Reading view

Frustrations erupt as Senate, House Republicans clash over housing

Senate Republicans are furious that a bipartisan bill they passed to address housing affordability has languished in the House for weeks and undergone revisions that may doom its chances of becoming law before the November election. On Wednesday evening, the House unveiled new legislative text that would scale back the Senate bill’s restriction on institutional...

  •  

Jerome Powell ends term as Federal Reserve chief clouded by Trump tumult

Jerome Powell’s stint leading the Federal Reserve is finished, but his battle with President Trump is far from over. Powell’s second four-year term as chair of the Fed board ended Friday, two days after his successor, Kevin Warsh, was confirmed by the Senate as the bank’s next chief. After leading the bank for the past...

  •  

Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump: Who is an outsider candidate?

Voters in recent election cycles have flirted with candidates who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. In 2008, Barack Obama was the fashionable outside pick, challenging the Clinton machine. In a 2016 cycle colored by a rush of populism, Republicans' interest was piqued by Donald Trump from the moment he descended down the escalator. At the same time,...

  •  

Scrutiny ramps up over mystery of missing lawmakers

Scrutiny of lawmakers absent from Washington due to mysterious health issues is ramping up as two House members — Reps. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) — have missed weeks of votes. The absences come as leaders in both parties are encouraging full participation from their members, given the razor-thin margins in the...

  •  

Candidates face off on affordability in final California gubernatorial debate

Seven candidates running for California’s top office engaged in a fifth and final debate on Thursday evening that largely centered around the issue of affordability.  The candidates were asked to provide their closing pitch to voters to address a growing number of cost of living concerns, including rising gas, grocery and housing prices in the...

  •  

Trump blames Biden for US 'declining' after Xi comments on 'Thucydides trap'

President Trump late Thursday invoked his predecessor in attempting to explain comments by Chinese President Xi Jinping as the two leaders meet during a high-stakes visit, blaming former President Biden and his administration for the U.S.'s "decline." "When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was...

  •  

Ratcliffe meets with Cuban officials as CIA warns negotiation window 'will not stay open indefinitely'

CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a trip to Cuba Thursday to meet with officials amid negotiations that have followed President Trump’s public musings that he may invade the island nation. A CIA official also stressed Thursday that the window for negotiations may have a timeline, adding that “the Cubans should have no illusions that the...

  •  

McMaster calls on South Carolina lawmakers to return for redistricting special session

The governor of South Carolina announced a special legislative session on Thursday to push through a new congressional map that would effectively eliminate the state’s singular Democratic House seat. The move is the latest in a widespread redistricting effort from both parties ahead of the November midterm elections. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive...

  •  

Comey says he 'never' considered asking Biden for preemptive pardon

Former FBI Director James Comey said Thursday that he “never” considered asking former President Biden for a preemptive pardon before President Trump returned to office last year and wouldn’t have accepted one if given. “I don’t know,” Comey responded after CNN’s Kasie Hunt asked him whether he thought Biden might have granted him one if...

  •  

Senate panel clears crypto bill

{beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story Senate panel advances crypto bill with bipartisan support A cryptocurrency regulation bill advanced out of the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, clearing a key hurdle with the support of a pair of Democrats following a last-minute bipartisan push. © Greg Nash The Senate panel voted 15-9 to send...

  •  
❌