16 h. ago Johnson condemns leaked Young Republicans group chat messages and says Schumer declined vote on healthcare subsidies – live

House speaker says he didn’t know the Young Republicans chat members and continues to shirk blame for the US government shutdownUS government shutdown stretches as progressives reject Republicans’ healthcare promisesVance brushes off racist texts by adults in Republican group chat as ‘what kids do’Mike Johnson said that he spoke with John Thune, the Senate’s top Republican, on Wednesday.“He offered to Chuck Schumer a vote on Obamacare subsidies, and Schumer said no,” Johnson revealed, saying that Schumer wanted “a guaranteed outcome”. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Top Senate Republican says he can ‘guarantee’ a vote on key healthcare provision amid shutdown standoff – live

Senate majority leader there will be a vote on Obamacare subsidies, as Democrats have demanded, but ‘can’t guarantee it’s going to pass’The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, has criticized vice-president JD Vance’s over his comments following the leak of young messages from various Young Republcian group chats.“The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys,” Vance said in a new episode of the Charlie Kirk Show. “They tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do.” Continue reading...

Politics

56 h. ago US Senate again rejects Republican plan to end government shutdown

Eighth Senate vote fails on 49-45 tally as Congress remains deadlocked on legislation amid now two-week shutdownUS politics live – latest updatesCongress remained deadlocked on legislation to reopen the federal government, as the US Senate on Tuesday again rejected a Republican plan to end the government shutdown that began two weeks ago.The eighth Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would fund government operations through 21 November failed on a 49-45 tally – far short of the 60 needed for advancement in the chamber. In a sign that that there has been little if any progress toward ending the stalemate, no senators changed their votes from the last time the measure was brought to the floor, though there were a handful of absences. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Guaranteed Māori seats on New Zealand councils to be slashed by more than half

Controversial law change that forced councils to put the fate of Māori wards to a public vote saw 25 vote to disestablish the guaranteed seatsThe number of guaranteed seats for Māori representatives on New Zealand councils will be slashed by more than half, following a controversial law change that forced local governments to put the fate of hard-won Māori seats to a public vote.Māori wards, which may have one or more councillors depending on local population numbers, were established in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the option to vote for a guaranteed Māori representative in local and regional authorities. Initially, councils could only establish a Māori ward by first putting it to a public vote in their area. Communities often spent years generating local support and pushing their councils to create Māori wards. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Republican and Democratic senators dig in heels over government shutdown

Lindsey Graham says closure won’t push him to meet Democrats’ demands on Obama-era healthcare subsidiesRepublican and Democratic senators Lindsey Graham and Mark Kelly have dug their heels in over the government shutdown – which is now approaching two weeks, with the former saying that the closure won’t push him to meet Democrats’ demands for a restoration of Obama-era healthcare subsidies.Graham said on NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday that he was in favor of the Senate voting to reopen the government and prepared to “have a rational discussion” with Democrats – but not with the government shut down. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Senate still deadlocked over shutdown as Trump reiterates threat to Democrats

Seventh round of votes fails to yield breakthrough while president threatens to cut funds for ‘Democrat programs’ The US Senate remained deadlocked on legislation to end the government shutdown on Thursday, as Donald Trump reiterated his threat to make Democrats pay for the funding lapse that has closed federal agencies and furloughed workers nationwide.The Senate took its seventh round of votes on competing Democratic and Republican proposals to restart the funding, but neither won enough bipartisan support to clear the 60-vote threshold for advancement in the chamber. In a sign that neither party had budged from its demands, no senators changed their votes from when the bills were last considered in recent days. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Indiana Republican senator rips Biden for 2020 census, calling it a ‘fraud.’ Trump was president

Republican senator blamed the Biden administration for using a statistical decision that was enacted under the first Trump administration

Politics

9 d. ago Republican senators keep telling Pam Bondi that Biden ‘tapped’ their phones. Here’s what really happened

‘Arctic Frost’ investigation sought call logs from senators immediately before and after January 6

Politics

9 d. ago Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act as Bondi faces Senate – US politics live

Legal wrangles over troop deployments continue with attorney general also likely to face questions over Epstein filesThe US government shutdown entered its second week as the Senate again rejected rival bills to restart funding and Donald Trump suggested he might be open to negotiating with Democrats over the healthcare subsidies they have put at the heart of the stalemate.A fifth Senate vote to advance a Republican-written bill that would reopen the government failed on a 52-42 tally – well below the 60-vote threshold needed for advancement. The Democrats’ proposal was defeated in a 50-45 party-line vote. No lawmakers changed their votes from recent days, though there were a handful of absences.A career federal prosecutor in Virginia has told colleagues she does not believe there is probable cause to file criminal mortgage fraud charges against New York attorney general Letitia James, according to a person familiar with the matter. The prosecutor, Elizabeth Yusi, oversees major cri...

