Top Political News provided by The Washington Post©

• Trump, Democrats keep their distance as GOP moderates face crucial impeachment votes
  White House advisers warned Trump that outreach would not help his cause, while Democrats say there is no serious effort to privately lobby the key Republicans.
• Impeachment trial live updates: House managers turning attention to obstruction-of-Congress charge against Trump
  The seven Democrats leading the prosecution will begin their third and final day of opening arguments on Friday afternoon. Starting Saturday, Trump’s lawyers are scheduled to present his defense.
• Trump’s March for Life appearance: A reminder to conservative Christians as he prepares for a tight race
  President Trump's faith voter outreach is focusing on a group he previously wouldn't have needed to.
• Trump campaign warns debate commission the president may not participate if process is not ‘fair’
  Senior Trump campaign officials have lobbied the nonpartisan organization over moderators and the makeup of its board of directors.
• Trump’s March for Life appearance: a reminder to conservative Christians as he prepares for a tight race
  President Trump's faith voter outreach is focusing on a group he previously wouldn't have needed to.
• A GOP senator trafficked in flimsy allegations to impugn Alexander Vindman. And then Trump retweeted it.
  The senator has called Vindman’s motivations into question before. On Thursday, she went even further.
• When Senate Republicans were quite concerned about Trump and Ukraine
  As GOP senators prepare to decide on whether they need more evidence, a look back at when they were quite concerned about what went down.
• Americans still divided on Trump’s removal from office, but a strong economy is boosting his approval rating, Post-ABC poll finds
  Two-thirds say the Senate should hear testimony from new witnesses in the impeachment trial.
• Pence ranges far from home — and far away from impeachment — on foreign trip
  The vice president never brought up the crisis engulfing President Trump unprompted, addressing it only when asked about the topic during media interviews.
• A GOP senator trafficked in flimsy allegations to impugn Alexander Vindman. And then Trump retweeted it.
  The senator has called Vindman’s motivations into question before. On Thursday, she went even further.
• The Daily 202: ‘Right matters.’ Adam Schiff quotes Alexander Vindman in plea to unmoved GOP senators.
  The congressman has exalted the Army officer in this trial. Fox News hosts are attacking both men.
• Schiff puts a fine point on the argument for removal: Trump will always put Trump first
  In an emotional closing speech Thursday, Schiff beseeched senators to remove Trump from office.
• Just tuning into the 2020 Democratic primary? Start here.
  Catch up on what's happening with campaigns, candidates, polls and early states.
• When Senate Republicans were quite concerned about Trump and Ukraine
  As GOP senators prepare to decide on whether they need more evidence, a look back at when they were quite concerned about what went down.
• Warren’s campaign tries to lower expectations before Iowa caucuses
  In a strategy memo, Elizabeth Warren’s campaign manager, Roger Lau, warns of “breathless media narratives” emerging from results in early nominating states.
• Fox News has circled the wagons and Trump is welcoming everyone inside
  The president's favorite news network offers a broadly generous assessment of his impeachment.
• Trump administration threatens to withhold funds from California over its requirement that private health plans cover abortion
  Top health officials warned they would pull unspecified federal health funds if California does not comply in 30 days and said other states could face similar action. The announcement came as thousands of antiabortion activists, who are a key part of Trump’s base, gathered in Washington for the annual March for Life. This is a […]
• The Technology 202: Nonprofit expands free security services for campaigns as election season heats up
  A political odd couple is seeking to help combat election interference.
• The Energy 202: Trump administration scales back protections on streams and wetlands
  It hands farmers, construction firms, and oil and gas companies a win.
• How do the Iowa caucuses work, and how are they different in 2020?
  The process to pick a Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election starts with the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3. Here’s what you need to know about how they work, why they matter and what is different in 2020.
• The Finance 202: Wall Street shrugs off Bernie Sanders’s chances to win 2020 Democratic primary. And to beat President Trump.
  “Nobody believes Sanders can win the presidency,” said one financial services lobbyist.
• The Cybersecurity 202: Disinformation threat pushes Doomsday Clock closer to midnight
  Scientists warn information warfare could dangerously undermine public faith in facts and expertise.
• The Health 202: March for Life activists credit Trump with wholeheartedly embracing their antiabortion agenda
  They’re happiest with the president’s moves to pack the courts with conservative judges.
• Power Up: Sen. Mike Braun is worried about climate changes and thinks his GOP colleagues should be, too.
