Mitch McConnell has confessed over the years that as a junior member of the Senate, he longed to be the one whom reporters chased down for information as he jealously watched his more senior colleagues being pursued by the media while he was ignored. “The truth is, when I got here, I was just happy…
Month: February 2024
In Taking Up Trump’s Immunity Claim, Supreme Court Bolstered His Delay Strategy
The Supreme Court that former President Donald J. Trump helped to shape tossed him a legal lifeline on Wednesday night, making a choice that substantially aided his efforts to delay his federal trial on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. By deciding to take up Mr. Trump’s claim that presidents enjoy almost total…
How Visiting the U.S. Border Became a Potent Form of Political Theater
Vice President Kamala Harris went to the U.S.-Mexico border soon after she and President Biden took office, even though she had characterized such visits as empty politics just weeks before. President Barack Obama also toured the border during his time in the White House, though he came to see the trips as little more than…
In Fight Over Bump Stock Ban, Lawyers Take Aim at Administrative State
A simple device that speeds up a semiautomatic weapon’s rate of fire is at the center of a case that could cast a shadow over a government agency’s ability to regulate firearms. For Michael Cargill, a fierce defender of gun rights who sells firearms in Austin, the accessory, a bump stock, was until 2017 a…
Senate Republicans Look Poised to Block Bill to Protect I.V.F. Treatment
Senate Republicans on Wednesday appeared ready to block a bill that would establish federal protections for in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments in the wake of a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos should be considered children. Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, planned to try to bring the bill up…
After Asking ‘Where’s Hunter?’ for Years, Republicans Will Question Biden’s Son
Hunter Biden, the president’s son, is scheduled to appear on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a deposition conducted by House Republicans who are hunting for evidence to try to impeach his father. The interview of Hunter Biden, 54, which is expected to be lengthy, comes at a make-or-break moment for the inquiry. Republicans have sought…
Michigan Primary Takeaways: ‘Uncommitted’ Sends Biden a Message
Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Donald J. Trump won Michigan’s primary elections on Tuesday as the president and his predecessor hurtle toward a rematch in November. But the results showed some of the fragility of the political coalitions they have constructed in a critical state for the fall. Losing any slice of support is perilous…
Army Is Slashing Thousands of Jobs to Focus on Russia and China
The U.S. Army is cutting 24,000 positions as the Pentagon continues to shift its priority to countering Chinese and Russian military might after two decades of focusing on the fight against terrorism, according to a new Army document. The cuts are in line with the national defense strategy begun by President Donald J. Trump and…
Behind the A.I. Robocall That Impersonated Biden: A Democratic Consultant and a Magician
A Democratic political consultant confirmed that he was behind robocalls last month that used an artificial-intelligence impersonation of President Biden to urge Democrats not to vote in the New Hampshire primary. But the consultant, Steven Kramer, and the man he hired to produce the A.I. audio, an itinerant magician and technology and marketing consultant named…
Yellen Urges Israel to Restore Economic Ties to West Bank
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said on Tuesday that she had personally urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to increase commercial engagement with the West Bank, contending that doing so was important for the economic welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians. Ms. Yellen’s plea was outlined in a letter that she sent to Mr….