Susan Collins was a Senate intern in 1974 when Congress, in response to President Richard M. Nixon’s refusal to spend on projects he opposed, passed a sweeping budget law to bar presidents from overriding lawmakers when it came to doling out dollars. The resulting law, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act, is “very clear, … Read more
WARTBURG, Tenn. — Two people were killed in eastern Tennessee when severe storms with a possible tornado moved through the region. Local officials announced Friday morning that a mother and daughter from the same household were killed when the storm passed through the Deer Lodge and Sunbright areas of Morgan County on Thursday night. That … Read more
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at eradicating “anti-Christian bias” in the federal government by having agencies review policies and practices that he says have tried to squelch religious activities and activism. Mr. Trump, who announced the order at the National Prayer Breakfast, appointed his new attorney general, Pam Bondi, to lead … Read more
The International Criminal Court on Friday condemned President Trump’s executive order imposing sanctions on it, saying that the action sought to harm the court’s “independent and impartial judicial work.” Mr. Trump’s order on Thursday said that his administration would “impose tangible and significant consequences” on people who work on investigations that threaten the national security … Read more
WASHINGTON — The U.S. labor market probably started 2025 the way it spent most of last year: Generating decent, but unspectacular, job growth. When the Labor Department releases January employment numbers Friday, they’re likely to show that companies, government agencies and nonprofits added 170,000 jobs last month, according to a survey of economists by the … Read more
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted President Donald Trump a golden pager during their meeting at the White House this week, Netanyahu’s office said. Netanyahu’s office released a photo of the gift Thursday, which references Israel’s deadly explosive attacks in Lebanon and Syria in September that killed dozens of people and injured thousands more. A … Read more
A Senate Judiciary Committee vote on advancing Kash Patel’s nomination to be FBI director was delayed Thursday after Democrats raised objections. The move will require the committee to take a one week hold before voting on Patel’s nomination but the delay will likely have no bearing on Patel’s ability to ultimately be confirmed. Kash Patel, … Read more
In the space of two weeks, President Trump threatened to halt a congestion pricing program intended to reduce traffic in New York City and intervened in California as it confronted ruinous fires, overruling local officials as he made decisions about how to manage the state’s complicated water system. He signed one executive order cutting off … Read more
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are working overtime after a lengthy White House meeting to meet President Donald Trump’s demand for a big budget package that includes some $3 trillion in tax breaks, massive program cuts and a possible extension of the nation’s debt limit. Speaker Mike Johnson had GOP lawmakers working into the night ahead … Read more
URBANDALE, Iowa — Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst has hailed Elon Musk and the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency as a necessary force in Washington, D.C., calling it “a storm that is headed this way that will sweep over this city and forever alter the way it operates.” The state’s governor, Kim Reynolds, has lined … Read more