  Braun and Coons are trying to coax their colleagues to join a bipartisan Senate climate change caucus.

Roll Call©

• US ready for potential coronavirus outbreak, CDC assures lawmakers
  Federal health officials told lawmakers Friday that they have the resources they need to address the spread of the virus originating from Wuhan, China, although senators acknowledged the potential need for supplemental funding down the road. The briefing for roughly two dozen senators came as the case count for the new version of coronavirus in China was rapidly increasing, prompting authorities there to effectively quarantine tens of millions of people in Wuhan and surrounding cities. China’s National Health Commission reported 571 cases and 17 deaths as of Thursday, though news reports on Friday said there were now more than 800 cases and at least 26 deaths.
• Executive privilege standoff could roil Trump impeachment trial timeline
  A legal fight over executive privilege in the middle of the Senate’s impeachment trial of President Donald Trump could put it into suspended animation. If senators ultimately decide to subpoena Trump administration documents or seek witness testimony, House Democratic managers might have to decide whether to now wage court battles that were avoided during the House phase of the impeachment process.
• What's in an impeachment trial?
  CQ Roll Call takes listeners inside Congress to where the impeachment trial is happening and shares its insightful observations from reporters. Also, we compare and contrast the impeachment of President Clinton to President Trump. How have times changed?  
• ‘We gotta go, the trial started at 1 o’clock!’ — Congressional Hits and Misses
  Naps, milk and fidget spinners all supposedly made appearances during the Senate trial this week. But most of us wouldn’t know, since C-SPAN’s cameras were restricted. But the Senate chamber cameras at least picked up Biggie Smalls lyrics, Supreme Court lecturing and desperate pleas to let Senators take a break for dinner.  
• This is what a giant pile of impeachment candy looks like
  If you’re wondering how the Senate impeachment trial is going, consider this historic photo. A pallet of candy stands outside Sen. Pat Toomey’s office, shrink-wrapped. Notice the Hershey’s bars (milk chocolate with almonds). And the Rolos. And the stray Mike and Ikes (flavor: berry blast).
• Democrats pick women from key 2020 states for State of the Union response
  Democratic leaders announced Friday that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar, who both hail from critical 2020 states, will give the responses to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Feb. 4. Whitmer leads Michigan, a top presidential and congressional battleground that Trump won by less than half a percentage point in 2016. Escobar, who will give the Spanish-language response to the president’s address, represents a deep-blue district in Texas, where Democrats are hoping to make gains in the state’s diversifying suburbs. 
• Photos of the week: Trump's impeachment trial begins
  There wasn’t supposed to be a photos of the week this week because of the scheduled Congressional Martin Luther King Day recess. But since these are not normal times, we bring you our favorite impeachment trial photos of the week plus a bonus photo of Mayor Pete. Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone.
• Democrats seek to put teeth into ‘impoundment’ law
  A fresh legal opinion challenging President Donald Trump’s hold on Ukraine military aid under a Nixon-era budget law may or may not move the needle with senators in the president’s impeachment trial. But one thing is clear: Trump’s delay of $214 million in Pentagon funds is just the latest in a long line of findings by the Government Accountability Office going back decades that presidents of both parties have run afoul of the 1974 law. That statute was aimed at restricting “impoundments,” where the executive branch refuses to spend money appropriated by Congress.
• Impeachment news roundup: Jan. 24
  File updated 1:55 p.m. House impeachment managers on Friday launched their third and final day of arguments to remove President Donald Trump from office by focusing on a delayed military aid package to Ukraine, which House members say Trump withheld in hopes of receiving political favors from Kyiv.
• Impeachment managers attempt to preempt Trump’s defense
  Regardless of whether Democratic impeachment managers get to call witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, they are already making their case by using the president’s own words — and even those of a prominent Republican senator — in dramatic fashion in the Senate chamber.  The managers focused much of their arguments Thursday on the abuse of power charge the House used to condemn Trump, citing history and attempting to poke preemptive holes in the defense team’s upcoming arguments.
• View from the gallery: Senators sit, spin and fidget during Trump trial
  Sen. Bill Cassidy charted a course along the back corner of the Senate chamber Thursday during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. The Louisiana Republican walked through an area usually reserved for staff seating, hands in pockets, retracing a short path over and over again for more than 15 minutes. When Georgia Republican David Perdue took to standing along his path, Cassidy squeezed by and just kept pacing.
