Senate Blocks Trump’s 50% Tariffs on Brazil Imports
By Brennan Leach and Raquel Coronell Uribe Five Senate Republicans joined Democrats on Tuesday night in passing a resolution that would block President Donald Trump’s tariffs on billions of dollars of goods from Brazil. The legislative language blocks Trump’s emergency declaration that imposed tariffs on most Brazilian imports at 50%. The measure passed in a 52-48 vote. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined 47 Democrats in supporting it. Despite the bipartisan support, the Senate rebuke of Trump is largely symbolic since the House is unlikely to take
Democrats Reject Union Call to End Ongoing Government Shutdown
By Andrew Solender A call from the largest federal workers union in the country for Democrats to pass a GOP bill reopening the government on Monday was met with uncharacteristic yawns from Washington, D.C.-area Democrats. Why it matters: Such a statement from a powerful union would, in normal times, have a profound impact on Democrats. These are not normal times. Democrats are dug in, emboldened by rebounding support from their voters and determined to walk away from the shutdown with something to show for their intransigence. Democratic lawmakers tell Axios they feel they have the upper hand and that Republicans are poised to come to
Bernie Sanders, AOC Rally for Zohran Mamdani in NYC Race
By Allan Smith New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani and two of his most prominent backers, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, framed his election as a one-on-one battle versus President Donald Trump and his administration at a raucous rally in Queens on Sunday, Speaker after speaker at Sunday’s rally, which drew thousands to a tennis stadium, said electing Mamdani would essentially serve as an opening salvo in a fight to take back the country from Trump and his allies. “We gather here today at both a perilous moment for our country,” said Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. “And on the precipice of
White House East Wing Demolished for New Ballroom Project
Written by Lexx Thornton What was once the East Wing of the White House is now a pile of rubble. The demolition marks the first phase of President Trump’s controversial plan to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom — a $300 million project that the administration says is ahead of schedule and entirely funded by private donors. Few Americans knew the demolition was even underway. The White House provided no public notice before excavators began tearing into the East Wing, which housed the East Garden Room, Family Theater, East Colonnade, and office suites. A White House official confirmed to NPR that plans
Trump Ends Trade Talks With Canada Over Tariff Dispute
By Ana Swanson and Matina Stevis-Gridneff President Trump said late Thursday that he was terminating negotiations with Canada over the high tariffs that he imposed on its steel, auto parts and other major exports, adding new uncertainty to the relationship with America’s second-biggest trading partner. On Truth Social, the president said he was ending all trade negotiations with Canada because of a video ad, paid for by the province of Ontario, that featured former President Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs. “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A.,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
North Carolina GOP Passes New Map Favoring Republicans
By Jane C. Timm North Carolina’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed a new congressional map that aims to further boost the party ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The state House on Wednesday approved the map, which could give Republicans an additional U.S. House seat in North Carolina, on a 66-48 vote, one day after the state Senate advanced it and nine days after GOP legislative leaders first announced their plans for a vote. “The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: drawing new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the North Carolina congressional delegation,” state Sen. Ralph Hise, the Republican
Democrats Urge Trump to End Prolonged Government Shutdown
By Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong and Monica Alba As the government shutdown crosses the three-week mark, Democrats are increasingly calling on President Donald Trump to get more involved in finding a solution. And some Republicans acknowledge that Trump has been disengaged and say it wouldn’t hurt if he got more involved. “Hakeem and I reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the health care crisis, address it and end the Trump shutdown,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Tuesday, referring to his House counterpart, Hakeem Jeffries of New York. “We urged him to
Supreme Court Weighs Louisiana Case on Voting Rights Act
By Lawrence Hurley The conservative-majority Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared open to again undermining the Voting Rights Act in a congressional redistricting case from Louisiana. The justices, who expanded the scope of the case over the summer, heard oral arguments about whether states can ever consider race in drawing new districts while seeking to comply with Section 2 of the 1965 law, which was enacted to protect minority voters against a backdrop of historic racial discrimination. The Voting Rights Act has long been a target of conservative legal attacks, with the Supreme Court weakening it in two major rulings in 2013 and 2021. The
Jeffries Urges GOP to Extend ACA Subsidies Amid Shutdown
By Obed Manuel, Michel Martin Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he believes public pressure will mount on Republicans in the coming days to extend health insurance subsidies that are the heart of the shutdown fight. Most of the federal government remains shut down after Senate Republicans and Democrats again failed to pass a spending bill Monday that would reopen the government. Democrats, who have put forward their own spending resolution, remain steadfast that Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies used by more than 20 million people to afford monthly health premiums should be extended. With the credits expiring at
Barack Obama Endorses Abigail Spanberger for Governor
By Bridget Bowman Former President Barack Obama is endorsing Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the Virginia governor’s race and starring in two new digital ads for her campaign. “Virginia’s elections are some of the most important in the country this year,” Obama says in both ads, shared first with NBC News, which focus on the economy and abortion rights. He also says in both ads, “Every vote counts.” Virginia is one of two states, along with New Jersey, holding governor’s races this year. One year after the 2024 election, both races will be closely watched as indicators of how voters
