Politics
Federal Lawsuit Seeks to Block UFC Fights at White House on Trump's Birthday
Legal challenge claims June 14 event was unlawfully planned and designed to benefit the president and his political allies.
Section
Politics Page 15
U.S. politics: the White House, Congress, the courts and the campaigns, and what each move means.
PoliticsTrump-Backed Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra Advance in California Governor's Primary
Republican former Fox News host Steve Hilton and former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra emerged as the top two finishers in California's primary, setting up a November battle to succeed Gavin Newsom.
PoliticsTrump Pardons Former GOP Congressman Stephen Buyer, Convicted of Insider Trading
President Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon to ex-Rep. Stephen Buyer of Indiana, who was sentenced to 22 months in prison for trading on confidential information about the T-Mobile-Sprint merger.
WatchPoliticsTrump Storms Off 'Meet the Press' Set, Ripping Welker as 'Crooked' After Fact-Check Clash
The president yanked off his microphone and ended the interview when host Kristen Welker pressed him for evidence behind his election-fraud claims and his $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund.
PoliticsTrump Defends Iran War and Compensation Fund in Wide-Ranging 'Meet the Press' Interview
President again promises gas prices will fall when Iranian conflict ends, while addressing criticism of administration policies.
PoliticsTrump Looms Over Critical Georgia Republican Senate Runoff
President Trump has not yet endorsed Representative Mike Collins or Derek Dooley in the pivotal race to challenge Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, as both candidates vie for his support.
PoliticsTreasury Unveils a $250 Bill With Trump's Face, the First Living Person on U.S. Currency in 160 Years
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed the proposed commemorative note tied to the nation's 250th anniversary. Federal law still bars living people from U.S. money, and even some MAGA supporters are balking.
PoliticsBecerra and Trump-Backed Hilton Advance in California Governor's Race; Wiener Surges Toward Pelosi's Seat
Under California's top-two primary, Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton edged out billionaire Tom Steyer, while state Sen. Scott Wiener advanced in the contest to succeed Nancy Pelosi.
PoliticsBob Packwood, Senator Forced to Quit in Sex Scandal, Dies at 93
The unorthodox Republican helped shape tax policy and women's rights legislation before resigning in 1995 amid sexual misconduct accusations.
PoliticsU.S. Adds 172,000 Jobs in May, Smashing Forecasts and Slamming the Door on a Fed Rate Cut
Hiring nearly doubled economists' expectations as restaurants, bars and hotels led the way — but wage growth trailed inflation, squeezing workers even as the labor market held firm.
- Politics
Trump Administration Unveils New 10% to 12.5% Tariffs on 60 Trading Partners After Forced-Labor Probe
Citing a Section 301 investigation into goods made with forced labor, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer proposed duties spanning Canada to China — months after the Supreme Court struck down the president's earlier tariff regime.
PoliticsSupreme Court Heads Into Explosive Final Month With Birthright Citizenship and Election Rules on the Line
The justices have roughly a dozen blockbuster decisions left before their summer recess, from Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship to fights over mail ballots, the Fed's independence and transgender athletes.
- Politics
Supreme Court Lets Alabama Use Map Ruled Racially Discriminatory in 2026 Midterms
In an unsigned order, the justices paused a lower court's injunction, clearing the way for Alabama to vote under a congressional map that a three-judge panel found was tainted by intentional discrimination.
- Politics
Trump Strips Civil Service Protections From 8,000 Senior Federal Workers
A new executive order moves roughly 8,000 career employees into a 'Schedule Policy/Career' classification, making them fireable at will and reviving the fight over the old 'Schedule F' plan.
- Politics
Justice Department Shelves Trump's $1.8 Billion 'Anti-Weaponization' Fund
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told House lawmakers the DOJ is 'not moving forward with the fund, period,' abandoning a payout tied to a settlement of Trump's lawsuit over his leaked tax returns.
PoliticsTrump Pardons Stephen Buyer, Former GOP Congressman Convicted of Insider Trading
The former Indiana representative was found guilty in 2023 of trading stock related to two deals before they were made public.
PoliticsBecerra and Hilton Set for November Showdown in California Governor's Race as Wiener Takes Pelosi's Seat
Democrat Xavier Becerra and Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton emerged from a crowded top-two primary, while state Sen. Scott Wiener advanced in the contest to succeed Nancy Pelosi.
PoliticsAir Force Veteran Alani Bankhead Wins Montana Democratic Senate Primary Despite Outside Spending Blitz
Bankhead, a Helena-based veteran and former federal investigator, captured the Democratic nomination over former state Rep. Reilly Neill, giving the party a fresh face in its bid to flip a Republican-held Senate seat.
PoliticsTrump Pardons Former Congressman Convicted of Insider Trading
Stephen Buyer, former Republican representative from Indiana, was convicted of trading stock related to deals before they were made public.
PoliticsTrump Names Bill Pulte as Intelligence Director, Calls for Mass Staff Firings
President suggests employees who worked for Democratic administrations should be terminated as his pick takes temporary control of national intelligence.
PoliticsJudge Orders Trump Officials to Restart Asylum and Immigration Processing
Federal ruling invalidates policies that halted asylum grants and immigration benefits for people from 39 countries last year.
WatchPoliticsSenate Passes $70 Billion Immigration Enforcement Bill in Pre-Dawn Vote, Sending It to the House
The 52-47 vote, cast just before 5 a.m. after a marathon 19-hour session, funds ICE and Border Patrol through the end of President Trump's term and preserves his contested 'anti-weaponization' settlement fund.
PoliticsSusan Collins Sets Senate Record With 10,000th Consecutive Vote Amid Heated Reelection Battle
The Maine Republican becomes the first senator in history to reach the milestone without missing a single vote, even as she faces a challenging campaign for another term.
WatchPoliticsJill Biden Says She Feared Her Husband Was 'Having a Stroke' During the 2024 Debate That Ended His Campaign
In a wave of interviews promoting her new memoir, the former first lady recounts watching the debate against Donald Trump in horror, while insisting she never saw signs of cognitive decline.
PoliticsObama Presidential Center to Open on Juneteenth, Anchoring an $850 Million Bet on Chicago's South Side
The long-delayed campus in Jackson Park will combine a museum, library branch, and an NBA-regulation basketball court, with a grand-opening weekend timed to the June 19 holiday.
PoliticsTrump Administration Moves to Slap Tariffs of 10% or More on Most Trading Partners After Forced-Labor Probe
The U.S. Trade Representative proposed new duties on 60 economies, reviving Trump's trade war months after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier tariffs.
PoliticsHouse Passes Ukraine Aid in Defiance of Republican Leadership
Eighteen GOP lawmakers break party lines to join Democrats, delivering another blow to Trump's foreign policy agenda.
PoliticsTrump Announces $700 Million Federal Investment in First New Coal Plants Since 2013
President commits substantial funding to revive domestic coal industry as part of broader energy independence initiative.
PoliticsNational Guard Has Done Little to Cut D.C. Violent Crime Despite $1.5 Million-a-Day Cost, Study Finds
A Niskanen Center analysis concludes Trump's troop deployment trimmed petty property crime but left violent crime essentially unchanged — an expensive tool aimed at the wrong problem.
PoliticsTrump Strips Job Protections From 8,000 Senior Federal Workers, Reviving His Schedule F Push
A new executive order reclassifies roughly 8,000 senior policy positions into an at-will category, allowing the administration to fire them for almost any reason as unions and Democrats race to court.