• Mayors see historic opportunity in presidential race
  A promise to repair potholes won’t get a laugh at most presidential campaign events.  But Mike Bloomberg knew his audience.
• Trump administration restricts U.S. travel for pregnant foreigners
  The State Department issued a new rule Thursday that will make it more difficult for pregnant women abroad to obtain visas to the United States, an attempt to curb what the White House is calling "birth tourism." The department will grant visa officers more discretion to deny nonimmigrant visas to women they believe are entering the United States specifically to obtain citizenship for their child by giving birth here, a State Department spokesperson told reporters during a background briefing.
• Do Republicans hate or respect Adam Schiff? Maybe it’s both
  To President Donald Trump and his House Republican allies, Rep. Adam B. Schiff is public enemy No. 1. But as the lead House impeachment manager makes his case against Trump in the Senate, the California Democrat has drawn some surprising compliments from a few GOP senators. That’s not to say that Trump will stop attacking the man he calls “Shifty Schiff,” or that other Republicans won’t use Schiff as the scapegoat for everything they think is wrong with the House Democrats’ impeachment charges.
• Green card gridlock: When will Congress agree on a solution?
  On Dec. 18, immigration reform stalwart Richard J. Durbin’s announcement on the Senate floor about a rare bipartisan breakthrough flew largely under the radar, overshadowed in the chaotic flurry of impeachment. Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah had dueled two months earlier over unanimous consent requests on the Senate floor, and had since been deadlocked. Each had pushed for his own solution to an important but often overlooked symptom of the broken U.S. immigration system: the employment-based green card backlog. Because of it, hundreds of thousands of people — overwhelmingly from India — wait in limbo, sometimes for decades.
• Fear of ICE raids during census could hamper count of immigrants
  As census efforts ramp up this spring, outreach organizations fear that Trump administration officials may try to deport the immigrant communities they need to count. A network of nonprofits, local governments and advocacy groups has fanned out to help the Census Bureau conduct its decennial count of America’s residents. Some advocates worry the administration, after its failed push to add a citizenship question to the census, may continue on-the-ground immigration enforcement efforts in a departure from previous censuses.
• What day of the Trump trial is it? It turns out there’s no wrong answer
  When did the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump begin? This publication says Wednesday, but depending on which news outlet you watch or read, Thursday could be the second, third or fourth day of the trial.
• At the Races: Trial vs. Trail
  By Simone Pathé, Stephanie Akin and Bridget Bowman  Welcome to At the Races! Each week we’ll bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call team that will keep you informed about the 2020 election. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here.
• Impeachment trial takes vulnerable senators off the campaign trail, too
  Sen. Doug Jones’ campaign is holding an event Friday, but the Alabama Democrat won’t be there. Instead, Valerie Jarrett, an adviser to former President Barack Obama, is hosting the forum on women in leadership in Birmingham. Jones, the most vulnerable senator in 2020, will be in the Senate chamber for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, alternating between blue and red felt-tipped pens as he takes notes on opening arguments. Sitting with him will be other colleagues who face competitive races, either in November or sooner in party primaries.
• Burr is giving senators fidget spinners to stay busy during trial
  Sen. Richard M. Burr is trying to help out his antsy Senate colleagues. The North Carolina Republican is providing an assortment of fidget spinners and other gizmos to his GOP colleagues at this week’s Thursday lunch.
• EPA finalizes clean water rollback amid science challenges
  The Trump administration on Thursday finalized a rule that significantly reduces the federal government’s role in regulating waterways, fulfilling a campaign promise to farmers and energy interests and handing a win to conservatives who have pushed for changes to the Clean Water Act regulations. The rule, which redefines what constitutes “waters of the United States,” revises decades-old standards for regulating waterways, a move environmentalists warn will lead to pollution of water that wildlife and people depend on, especially in low-income areas and communities of color. Several current and former EPA and Army Corps of Engineers employees and scientific advisers oppose the move, charging that political appointees blocked the use of scientific information in writing the rule.
• Impeachment news roundup: Jan. 23
  File updated 7:45 p.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, one of the Democrats running for president, said in response to a question about the possibility of a court battle about executive privilege claims by the Trump White House that the Senate should do what’s needed, even if it prolongs the chamber's impeachment trial.
• View from the gallery: Senators seek comfort and novelty during Trump trial
  Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton was among the first senators spotted ordering milk to the Senate chamber for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial Wednesday, and he took small sips to wash down what looked like a Hershey’s chocolate bar. This was the second day of the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history, and the 100 senators began to search in earnest for comfort and novelty during eight hours of opening statements from House managers.
