Author
Independent immigration court system advocated in U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — An immigration judge and lawyer told a U.S. Senate Judiciary panel on Wednesday that an independent immigration court would help ease a backlog of more than 2 million pending cases. Because the immigration court system is an arm of the U.S. Justice Department — the Executive Office for Immigration Review — each presidential […]
U.S. House stalled again after rejecting Jim Jordan as speaker a second time
WASHINGTON — Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in his second bid for U.S. House speaker on Wednesday failed to win enough support from his fellow Republicans, leaving the party deadlocked with no clear path to govern the chamber. Jordan’s 200 votes on a first ballot on Tuesday dropped Wednesday to 199, a signal from centrist Republicans […]
Ohio’s Jim Jordan fails in bid for U.S. House speaker, leaving chamber paralyzed again
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House rejected Ohio’s Jim Jordan as a candidate for speaker on Tuesday in the first round of voting, though the chamber was expected to potentially conduct additional votes on Jordan’s bid later in the day. Jordan, co-founder of the far-right Freedom Caucus and one of the lawmakers who bolstered former President […]
Jim Jordan gains support as vote nears for U.S. House speaker, but outcome still in doubt
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan swayed several Republican opponents to his side Monday, moving the Ohio Republican closer to the speaker’s gavel ahead of a crucial Tuesday afternoon vote. Jordan, who has been a polarizing figure in American politics for much of his time in Congress, will need the backing of nearly all the […]
There’s still no speaker of the U.S. House. Could Patrick McHenry be the solution?
WASHINGTON — With U.S Rep. Steve Scalise ending his bid for House speaker Thursday, a push began among some in the House GOP to give Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry of North Carolina more legislative authority, especially with the White House preparing to send Congress a supplemental funding request to help Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and […]
Scalise drops out of race for U.S. House speaker
WASHINGTON — Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise withdrew from the race for U.S. House speaker on Thursday evening, just one day after his colleagues nominated him for the role. “Our conference still has to come together and it’s not there,” Scalise told reporters. “I was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas […]
Scalise nominated by U.S. House GOP as speaker in closed-door meeting
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans elected Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise as their nominee for speaker Wednesday following a secret ballot vote in a closed-door conference, according to Republicans leaving the meeting. “We need to make sure we’re sending a message to people all throughout the world, and that the House is open and doing the […]
Race for U.S. House speaker moves toward a vote as Scalise, Jordan make their pitches
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans gathered behind closed doors for several hours Tuesday evening to debate who the party should elect as the next speaker amid divided views about the path forward. The two-hour forum featured House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan making their cases and answering questions from their […]
McCarthy may jump into U.S. House speaker race, as crises overseas mount
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans will gather behind closed doors beginning Monday night in an attempt to decide who should become the chamber’s next speaker, a race with a renewed sense of urgency with ally Israel now at war and the House in paralysis. Louisiana’s Steve Scalise and Ohio’s Jim Jordan are the only candidates […]
First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans
WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]
White House provides another $9 billion in student debt relief as pandemic pause ends
WASHINGTON — As federal student loan repayments restart, the Biden administration Wednesday announced an additional $9 billion in student loan forgiveness for 125,000 borrowers. “For years, millions of eligible borrowers were unable to access the student debt relief they qualified for, but that’s all changed thanks to President Biden and this Administration’s relentless efforts to […]
U.S. House votes to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker
WASHINGTON — Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. It wasn’t immediately clear after the vote how the […]