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Is there evidence of extraterrestrial life? Congress tries to figure it out
WASHINGTON — During an otherworldly hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, lawmakers and witnesses launched accusations that the Pentagon is stonewalling Congress and the public from information about unidentified anomalous phenomena, more often referred to as UFOs. That includes a 2014 encounter when a “dark gray or black cube inside a clear sphere” traveled within 50 […]
U.S. Senate votes to curb farmland purchases by China, Iran, North Korea, Russia
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators approved bipartisan amendments to the annual defense policy bill Tuesday night that would prohibit China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing U.S. farmland and screen American investment in high-tech ventures on foreign adversary soil. By a 91-7 vote, the lawmakers approved a measure that would require review of — and […]
Tuberville hold on military nominees is ‘not only wrong–it is dangerous,’ Biden says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden directly criticized Sen. Tommy Tuberville Friday in a statement over the Alabama senator’s months long blockade of high-ranking military nominees in protest of the administration’s abortion policy for service members. “What Senator Tuberville is doing is not only wrong — it is dangerous,” Biden said in a statement. “In this […]
Ethics rules for Supreme Court justices approved on party-line vote by U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Thursday approved a proposal to impose a code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court, amid revelations that justices failed to disclose luxury travel and real estate deals, as well as directing staff to promote book sales. The panel split along party lines, in an 11-10 […]
Israeli president tells Congress criticism of his country must not negate ‘right to exist’
WASHINGTON — Israeli President Isaac Herzog, honoring Israel’s 75th year of independence, on Wednesday assured U.S. lawmakers that his nation “has democracy in its DNA,” even as tensions grow over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s increasingly extreme agenda to overhaul Israel’s judicial system and ramp up construction of settlements in the West Bank. Herzog’s remarks to […]
Vulnerable U.S. House Republicans who opposed student debt plan targeted in 2024
WASHINGTON — Supporters of student loan debt cancellation are organizing to hold GOP lawmakers “accountable” in the 2024 election cycle following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling blocking President Joe Biden’s debt relief plan. The left-leaning Protect Borrowers Action will target 13 U.S. House districts across California, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania where […]
US Supreme Court strikes down use of affirmative action in college admissions
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that two prominent universities’ consideration of race in acceptances violated the U.S. Constitution, effectively reshaping the role of affirmative action in the college admissions process throughout higher education. In a 6-3 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, wrote that the admissions processes at […]
White House unveils $42.5B to connect every American to high-speed broadband internet
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Monday announced $42.45 billion to connect all Americans to high-speed broadband internet by the end of the decade, likening the ambitious goal to FDR’s New Deal-era rural electrification program that brought the then-modern technology to farms and rural areas across the United States. The funds, which will be distributed […]
Bonuses for execs of failed banks could be recouped under bill advancing in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators on a panel with jurisdiction over banking regulations on Wednesday approved a bipartisan bill that would allow government officials to “claw back” compensation from banking executives who fail to thwart massive failures like the historic run on Silicon Valley Bank earlier this year. Members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing […]
Swelling crowd of top military nominees blocked from U.S. Senate vote by Tuberville
WASHINGTON — Despite top U.S. military retirements beginning in less than a month, Sen. Tommy Tuberville refuses to budge on his blockade of hundreds of armed services promotions in protest of the Pentagon’s reproductive care policy instituted after the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The first-term Alabama Republican is provoking concern among his own party […]
Hate groups’ political influence growing, watchdog says
WASHINGTON — More than 1,200 hate and anti-government extremist groups were active across the United States in 2022, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s latest report on the nationwide prevalence of extremists who target people of color, LGBTQ people, Jewish communities and other religious minorities. While the overall number of hate and anti-government groups […]
New work requirements for some SNAP recipients included in debt limit deal
WASHINGTON — The holiday weekend debt ceiling deal struck by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy preserves in part new work requirements for some food stamp recipients but now with exceptions for certain populations, including veterans. The agreement released late Saturday night showed concessions from both sides — from GOP members, who wanted […]