Politics

2 w. ago US government shutdown live: Republican stopgap funding bill fails in Senate as White House to hold press briefing on shutdown

Senate votes 55-45 against Republican bill with three Democrats crossing party lines to support measure; Karoline Leavitt to give press briefingUS government shuts downTracker: how each US senator votedThis shutdown is expected to be worse than previous ones. The impact on federal workers could be even more severe.Before Trump’s most recent threat of mass layoffs on Tuesday, a memo released last week by the White House’s office of management and budget told agencies not just to prepare for temporary furloughs but for permanent layoffs in the event of a shutdown. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Trump gets backlash from Republican doctors in the Senate over his autism and Tylenol claims

‘I don't want mothers to sit around and blame themselves that if they took Tylenol and they have an autistic child, that they are to blame,’ one elected GOP physician told The Independent.

Politics

2 w. ago US government shutdown live: Trump’s White House orders shut down after Senate fails to pass funding bill

The US federal government has shut down after a Republican funding bill failed in the Senate on Tuesday evening

Events

2 w. ago Trump’s White House orders government agencies shut down as Senate fails to pass stopgap funding bill: Live updates

The government has shut down after a Republican funding bill failed in the Senate Tuesday evening

Politics

2 w. ago Senate Democrats vote down Republican bill to keep funding the government putting it on path to shutdown

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries get their caucus to hold fast against a continuing resolution written by Republicans

Politics

2 w. ago Trump talks with Democrats fail to yield breakthrough as US shutdown nears

Democrats strike optimistic tone after high-stakes meeting but Republicans accuse rivals of ‘hostage-taking’A high-stakes meeting between Donald Trump and top congressional Democrats on Monday resulted in no apparent breakthrough in negotiations to keep the government open, with JD Vance declaring afterwards: “I think we are headed into a shutdown.”Democrats, who are refusing to support the GOP’s legislation to continue funding beyond Tuesday unless it includes several healthcare provisions, struck a more optimistic tone following the Oval Office encounter, which also included the Republican leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Split emerges among Republican senators on Trump’s targeting of media in wake of Jimmy Kimmel furor

Rand Paul says FCC move ‘inappropriate’ while fellow Republican senator admits she’s evolving away from support for unfettered free speech protections

Politics

3 w. ago Ted Cruz compares threats to ABC by FCC chair to those of mob boss

Texas senator says Brendan Carr’s threats to revoke licenses amid Jimmy Kimmel suspension ‘right out of Goodfellas’ Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, compared Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr’s threats to revoke the broadcast licenses of ABC stations over late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s commentary to “mafioso” tactics similar to those in Goodfellas, the 1990 mobster movie.“Look, Jimmy Kimmel has been canned. He has been suspended indefinitely. I think that it a fantastic thing,” Cruz said at the start of the latest episode of his podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz. There were, however “first amendment implications” of the FCC’s role, the senator, a Harvard Law School graduate who clerked for US supreme court chief justice William Rehnquist, added. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago US nears government shutdown after Democrats oppose Republican bill that ‘guts healthcare’

Republican-controlled House approved bill but chances of passing Senate are slim as Democrats take a stand against Trump’s healthcare policiesUS politics live – latest updatesThe US federal government drew closer to a shutdown on Friday, after Democrats opposed a Republican-backed measure that would extend funding for another two months, saying it did not include provisions to protect healthcare programs.The Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved the spending bill on a near party line vote, with only Maine Democrat Jared Golden breaking with his party to vote in favor. The Senate will consider the measure later in the day, but its chances of passage are slim, since it will need at least some Democratic support to clear the 60-vote threshold to overcome the filibuster. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Trump accuses Biden of ‘trying to put Charlie Kirk out of business’ with Turning Point investigation

Turning Point USA was one of 92 Republican entities investigated by the FBI, according to Senator Chuck Grassley

Politics