• House managers stick to script on first day of Trump trial arguments
  House impeachment managers on Wednesday dutifully stayed on message throughout the second full day of the Senate impeachment trial, arguing that the findings of the House’s impeachment inquiry provide ample evidence to warrant the removal of President Donald Trump from office. The team of seven managers took turns presenting their case, starting with House Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff, who led the impeachment inquiry.
• Impeachment cellphone ban gives Senate pages a workout
  President Trump’s impeachment trial may be requiring senators to stay seated hour after agonizing hour, but there’s one group getting lots of exercise: Senate pages. The blue-jacket-clad teens have been running all over the Senate floor, relaying messages between senators and staff, fetching water and even pouring the occasional glass of milk.
• Hakeem Jeffries responds to protester disrupting Senate impeachment trial
  A protester in the Senate gallery interrupted Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., shortly before the Senate Court of Impeachment’s dinner break at 6:30 p.m., by yelling comments at the senators seated a floor below. The comments were not audible in their in entirety, but the protester could be heard yelling “Jesus Christ” and “Schumer is the devil” before being removed.
• Trump undercuts military messages on brain injuries
  President Donald Trump’s comment Wednesday that U.S. troops suffering concussion-like symptoms had “not very serious” injuries clashed with a yearslong, hard-fought U.S. military campaign to spread the message that a brain injury is not something to be minimized. Trump was referring to at least 11 cases of troops in Iraq reporting symptoms that officials said may or may not turn out to be so-called traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs.
• Impeachment an ‘erosion of rule of law,’ claim state attorneys general
  Five state attorneys general addressed the media Wednesday, flanked by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., to issue a “friend of the Senate brief,” asking the Senate to reject the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Issued as what appears to be a public relations move, the letter has gained support from attorneys general in 21 states and is meant to resemble an amicus brief. They argue that Trump's impeachment runs counter to that of what the Founding Fathers had intended, accusing Democrats of a factually flawed basis for the president's impeachment.
• Schiff, Nadler impeachment tension spills out during trial
  The first question at Wednesday’s news conference with House impeachment managers was directed at Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the New York Democrat whose Senate presentation helped prompt a rebuke from Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and a flood of criticism from Republican senators. Nadler appeared to take a half step toward the podium as Rep. Adam B. Schiff cut off the CNN reporter. “I’m going to respond to the questions,” the California Democrat and lead impeachment manager said, then turned to call on another reporter for a question on a different topic. Nadler was silent.
• Big business, tech, health care lead K Street spending in 2019
  Big business, big tech and medical interests were K Street’s top players last year as those industries spent millions of dollars on federal lobbying in the final months of 2019, while lawmakers and the administration wrapped up spending and trade measures. With the 2020 elections expected to consume lawmakers’ attention this summer and fall, lobbyists say they’re looking at a post-impeachment crunch on major 2020 priorities. Some clients already are gaming out a possible lame-duck session as well as a potentially revamped federal government in 2021.
• Report: Speed up drug development with artificial intelligence
  More and improved use of artificial intelligence, and an overhaul of medical education to include advances in machine learning, could cut down significantly the time it takes to develop and bring new drugs to market, according to a new joint report by the National Academy of Medicine and the Government Accountability Office. Before that can happen, however, the United States must address legal and policy impediments that inhibit the collection and sharing of high-quality medical data among researchers, the report said.
• Taylor Swift reaches peak politics with ‘Miss Americana’
  Taylor dropped a teaser Wednesday ahead of her upcoming Netflix documentary “Miss Americana” — and, in typical fashion, the internet needed to calm down. The film, directed by Emmy Award winner Lana Wilson, takes an intimate look at the megastar turned newly minted activist’s career over the last several years: the good, the bad and the political.
• What to watch during impeachment: Napping senators
  “Spot the snoozing politician” is pretty much an annual tradition at the State of the Union. Now there’s a new chance to play the game. As President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial continues, lawmakers are slouching, yawning and fidgeting — and observers in the gallery are watching for drooping eyelids.
• Emotional support animals could be banned from planes under DOT rule
  Snakes on a plane? Probably not —at least in the cabin. The U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday released a proposed rule that would let airlines ban most "emotional support" animals in airplane cabins and board only specially trained service dogs to assist people with disabilities.
