Seized House records show just how far Trump admin would go
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has made no secret of his long list of political enemies. It just wasn’t clear until now how far he would go to try to punish them.
'Only reasonable course of action': Oregon GOP legislator ousted over state Capitol breach
Oregon House of Representatives ousted a Republican lawmaker who let violent, far-right protesters into the state Capitol on Dec. 21.
www.usatoday.com
Simmering Democratic tensions show signs of boiling over
Fights over the filibuster. Tensions over Israel. Bickering over police funding. And grumbling over immigration policy. As Congress heads into a hot summer in Washington, discord among Democrats ha…
thehill.com
Trump's Department of Justice seized data from House democrats
The Justice Department under Trump seized data from the accounts of at least two members of the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 and 2018 as part of a crackdown on leaks related to the Russia investigation and other national security matters.
www.usatoday.com
Analysis: New Trump scandal shows the depth of his assault on America's democratic foundations
New revelations suggesting that the Trump administration abused Justice Department powers to target his political enemies underscore just how far the ex-President went to destroy cherished principles of American republican government.
www.cnn.com
Merrick Garland says DOJ 'will not hesitate to act' on potential civil rights violations of new voting laws
Multiple states have passed new voting rights laws since the 2020 election. Merrick Garland said the DOJ would look into possible civil rights violations.
Trump's Justice Department seized data of House Democrats from Apple: Sources
The Justice Department seized metadata from Democrats, aides and family members.
After crafting $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, bipartisan group of senators start lobbying White House, colleagues
The deal would not raise the corporate tax rate, which Biden had proposed. And it wouldn't hike the 18.4-cent federal per-gallon gas tax.
www.usatoday.com
DOJ inspector general will investigate 2018 seizure of House Democrats' data
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has asked the DOJ's inspector general to investigate the seizure of top Democrats' data by Justice Department prosecutors in 2018.
Democrats demand Barr, Sessions testify on Apple data subpoenas
The top two Senate Democrats on Friday called for multiple investigations into the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decisions in 2017 and 2018 to issue subpoenas seeking metadata records of Hous…
thehill.com
Israel ex-top spy reveals Mossad operations against Iran
Newly retired Mossad boss tells how agents staged a daring raid on a nuclear warehouse in Tehran.
www.bbc.com
DOJ internal watchdog to investigate Trump-era leak hunt that targeted lawmakers, journalists
House Intel Chairman Schiff, whose files were among those subpoenaed, has been unable to get Biden administration officials to provide details, a source said.
www.nbcnews.com
FBI director confirms Mexico cartel activity 'spilling over' into US amid border crisis
FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday said there is "no question" that cartel activity from Mexico is "spilling over" into the U.S. – as the country faces a historic crisis at the southern border triggered by a massive surge in migration.
In NBC interview, Putin calls Trump 'colorful' but says he can work with Biden
Putin told NBC's Keir Simmons that accusations that he is a "killer" are "Hollywood macho."
www.nbcnews.com
Meghan McCain: Harris ‘sounded like a moron’ discussing immigration
Meghan McCain, co-host of “The View,” slammed Vice President Harris over remarks she made during her visit to Guatemala and Mexico this week, arguing Harris “sounded like a moron” when respond…
thehill.com
Biden tries to erase Trump’s ‘America First’ on world stage
President Biden is seeking to erase former President Trump’s America First agenda from the international stage during his inaugural trip abroad for the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in England this w…
thehill.com
Iran and Venezuela are testing Biden with suspected weapons transfer
Two Iranian warships are steaming across the Atlantic, and putting the U.S. president in uncomfortable waters.
