Politics

The Hill reports: An awkward moment came at a town hall meeting on Friday in Butler, Iowa, when Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) defended the spending reforms in a House-passed budget reconciliation package that are intended to stop people who crossed into the country illegally from receiving federal benefits. Someone in the crowd tried to talk over Ernst, interrupting her …

CNN reports: Former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who led the department during the September 11 terror attacks in 2001, has died at the age of 69, according to the New York Police Department and a source close to Kerik. Kerik, a Trump ally who once served three years in federal prison for charges including tax fraud and lying …

The Associated Press reports: Dr. Annie Andrews, the South Carolina Democrat who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in 2022, says she’s running against Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2026, challenging the four-term incumbent in part due to what she characterized as his waffling positions over the course of his political career. “He’s changed his position on nearly every …

The Hill reports: Former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) received a primary challenge Thursday from volunteer firefighter and former “Jeopardy!” contestant Harry Jarin, who is seeking to make age a centerpiece of the campaign. In a statement announcing his bid, Jarin, 35, said Hoyer, 85, “represents a bygone era of politics that isn’t working” and that congressional seats should …

CNN reports: The Supreme Court on Thursday limited the scope of environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects in a decision that could speed up approvals of highways, airports and pipelines. The decision is the latest setback for environmentalists at the conservative Supreme Court, which has in recent years shut down regulations intended to protect wetlands, for instance, and reduce air pollution wafting across …

Politico reports: The New York City Campaign Finance Board sent out over 3.5 million voter guides that incorrectly stated — twice — Mayor Eric Adams would appear on the Democratic primary ballot next month. He is actually skipping his party’s primary to run in November as an independent. The “2025 Primary Election Voter Guide” was mailed to 3,523,795 voters in …

Just in via press release: The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) filed a lawsuit today to compel the White House to immediately resume providing American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters during broadcasts of their press briefings to make them accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people. Two deaf individuals—Derrick Ford and Matthew Bonn—join NAD in this lawsuit. This is …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas House on Tuesday gave initial approval to a bill that would restrict protesting on college campuses. Republicans who support Senate Bill 2972 say it will prevent disruption and unsafe behavior seen during the pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. Critics say the measure contradicts previous conservative efforts to protect free speech rights on Texas campuses and …

The Hill reports: The Trump administration is suing North Carolina and its State Board of Elections for failing to maintain an accurate voter roll. The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced the lawsuit, which accuses the state of not doing enough to prevent voter fraud after using a state voter registration form that did not require individuals to provide …

Austin’s NBC affiliate reports: A bill that would ban all products containing THC is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after the Senate late Sunday approved the House version of the bill advanced by the lower chamber last week. If the measure avoids Abbott’s veto pen, Texas’ $8 billion hemp industry and its estimated 50,000 jobs would be dissolved in …

Florida Politics reports: Denmark’s U.S. Embassy just hired Mercury Public Affairs to lobby on the nation’s behalf in Washington. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles recently worked at the high-stakes public affairs group, serving as Co-Chair of the firm’s Florida and Washington offices. Wiles also ran President Donald Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign, and previously headed U.S. Sen. Rick …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: Charlie Rangel, a former congressman from Harlem who was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the lone surviving member of the “Gang of Four,” has died. He was 94. Rangel was elected to the House of Representatives in 1971 after defeating Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. He served in Congress for …

Politico reports: The executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme is urging that more aid be allowed into Gaza as Israel continues its renewed offensive on the territory. “Right now, we have 500,000 people inside of Gaza that are extremely food insecure, and could be on the verge of famine if we don’t help bring them back from that,” …

NBC News reports: As the Senate prepares to consider the sprawling domestic package that House Republicans passed last week, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he thinks there are “enough” Republicans to “stop the process” in order to prioritize stronger reductions in spending and the national deficit. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the bill would add $2.3 trillion …

The Times reports: JD Vance takes pride in declaring himself to be a “Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart” but a trawl of genealogy records has found no evidence linking the US vice-president to Ireland. In an attempt to link Vance to Ulster, a DUP minister commissioned researchers to dig into the ancestral past of the controversial Republican Party politician. A glossy …

The Huffington Post reports: Senate Republicans aren’t on board with the tax and spending cuts their House counterparts passed Thursday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said his conference would seek changes to the tax side of the bill and the Medicaid side as well. “We want to do things that are meaningful in terms of reforming programs, strengthening programs, …

Axios reports: The Democratic National Committee will vote in June on whether to hold a redo of the election of David Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta as vice chairs, per a Thursday evening DNC meeting. Kalyn Free, a losing candidate in February’s vice chair race, says the two were elected under a flawed tabulation process, but Hogg alleges …

USA Today reports: First lady Melania Trump is getting a little help with the release of the audiobook version of her memoir: artificial intelligence. “I am honored to bring you Melania – The AI Audiobook – narrated entirely using artificial intelligence in my own voice,” Trump wrote in a post on X, along with a futuristic video. “Let the future …

Reuters reports: A monument to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin erected in Moscow’s metro is stirring debate, with some Russians welcoming it as a historical tribute, but others saying it’s a mistake to commemorate someone who presided over so much suffering. The life-size wall sculpture in Moscow’s Taganskaya metro station depicts Stalin standing on Moscow’s Red Square surrounded by a crowd …

The Daily Beast reports: Disney and ABC News have asked the hosts of The View to tone down their political rhetoric, multiple sources told the Daily Beast. Since President Donald Trump’s election in 2024, the panel of co-hosts on The View—Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin—have consistently criticized Trump administration officials and …