Trumpâs tax cuts are about to unleash chaos on the Hill.
By Brian Baler Washington is geared up for a big debate over trillions of dollars in tax cuts. Itâs going to be long, slow and messy. As the utter chaos that erupted as lawmakers struggled to write a year-end bill to fund the government demonstrated, the GOP has a tenuous grip on the House. President-elect Donald Trump has a penchant for chaos. And Republicans are at odds over a long list of issues, beginning with whether they should take up tax first this year or immigration. After weeks of negotiations, it looks like theyâll begin with the border. Here are
Harris oversaw certification of her defeat to Trump four years after he sparked Capitol attack
By Chris Megerian Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday presided over the certification of her defeat to Donald Trump four years after he tried to stop the very process that will now return him to the White House. Her task was ceremonial and her remarks perfunctory. Standing on the dais, Harris passed copies of each state’s election results to lawmakers, and she stood silently with her hands clasped in front of her while they were read out loud. When the process was finished, Harris announced Trump’s victory. She smiled tightly as Republicans gave the next president standing ovation. âThe chair declares this joint session resolved,â Harris
From Taylor Swift tickets to social media bans, here are new 2025 state laws
By Clay Masters Across the country, the new year will usher in thousands of new state laws. At least 20 states increase statewide minimum wage starting Jan. 1 â the highest in Washington state at $16.66 an hour, followed by California at $16.50. Kentucky becomes the latest state to legalize medical marijuana and several states, including Delaware, tighten gun control. Here are other significant state laws taking effect Jan 1. Taylor Swift ticket meltdown spurs industry changes Minnesota is the latest state to increase transparency when purchasing tickets to concerts, sporting events and other large-scale events. “The Ticketing Fairness Act” will require “all-in pricing” to ensure ticket
Biden to honor Liz Cheney, Bennie Thompson with top civilian award
By Tamara Keith President Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal to former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., who led the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6 , 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Presidential Citizens Medal honors Americans who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens. It is the second-highest civilian honor a president can bestow and awarding it to Cheney and Thompson sends a signal to President-elect Trump. Trump has criticized the pair repeatedly, falsely accusing them of breaking the law with their investigation into his
Senate Democrats render a verdict on Supreme Court ethics
By Josh Gerstein Senate Democrats wrapped up their extensive investigation of Supreme Court justicesâ ethics practices Saturday, issuing a report blasting two conservative justices for accepting expensive gifts from wealthy benefactors and slamming Chief Justice John Roberts for a lackadaisical response to ethical lapses by his colleagues. âNow more than ever before, as a result of information gathered by subpoenas, we know the extent to which the Supreme Court is mired in an ethical crisis of its own making,â outgoing Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin said in a statement. âWhether failing to disclose lavish gifts or failing to recuse from cases with
Jimmy Carter’s single term in office was a springboard for Black women in politics
By Donna M. Owens When Alexis M. Herman first met Jimmy Carter back in the 1970s, she never imagined how their fates would intertwine, nor the heights to which their careers would rise. âHe was governor of Georgia then, and I was just a few years out of college,â Herman said. Herman, an Alabama native and Xavier University alumna, was a volunteer on civil rights leader Andrew Youngâs congressional campaign when âAndy introduced me to Jimmy Carter and told him of the work I was doing.â At the time, Herman was involved in an experimental project to create a minority womenâs employment program
Protecting Black Students During the Second Trump Presidency
By Shaun Harper One day after Donald Trump was re-elected president of the United States, Black students across the country received racist text messages. This same thing happened within 10 days following the 2016 presidential election: Black freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania received messages via GroupMe with threats of being lynched; I was a professor there at the time. That it happened againâthis time on a larger national scaleâis one indicator of what is likely to ensue on college and university campuses over the next four years. As I insisted at Penn eight years ago, I maintain now that Black students
Spelman College Museum of Fine Art Presents We Say What Black This Is, an Exhibition Featuring MacArthur Award-Winning Artist Amanda Williams
Courtesy of Spelman University Spelman College Museum of Fine Art presents We Say What Black This Is, an exhibition showcasing mixed media and watercolor paintings by MacArthur award-winning artist Amanda Williams. The new exhibit opens February 7, 2025, and will be on view through May 24, 2025. We Say What Black This Is challenges reductive definitions of Blackness, instead celebrating its diversity, resilience and depth. The exhibition features works from Williams’ series What Black is this, You Say?, created in response to the âBlackout Tuesdayâ social media moment in 2020. The exhibit will include a new abstract painting by Williams and student-written didactic labels.
The 2028 Democratic primary is already underway. But the first real moves are just around the corner.
Kamala Harris is weighing whether to run for president again, and some Democrats seem open to the idea. But sheâs hardly likely to clear the field next time. Potential rivals on Democratsâ deep bench were already beginning to maneuver for 2028 during her short-lived second candidacy. And itâs widely expected that the earliest stages of the partyâs next primary will start to pick up not long after Donald Trumpâs inauguration next month. With 2024 drawing to a close, we pulled together five of our plugged-in politics reporters to talk about Harrisâ political future, how the rest of the partyâs most ambitious