www.politico.com
Matt Gaetz stands with Democrats outraged over Trump-era subpoenas in DOJ leak inquiry
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz took the side of Democrats on Friday, criticizing the Trump-era Justice Department over seizures of communications records of at least two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee who raised concerns about the "politicization" of the agency.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Biden meets Queen Elizabeth for first time as president
President Biden met with Queen Elizabeth II on Friday in his first face-to-face interaction with the queen since entering office earlier this year, making him the 13th sitting U.S. president t…
thehill.com
Pelosi signals no further action against Omar
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday dismissed the idea of taking any further action in response to the latest conflict involving Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Jewish House Democrats who are v…
thehill.com
Merrick Garland targets new Republican voting laws after 2020 election
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced that the Justice Department would be scrutinizing a raft of new voting laws passed by Republican-controlled states in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Biden nominee linked to 1989 sabotage draws Republican ire
President Joe Biden’s nominee to oversee federal lands in the U.S. West is facing Republican pressure to withdraw over her ties to environmental activists convicted of spiking trees to sabotage a national forest timber sale more than 30 years ago. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, the ranking Republican...
Trump lashes out after Biden says Joint Chiefs told him greatest threat to US is global warming
“He ought to immediately fire the Joint Chiefs of Staff for being incompetent!” Trump said in a statement.
thehill.com
Dem infighting intensifies as Biden meets Brits at swanky UK retreat
President Biden kicked off a series of get-togethers with world leaders Thursday ahead of the G-7 Summit while Democratic infighting intensifies back home.
Biden to nominate Carlos del Toro for secretary of the navy -White House
U.S. President Joe Biden intends to nominate Carlos del Toro for secretary of the Navy, the White House said on Friday.
www.reuters.com
Ducey, Abbott ask other 48 governors to send law enforcement to help patrol US border
Govs. Doug Ducey and Greg Abbott want help with border security, but one advocate said they are feeding hysteria.
www.usatoday.com
Moments You Missed As The G-7 Leaders Meet For The 1st Time Since COVID-19
The dynamics on display between the leaders can give clues on relationships and the status of talks on the world's weightiest issues.
www.npr.org
House Dems unveil bills to rein in Silicon Valley giants — opening rift among Republicans
The bills target the empires of companies like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and potentially Microsoft.
www.politico.com
Justice Dept., Congress probing Trump seizures of Dems' data
The Justice Department’s internal watchdog has launched an investigation after revelations that former President Donald Trump’s administration secretly seized phone data from at least two House Democrats
Biden to route U.S. border wall funds to military and construction site clean up
President Joe Biden's administration will return more than $2 billion in funds allotted under his predecessor Donald Trump to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to the military and devote other remaining money to construction site clean up, the White House budget office said on Friday.
www.reuters.com
Putin: Relationship with U.S. has ‘deteriorated to its lowest point’ in years
Biden and Putin are scheduled to meet face-to-face on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland.
www.politico.com
DOJ inspector general to review Trump Justice Department's seizure of Democrats' phone data
Democrats Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell and others, including family members and a minor, were targeted by the Trump Justice Department.
www.usatoday.com
Biden administration to return $2 billion in Trump border wall funds to Pentagon
As a candidate, Biden vowed not to build "another foot" of Trump's border wall.
Pentagon to send Ukraine $150 million military assistance package
The Pentagon announced plans on Friday to send Ukraine $150 million in military assistance that will include counter-artillery radar, counter-drone technology and electronic warfare equipment, Reuters reports. Why it matters: The move comes as tensions continue to climb between Russia and...
Attorney General Garland to promise voting-rights fight in major policy speech
Attorney General Merrick Garland will give a policy address on voting rights at 2 p.m., promising "concrete steps ... to secure the fundamental right to vote for all Americans," the Justice Department says.Why it matters: President Biden said last week that he's prioritizing fights for federal...
G7 'circus' gives leaders a chance to hug, hustle and joke
CARBIS BAY, England (Reuters) -Boris Johnson cast the Group of Seven summit as a "gigantic media circus" on Thursday after leaders were paraded before journalists and U.S. President Joe Biden walked arm-in-arm up the beach discussing democracy with France's Emmanuel Macron. G7 summits are...
Nevada governor signs law making state first in presidential primary process
Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) signed a law Friday that would give Nevada the first presidential primary in 2024, bouncing New Hampshire and Iowa from being the first stops in the presidential nomination process, according to the Associated Press.Why it matters: The law, which still needs to be approved...