• Schumer says Democrats not looking to make deals over witnesses
  Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats aren’t looking to cut deals with Republicans to hear from witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.  Asked whether Democrats would be willing to make a deal with Republicans to allow former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden to testify in exchange for witnesses Democrats want like former national security adviser John Bolton, Schumer shot down that notion.
• Life in the ‘Hakuna Matata’ White House
  There is a lot to learn from covering the White House for four years. For former CQ Roll Call White House correspondent John T. Bennett, that included realizing aides for President Donald Trump were looking into that “Hakuna Matata” thing; whether the president’s accessibility is a double-edged sword; and how to stay sane in a crazy environment. Now as Bennett takes on a new assignment as bureau chief with The Independent of London, he shares some of the biggest lessons he got from life in the Executive Mansion in the latest Political Theater podcast.
• Managing impeachment: Sensenbrenner’s seen it before
  The opening arguments for President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial took 2½ days. Rep. Henry Hyde needed his opening arguments to be shorter in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, served as a House manager during the Clinton trial and delivered opening arguments. CQ Roll Call sat with Sensenbrenner to look back on his role in 1999.
• Impeachment news roundup: Jan. 22
  File updated 10:10 p.m.   Delaware Democrat Chris Coons said House impeachment manager Adam B. Schiff’s closing 30 minutes was “compelling” and that he showed a “mastery” of the material. Coons also said that there were snacks and coffee in the cloakroom. Coons said there has not been much outreach to him from Republicans.
• Congress saw more bills introduced in 2019 than it has in 40 years, but few passed
  It would stand to reason that representatives and senators, dissuaded by the gridlock in Congress, would hesitate to introduce legislation. After all, only 105 laws were enacted during 2019, a poor showing by historical standards. But that’s not what happened last year. In fact, lawmakers are on a pace to introduce more bills and joint resolutions than they have since the 1970s, when Congresses routinely saw 20,000 or more introduced.
• Picture Mitch McConnell as a knight riding an elephant
  Maybe you’ve been up late at night watching MSNBC or the NFL Network, and through your bleary eyes have noticed an ad for a chess set featuring Mike Pence as a queen and Nancy Pelosi as a knight riding a donkey. Turns out it’s not some waking nightmare, but instead an ad for the 2020 Battle for the White House Chess Set, an off-kilter idea from the same man who brought the world AmberVision glasses and the PedEgg, which is basically a cheese grater for rough feet.
• When it comes to Trump’s future, ‘the people’ would rather decide it themselves
  OPINION — Abraham Lincoln closed the Gettysburg Address on a hopeful note, promising a “new birth of freedom” so that “government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Today, as the Democrats push their partisan impeachment forward in the Senate chamber, the sentiments expressed so eloquently by a beleaguered president in the midst of the Civil War are worth remembering. It’s worth remembering that a government of the people must, by definition, be formed by the people.
• Abortion policy activism heats up for Roe v. Wade anniversary
  Groups pushing for the advancement of abortion rights and those looking to limit the procedure have an ambitious agenda starting this week, foreshadowing a year that could be critical for advocates on both sides of the debate. In two months, the Supreme Court will hear its first major abortion case since 2016, and both sides are revving up for a major presidential election. States are also eyeing a number of new reproductive health bills as their legislatures come back into session.
• Potential ballot confusion complicates California special election for Katie Hill’s seat
  An unusual message will soon hit mailboxes and social media feeds in former Democratic Rep. Katie Hill’s Southern California district: “For once in your life, vote twice!” The tagline will be featured in mailers and a digital media campaign from Assemblywoman Christy Smith, a Democrat running in the special election to replace Hill in the 25th District. The message underscores concerns that voters may be confused by multiple elections for the same office on the same day, March 3.
• It’s still difficult to see Trump losing Iowa in November
  ANALYSIS — Iowa gave Barack Obama a resounding 9.5-point victory over John McCain in 2008. Four years later, Obama’s margin shrunk to 5.8 points against Mitt Romney. But in 2016, something odd happened. Donald Trump carried Iowa by 9.4 points — a dramatic change in the state’s recent voting behavior and close to the same winning margin as Obama’s eight years earlier.
• Capitol Ink | Case Law
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• Senate approves Trump trial rules, lining up a series of late nights
  The Senate voted to approve Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s rules to govern the impeachment trial, which, despite last-minute changes Tuesday, earned no support from Democrats. Senators adopted the updated resolution, 53-47, shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday morning. The resolution will now give House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team 24 hours to make their arguments over three days, instead of the two days initially proposed by McConnell.
