U.S. Braces for Prolonged Government Shutdown Standoff
By Sahil Kapur and Scott Wong At the two-week mark, Republicans and Democrats are bracing for a long government shutdown, with both parties seeing more upside in persisting with their conflicting demands. As a result, neither side is willing to give an inch in the standoff, now the fifth-longest shutdown in the country’s history. Republicans say their message is simple: Senate Democrats should vote for the short-term funding bill to reopen the government that passed the House last month and pursue their policy demands separately. They accuse Democrats of holding the government “hostage” to their goals. But Democrats are eager to continue a
Airports Refuse DHS Video Blaming Democrats for Shutdown
By Ayesha Ali Major airports across the country — including in New York City, Chicago and Atlanta — are refusing to play a video featuring Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the impacts of the government shutdown. Many of the airport representatives said their facility’s policies bar the showing of political content. Some also pointed to the Hatch Act, a law that restricts the political activities of federal employees as well as some state and local employees who are involved in or work in federally funded programs. The roughly 30-second video began rolling out to airports
Louisiana Case Could Redefine Voting Rights Act Protections
By Lawrence Hurley The way Louisiana’s Republican leaders put it, the pervasive racial discrimination in elections that led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is all in the past. That is why they are now urging the Supreme Court, in a case being argued on Wednesday, to bar states from using any consideration of race when drawing legislative districts, gutting a key plank of the law that was designed to ensure Black voters would have a chance of electing their preferred candidates. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC News that the Voting Rights Act was designed to
Vance Says Trump Weighing Use of Insurrection Act
By Megan Lebowitz Vice President JD Vance indicated in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that President Donald Trump was not opposed to invoking the Insurrection Act. Asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether the White House was seriously considering invoking the 1807 statute, Vance said, “The president is looking at all his options.” “Right now he hasn’t felt he needed to,” he added. The Insurrection Act would allow the president to deploy the U.S. military domestically for law enforcement purposes. The military is typically not allowed to be deployed on U.S. soil for domestic law enforcement purposes without congressional
Justin Pearson Launches Primary Challenge to Rep. Cohen
By Bridget Bowman Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who drew national attention in 2023 for protesting gun violence on the state House floor, announced Wednesday that he is launching a Democratic primary challenge against longtime Rep. Steve Cohen. Pearson was one of three Democratic state legislators, who became known as the “Tennessee Three,” who led protests on the floor after a school shooting. Pearson and fellow state Rep. Justin Jones were expelled from the Legislature, while state Rep. Gloria Johnson withstood her expulsion vote. Pearson and Jones were eventually reinstated. Pearson, 30, is the latest young Democrat to take on a veteran House member as
500 National Guard Troops Deployed to Chicago Amid Lawsuit
By Daniella Silva Five hundred National Guard members have arrived in the Chicago area and are mobilized for an initial period of 60 days, despite an ongoing lawsuit challenging their deployment there, according to a statement Wednesday from U.S. Northern Command, a part of the Defense Department. About 200 members from multiple units in the Texas National Guard and 300 members from units in the Illinois National Guard have been activated and sent to the Chicago area, the statement said. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has denounced the deployment as an unconstitutional invasion. The troops are stationed at the Army Reserve center in Elwood, outside
Trump Says Chicago Mayor and Illinois Governor Should Be Jailed
By Megan Lebowitz President Donald Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Wednesday that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker “should be in jail” in an escalation of his conflict with the two Democratic officials. “Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” he said in the post. “Governor Pritzker also!” The president’s post comes a day after Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois, despite the Democrats’ fierce opposition. Trump has threatened for weeks to send troops to Chicago as part of a crime-fighting and immigration effort, and Democrats have slammed his push as overreach
Rep. Wesley Hunt Enters Texas GOP Senate Primary Race
By Megan Lebowitz and Bridget Bowman Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, is jumping into the Senate race in Texas, joining a competitive primary battle between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Hunt told The Associated Press in an interview that he believes that polling indicates “people want an alternative, and I’m going to give it to them.” He highlighted his support for President Donald Trump on his campaign website, saying he was “fighting alongside President Trump to codify DOGE cuts, secure our border, and fight for economic prosperity for all Texans.” In a news release, he said that “the U.S. Senate race in
ACA Tax Credit Clash Deepens Amid Federal Government Shutdown
By Amanda Seitz Hours into the federal government shutdown, Julio Fuentes stood steps from the U.S. Capitol to deliver an urgent message about the Hispanic voting bloc that helped the GOP swoop into power last year. Those votes, he cautioned, are at risk if Congress doesn’t pass a law to preserve low premiums on Affordable Care Act marketplace plans for the roughly 4.7 million people living in his home state of Florida who are enrolled in the coverage. “Hispanic voters helped return Donald Trump to the White House,” said Fuentes, the CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “Republican
Cory Booker Blames Trump for Health Care Shutdown Crisis
By Kendall Wright Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said talks remain stalled on the fifth day of the government shutdown, with Democrats seeking to undo Medicaid cuts and restore Obamacare subsidies and Republicans demanding a clean funding bill to fund the government into November. “It’s really a moment of health care crisis,” Booker told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. Booker said he’s less concerned with which party is to blame for the shutdown and more focused on Americans’ health and personal finances that he said are at risk from the shutdown. “I don’t care about the blame game. I