Ex-SNL star Jon Lovitz compares cancel culture to Red Scare, McCarthyism
Comedian Jon Lovitz, known for his time on “Saturday Night Live,” blasted cancel culture while talking to Page Six.”I’ll just say it, it’s no different than McCarthyism,”&nb…
thehill.com
Biden scuttles Trump’s dreams for border wall cash
The new White House plans come as the president faces a federal watchdog probe for hitting pause on billions of dollars in wall funding.
www.politico.com
‘Hard-nosed, buttoned-down guy’: Colleagues defend prosecutor who oversaw leak cases
Osmar Benvenuto had misgivings about the assignment Bill Barr drafted him to fulfill, friends and allies say.
www.politico.com
Garland declares voting rights expansion 'central' to democracy
The attorney general's speech comes as voting rights legislation faces dire odds in Congress.
www.politico.com
Putin says he’s optimistic about working with Biden ahead of planned meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday expressed optimism in working with President Biden ahead of their planned summit next week, saying he believed the sitting president would not make any “i…
thehill.com
Bipartisan gang’s last-ditch infrastructure pitch under scrutiny
Lawmakers in both parties have spent weeks negotiating unsuccessfully to find a deal on infrastructure.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Justice Dept watchdog to probe seizure of Democrats' communications data
The U.S. Justice Department's internal watchdog will probe efforts by the department during former President Donald Trump's administration to seize the communications data of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the watchdog confirmed.
www.reuters.com
UK’s Johnson says he and Biden ‘working together’ in Harry Dunn case
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday that he’s working with President Biden to help resolve a diplomatic dispute tied to the 2019 death of 19-year-old Harry Dunn. In an interview …
thehill.com
Biden says America is back. Can it bring the West with it?
Biden's election has seen "a dramatic shift in America's international image," Pew said, with public opinion rebounding in a dozen key countries since he became president.
www.nbcnews.com
Harris touts child care funding and payments to families
Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted the Biden administration's efforts to expand child care and relieve the financial pressures of parenthood during a visit to a child care center on Friday. Harris is discussing new guidance on $15 billion in grants to support child care programs...
Opinion | The Republican Case for Federal LGBT Rights
How the GOP—and even religious conservatives—can notch a win by negotiating a treaty in this front of the culture war.
www.politico.com
Barr distances himself from Trump-era subpoenas of Democratic lawmakers
The comments come as Democratic congressional leaders demand the former attorney general testify about the leak probes.
www.politico.com
Former Alaska state legislator faces new felony voter fraud charges
A former Alaska state legislator was among a group of people indicted by a grand jury on voter fraud felony charges related to the 2018 election.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Liberals seethe over bipartisan infrastructure talks
Politicians often campaign on working across the aisle, cutting through partisan division, and finding common ground. President Joe Biden during his 2020 campaign pledged to seek bipartisanship.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Harris tones down 'do not come' message in interview with Spanish-language news service
In Guatemala, Vice President Kamala Harris twice told Central American migrants, "Do not come" to the United States, stoking criticism from Democrats and immigration advocates. But the hard-line directive did not last long.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Fugees rapper Pras, Jho Low charged in scheme to get Trump administration to drop 1MDB probe
Former Republican fundraiser Elliot Broidy has admitted his role in the scheme to illegally lobby the Trump administration to drop the 1MDB probe.
Unemployed workers in these four states lose their federal benefits this weekend
The Republican governors of Alaska, Iowa, Missouri and Mississippi are all shutting off federal pandemic unemployment benefits three months early.
Jill Biden, Kate Middleton visit school together in first meeting
First lady Jill Biden and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, on Friday toured a British trauma-informed school together in their first-ever meeting.They visited a state-funded school that works …
thehill.com
Bossie: RNC might cut out networks if primary debates aren't reformed
The Citizens United president was light on the details about what GOP debates without a partner network would look like.
www.politico.com
What is the G7, and what power does it hold? | CNN Politics
President Joe Biden's first trip abroad since taking office includes a G7 summit where he'll look to reestablish US leadership on the world stage.