• K Street firms post big earnings gains for 2019
  K Street’s top-tier firms posted sizable gains last year, fueled by technology, pharmaceutical and big-business interests concerned with such policy matters as trade, health care, taxation and government spending. And lobbyists say impeachment proceedings and the 2020 campaigns haven’t yet derailed the influence industry’s agenda this year.
• White House angers GOP senator with executive privilege claim on car tariff report
  The Trump administration is making a sweeping claim of executive privilege on a topic of interest to the Senate this week, and it has nothing to do with the impeachment trial. And the White House is angering at least one Republican senator in the process.
• View from the gallery: Senators struggle to sit in silence at Trump trial
  Sen. Lindsey Graham looked restless during the first hour of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, when none of the senators had access to their cellphones and the president’s lawyers and the House managers traded procedural arguments. It was an unusual first day of buttoned-down decorum for the exclusive club of 100 senators-turned-jurors, who were made to stay in their floor seats, not eat, not talk and not tweet during only the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history.
• Congress faces narrow spending increase as VA health care costs balloon
   There is no room for big increases in FY 2021 appropriations bills, even though veterans health care faces much higher costs. CQ Roll Call reporter Jennifer Shutt joins the podcast to explain where the spending bills are going to be squeezed.  

McClatchy©

• Emails of Jeffrey Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell were hacked, her lawyer says
  A lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s socialite madam, said that Maxwell’s private email server was hacked after her email address was inadvertently revealed in a cache of court documents … Click to Continue »
• Epstein’s alleged quadruple murderer cellmate: I tried to save him, not kill him
  Jeffrey Epstein’s name was uttered just once in the federal courtroom but his memory hovered like a cloud over Wednesday’s hearing for an ex-cop who shared a cell with him … Click to Continue »
• Trump becomes first U.S. president to speak at March For Life
  President Trump spoke to the crowd at the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. on January 23, 2020, to become the first U.S. president to speak in person at the event. … Click to Continue »
• In Doral, Republicans expand swing state plan to rival new Democrat strategy
  No matter who Democrats nominate to run against President Donald Trump this summer, Republicans believe they have a better candidate and a better campaign operation — both of which were … Click to Continue »
• Pence meets Pope Francis at the Vatican
  Vice President Mike Pence met Pope Francis on January 24, 2020 during a visit to Rome which includes meetings with the Italian president and prime minister. It happened the day President Trump was attending the March for Life rally in Washington. … Click to Continue »
• Why a Parkland parent is cutting ads for Joe Biden but not endorsing him
  A week after his daughter, Jaime, was killed in the nation’s deadliest high school shooting, Fred Guttenberg got a call from Joe Biden. The former vice president spoke with the … Click to Continue »
• No rest for Trump ally Meadows in new role defending president during impeachment
  Throughout the first three years of President Donald Trump’s presidency, Rep. Mark Meadows has been an unofficial advisor — chatting often with the president, pushing his policies in the House … Click to Continue »
• Listening to House managers at impeachment trial ‘like Groundhog’s Day’, says Wyoming senator
  Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) told reporters on January 23, 2020, "Well, we sat through another day, seems like Groundhog's Day in the Senate. From what we heard from the managers yesterday, the day before, it is the same thing day after day after day." … Click to Continue »
• California highway safety laws are tough — unless you’re a teenager, watchdog group says
  California highway safety laws are among the nation’s best at protecting people — but its laws governing teenage drivers need some toughening. That’s the finding of Advocates for Highway & … Click to Continue »
• Fidget spinners, no socks and lots of milk: What you missed this week in impeachment
  The first week of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial is almost over as House managers wrap up their case. The week came with plenty of standout moments as senators found … Click to Continue »
• Hardball tactics from his classic playbook: On impeachment, McConnell ‘plays to win’
  In 1999, a rank-and-file Republican senator named Mitch McConnell was, in his words, the “go-to guy” for explaining how arcane Senate rules could influence the outcome of Democratic President Bill … Click to Continue »
• ‘We’ve taken all the precautions necessary’ with coronavirus, says deputy White House press secretary
  Deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley was also asked about the administration's concern over the deadly Coronavirus outbreak on January 23. He said the American people "should rest assured that they are safe." … Click to Continue »
• Twitter’s new argument in Devin Nunes lawsuit: It can’t be sued over internet cow’s tweets
  Twitter in a new court filing argues that California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes cannot sue the social media company over disparaging remarks made by anonymous writers because federal law gives … Click to Continue »
• To black SC voters, Pete Buttigieg says he knows ‘mostly white folks’ attend his events
  Speaking to students at historically black college Claflin University, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Thursday that he’s aware it’s “mostly white folks” who show up to his rallies in … Click to Continue »
• Require homeless housing? Darrell Steinberg makes his pitch in D.C.
  Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg Thursday brought his bid to make housing the homeless a government mandate to Washington, D.C. Thursday, explaining how funding the massive effort would work without offering … Click to Continue »
• Trump bragging about obstructing Congress? ‘That’s a ridiculous allegation’
  Deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley says "evidence and the facts" prove President Trump did nothing wrong, as the impeachment trial continued on January 23. He said Trump's legal team was "looking forward to" laying out their case. … Click to Continue »
• Hours after launching run for Congress, Miami-Dade mayor wins Trump’s endorsement
  Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced his run for Congress Thursday in a Twitter post that led with gratitude for President Donald Trump, and hours later the president returned the favor … Click to Continue »
• Kansas GOP candidate Adkins goes on leave from Cerner to focus on House campaign
  Cerner executive Amanda Adkins has taken a leave of absence from the company to focus on her campaign to unseat Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids. Adkins, a former Kansas Republican chair, … Click to Continue »
• CNN cancels presidential candidate town halls because of impeachment trial
  CNN canceled its upcoming Democratic presidential town halls Thursday, citing the ongoing impeachment trial. The town halls were set for Jan. 28 and Jan. 29 at Drake University in Des … Click to Continue »
• Protester interrupts Rep. Jeffries during impeachment trial
  A protester could be heard screaming as Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York was speaking during the impeachment trial on January 22, 2020. Jeffries continued to make the case against President Trump after a brief pause. … Click to Continue »
• Pence calls on world leaders to confront ‘the vile tide of anti-Semitism’
  Vice President Pence spoke at the World Holocaust Forum on Jan. 23, marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. He called on others to stand up to Iran, which drew applause from the Israeli audience. … Click to Continue »
• These are the Democrats who will try to turn this NC district blue in the 2020 election
  North Carolina’s new congressional map turned the 2nd District from a reliably Republican seat into a heavily Democratic one, prompting the incumbent Rep. George Holding to leave Congress and attracting … Click to Continue »
• Graham’s war chest grows after record haul for SC Republican at the end of 2019
  U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, has set his own records when it comes to campaign fundraising, raking in $3.9 million during the last three months of 2019. Graham’s campaign also … Click to Continue »
• Would Biden pick a female running mate? ‘At least 9 women I can think of,’ he says
  Former Vice President Joe Biden last year floated a handful of women he would consider inviting onto his ticket if he wins the Democratic presidential nomination — and now he … Click to Continue »
• Warren built a vaunted Iowa team early. Now she’s counting on it for a comeback.
  Matthew Cox arrived at a Elizabeth Warren event here unsure of who he would support in the state’s upcoming caucuses, indicating he was still deciding between four Democratic presidential candidates: … Click to Continue »
• Conservative group files complaint vs. NC Senate candidate, outside group
  A conservative watchdog group has filed a federal elections complaint alleging improper coordination between U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham and an outside group spending big on his behalf. Cunningham and … Click to Continue »
• Republicans just changed a bill that requires a photo ID to vote. Here’s what’s new.
  A milder version of a bill requiring people to show photo identification before they are allowed to vote passed a Senate Committee Wednesday as Kentucky Republicans attempt to push through … Click to Continue »
• ‘This is tough work.’ Pat Roberts braces for another grueling impeachment trial
  There have been three presidential impeachment trials in the nation’s history and Sen. Pat Roberts has been a juror for two of them. In 1999 the Kansas Republican, serving the … Click to Continue »
• Chief Justice Roberts warns speakers during impeachment trial, later thanked for patience
  Chief Justice John Roberts presided over the impeachment trial of President Trump on January 21. At one point he said, "I think it is appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and the president's counsel in equal to terms." … Click to Continue »
• ‘I make great deals for our country’: Trump talks about impeachment trial while in Davos
  President Donald Trump denied committing impeachable offenses and announced the lowest US unemployment rates "ever recorded in history" at the World Economic Forum on January 22. He made the comments at a surprise press conference in Davos. … Click to Continue »