thing of the past if legislation currently in Congress that calls for permanent daylight time makes it through. But even as annoying as some find the […]
Trump will let bipartisan housing bill become law without signing in protest over GOP voter ID law
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump will let the bipartisan housing bill approved by Congress become law without his signature, saying Friday that he was refusing to put his name on it because of the little progress made in passing a strict voter ID bill that he has been pushing. “I will not sign the Housing […]
Medicare is now covering some GLP-1 weight loss drugs for $50. Here’s what to know
NEW YORK | Popular — and expensive — GLP-1 weight loss drugs just got a lot cheaper for many older Americans. Starting Wednesday, the federal government is offering a selection of the brand name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge. The […]
Trump administration’s $46 billion ‘smart wall’ races ahead on the US-Mexico border
PHOENIX | For decades, all that separated the U.S. from Mexico was barbed wire. Now, after a massive infusion of cash from Congress, President Donald Trump’s administration is swiftly building what it has dubbed a “smart wall,” a combination of 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) steel fencing and an array of sophisticated technology like sensors, cameras and towers […]