Time running out to evacuate Afghans who helped U.S., advocates say
"We don't have much time," said Rep. Jason Crow, D.-Colo., a vocal proponent of evacuating Afghans. "We're about 50 percent complete with the withdrawal."
www.nbcnews.com
New York lawmakers pass bill allowing gender-neutral 'X' option in govt documents
The New York state assembly has passed a bill that would allow people who do not identify as either male or female to use "X" as a marker to designate their sex on drivers' licenses, as the LGBTQ community commemorates Pride Month across the United States.
www.reuters.com
Media overwhelmingly silent on Hunter Biden's N-word text message scandal
Some of the largest media outlets in the United States have not reported on Hunter Biden’s repeated use of the N-word in text messages to his lawyer.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Pulitzers honor Darnella Frazier for cellphone video of George Floyd murder
A teenager who recorded the murder of George Floyd in a clear and unrelenting single shot with her cellphone was recognized on Friday by the arbiters of the highest honors in U.S. journalism.
www.reuters.com
GOP lawmakers blast Dems for ignoring the border crisis for 100 days
Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee blasted the committee Democrats for ignoring their calls to hold a hearing on the crisis at the southern border for 100 days.
U.S. Supreme Court urged by 22 states to maintain eviction ban
The attorneys general of 22 states on Friday urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to end the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's pandemic-related residential eviction moratorium that has been challenged by landlord groups.
www.reuters.com
Biden administration proposes its first offshore wind lease sale
The Biden administration has revealed that an area between the coasts of New York and New Jersey will be the location of its first proposed offshore wind lease sale, and the fed…
thehill.com
Biden to "repeal or replace" Trump rule allowing roads in Alaska's Tongass National Forest
The Biden administration said in a notice Friday that it will “repeal or replace” a rule change from former President Trump that opened up a large portion of Alaska's Tongass National Forest to road construction and other types of development.Why it matters: The rule change was part of...
DOJ watchdog will probe reported Trump-era subpoenas of Apple for Democrats' data
Reps. Schiff and Eric Swalwell, whose records were both reportedly seized by Trump's Justice Department, had called on the DOJ inspector general to investigate.
Vaccinated lawmakers get to take off their masks in House
Fully vaccinated members of Congress and staffers will no longer have to wear masks on the House floor and in committee rooms, the Office of the Attending Physician said Friday, delighting some GOP lawmakers who have been chafing at the mask-wearing requirements. Before they left, some...
Rural Communities Fall Further Behind In COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
Cities are leaving rural areas behind in the race to vaccinate against COVID-19, but some states' suburbs are struggling, too. To close the gap experts say, outreach needs to be hyperlocal.
www.npr.org
CDC to hold ’emergency meeting’ on heart inflammation after COVID-19 vaccines
An advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will hold an emergency meeting on June 18 to discuss rare reports of heart inflammation after doses of COVID-19 vaccin…
thehill.com
U.S. administers 306.5 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC
The United States has administered 306,509,795 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and distributed 373,413,945 doses in the country as of Friday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
www.reuters.com
Rand Paul slams 'unwise, naive' Fauci, says he 'in all likelihood has been lying to us'
Republican Sen. Rand Paul called for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be removed from his position leading the Biden administration’s coronavirus response, saying he "in all likelihood has been lying to us."
www.washingtonexaminer.com
FDA orders Johnson & Johnson to throw out 60 million coronavirus shots made at closed Baltimore plant
Federal regulators have instructed Johnson & Johnson to discard roughly 60 million single-shot COVID-19 vaccines due to possible contamination following a manufacturing mishap at the Baltimore-based Emergent BioSolutions, an error that shut down the plant two months ago.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson suspended for a week from YouTube for COVID misinformation
YouTube pulls a talk by GOP U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and suspends him for a week for violating COVID-19 'medical misinformation policies'
www.usatoday.com
States Scale Back Pandemic Reporting, Stirring Alarm
More than two dozen states have reduced how frequently they report what's happening with the pandemic, raising alarm among some public health experts.
www.npr.org
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