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
Democrats Weigh Redistricting Moves as GOP Expands Maps
By Jane C. Timm As Republicans across the country pursue new congressional maps to boost their party ahead of next year’s midterm elections, Democrats are ramping up pressure on states where they can respond. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has held discussions with members of the Maryland delegation and Democratic Gov. Wes Moore in recent weeks about possible mid-decade redistricting efforts, according to a source with knowledge of the conversations. The source also said Jeffries spoke with members of the Illinois delegation about drawing new district lines, as Politico first reported. Maryland has just one Republican, Rep. Andy Harris, in its
John Bolton Indicted for Retaining Classified Documents
Written By Lexx Thornton Former national security adviser John Bolton was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday, becoming the third prominent critic of President Donald Trump to face criminal charges recently. The indictment, filed in federal court in Maryland, where Bolton resides, charges him with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of retaining national defense information. The charges stem from an investigation into whether Bolton improperly kept classified materials after his contentious exit from the first Trump administration. The indictment alleges that Bolton “abused his position” during the first Trump administration by “sharing more
Democratic Divides Spark Wave of Primary Challenges
By Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman and Joe Murphy The Democratic Party’s ongoing reckoning is fueling more primaries against longtime lawmakers, new fundraising reports show — the latest in a string of signs that some veteran Democrats next year may face their toughest challenges yet, as the party grapples with generational and ideological divides. Fourteen House Democratic incumbents are facing primary challengers who raised $100,000 or more in the most recent fundraising quarter, with nine also outraised by their primary opponents. The number includes some challengers who are pouring their own money into campaigns against entrenched incumbents, seeing the possibility of a rare political opportunity.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Retention Vote Draws Big Stakes
By Jane C. Timm Three state Supreme Court justices are on the ballot in Pennsylvania next month in a typically under-the-radar vote that could have far-reaching implications in the critical battleground state. The justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, who are all backed by Democratic Party — are facing an up-or-down “retention” election, meaning voters choose whether to keep them on the court for another 10 years. Few Pennsylvania justices have lost their jobs in this way. But with Democrats’ 5-2 Supreme Court majority at stake ahead of the 2026 and 2028 elections, this year’s retention vote is
