National News - Page 19

Democrat Christian Menefee wins special election for vacant, deep-blue House seat in Texas

By Owen Auston-Babcock Former Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee has won a special runoff election for a vacant, deep-blue House seat in Texas, NBC News projects, besting former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards in a Democrat-versus-Democrat contest. Menefee will fill an 11-month vacancy in the Houston-area congressional district formerly represented by Rep. Sylvester Turner until his death in March 2025. Menefee’s partial term will only run through the end of 2026, and he is already competing for a full term in a redrawn district. After this election, the balance in the House will stand at 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats.

Most of the U.S. government is shut down but is expected to reopen early this week

By Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong, Frank Thorp V and Julie Tsirkin Most of the U.S. government shut down as the clock ticked over to Saturday, Jan. 31, but the funding lapse is expected to be brief. The Senate passed legislation Friday evening that would fund the government, but the House is not in Washington, leading to the partial government shutdown this weekend. The bill was the product of a deal between President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told members on a Friday call that he plans to hold a vote on it Monday, a source with knowledge of the

Trump sues IRS and US treasury for $10bn over leak of tax returns

Donald Trump on Thursday sued the US treasury department and Internal Revenue Service for $10bn over the disclosure of his tax returns to the media in 2019 and 2020. In a complaint filed in Miami federal court, Trump, his adult sons and his namesake company said the agencies failed to take “mandatory precautions” to prevent the former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn from leaking their tax returns to “leftist media outlets”, including the New York Times and ProPublica. The plaintiffs said they suffered “significant and irreparable harm” to their reputations and financial interests, and may seek punitive damages because the leaks

DOJ files federal charges against man accused of attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar

By Ryan J. Reilly, Chloe Atkins, Dareh Gregorian and Joe Kottke The Justice Department filed charges Thursday against a man who is accused of trying to spray Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., with a substance from a syringe during a town hall in Minneapolis this week. Anthony Kazmierczak faces a count alleging that he “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and officer and employee of the United States” while she was engaged in official duties. In a separate case, federal prosecutors in Kansas charged a man there with making a death threat against Omar on Facebook. The affidavit in the Minnesota case alleges that Kazmierczak had previously threatened Omar, as well,

Tulsi Gabbard under scrutiny for showing up at FBI raid of Georgia election hub

By Dan De Luce  When President Donald Trump watched a live feed of the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was not in the room. Just two days earlier, she had posted photos of herself on a beach in Hawaii at sunset practicing yoga, sending out a new year’s greeting for “peace.” That she appeared to be on vacation in the run-up to such a high-stakes, ultra-sensitive military operation seemed to underscore the extent to which she has been sidelined by the administration. But there she was on Wednesday, at an election center in Fulton

Trump signals interest in easing tensions, but Minneapolis sees little change on the streets

By Steve Karnowski President Donald Trump seemed to signal a willingness to ease tensions in Minneapolis after a second deadly shooting by federal immigration agents, but there was little evidence Wednesday of any significant changes following weeks of harsh rhetoric and clashes with protesters. The strain was evident when Trump made a leadership change by sending his top border adviser to Minnesota to take charge of the immigration crackdown. That was followed by seemingly conciliatory remarks about the Democratic governor and mayor. Trump said he and Gov. Tim Walz, whom he criticized for weeks, were on “a similar wavelength” following a phone call. After a conversation

Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady as a defiant Jerome Powell resists White House pressure

By Steve Kopack The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday, taking a measured, wait-and-see approach to the economy. Sometimes doing nothing is an act of defiance. President Donald Trump has put the Fed and its chairman, Jerome Powell, under intense pressure to lower borrowing costs, despite concerns about inflation. By refusing to cut rates, the central bank’s leaders asserted their independence from the White House. Wednesday’s move comes as Powell and the Fed face a criminal investigation launched by Trump’s close ally Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Powell has accused the White House of using the probe

Man arrested after Ilhan Omar attacked during town hall meeting in Minneapolis

By Raquel Coronell Uribe A man who confronted Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. at a Minneapolis town hall meeting on Tuesday and tried to spray her with a substance was arrested and placed in police custody. Omar, who has faced a barrage of near-daily attacks from President Donald Trump, had called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment moments before the man lunged toward her. The suspect, named in the Hennepin County Jail roster as Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, was arrested on suspicion of assault but has yet to be formally charged.

Many Obamacare enrollees have switched to cheaper bronze plans. Here’s why that could be risky.

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr. Kate Bivona and her husband don’t know what they would do if either gets seriously sick or injured. Until recently, that wasn’t the case. But beginning in January, the monthly cost of her Affordable Care Act insurance jumped by about $300 — making it too expensive for them to afford. Bivona and her husband dropped down to a bronze plan, cutting their bill by more than half but leaving them with an $18,000 annual deductible. “We would have to take out a loan,” said Bivona, a 37-year-old musician in Arizona. “We don’t have that kind of money, maybe a

Most of the government could shut down this weekend. ICE operations would carry on.

By Scott Wong and Frank Thorp V WASHINGTON — Most of the federal government could shut down at the end of the week. But that likely wouldn’t halt aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations in Minneapolis and other parts of the country. Democrats are up in arms after a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse and U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis over the weekend. That came after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, another Minneapolis resident and citizen, in her car earlier this month. Under enormous pressure from the base, Senate Democrats have vowed to block a sweeping government funding bill unless significant

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