National Politics

President Donald Trump signed on Sunday evening a $900 billion pandemic relief bill into law that includes enhanced unemployment benefits and direct cash payments. The measure is the second-largest federal stimulus package after the $2 trillion CARES Act that Congress approved in March. Lawmakers passed the bill last Monday, just in time to get something

The new round of stimulus payments included in the $900 billion Covid relief package are expected to start going out this week, an administration official told CNN, while acknowledging that the timing could slide. The legislation, which President Donald Trump signed Sunday evening, provides for $600 checks to individuals who meet income limits. Experts previously

US Rep. Gwen Moore said Monday that she has tested positive for Covid-19, becoming the latest member of Congress to announce they’ve contracted the virus. The Wisconsin Democrat tweeted Monday: “I tested positive for COVID-19. I am following guidance from my doctor and am isolating from others. I am thankful to be feeling well. And

A federal appeals court on Monday blocked New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s restrictions on religious gatherings, saying the restrictions “are not narrowly tailored to stem the spread of Covid-19.” The decision comes after the US Supreme Court ruled in November that Jewish and Catholic houses of worship faced “far more restrictive” Covid-19 regulations than businesses.

Editor’s note: This story originally ran December 18, 2020. It has been updated with President Donald Trump signing relief legislation that includes stimulus checks. A second round of stimulus payments was included in a coronavirus relief package signed by President Donald Trump on Sunday night. The deal provides for $600 checks, but experts say it

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday condemned the bombing on Christmas morning in Nashville as he delivered remarks after a briefing from members of his national security and foreign policy agency review teams. The blast injured at least eight people and damaged more than 40 buildings, and the bomber was found dead. “This bombing was a

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday named a slate of digital operatives to his incoming White House staff, preparing for an administration that, at least at the outset, will conduct most of its public-facing business digitally amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The newly minted staffers named to the White House Office of Digital Strategy include a

President Donald Trump signed the massive $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and government funding bill into law Sunday night, averting a government shutdown that was set to begin on Tuesday, and extending billions of dollars in coronavirus aid to millions. Trump’s signature of the $900 billion Covid relief package extends unemployment benefits for millions of jobless

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday expressed concern that the worst may still come in America’s battle against Covid-19, agreeing with President-elect Joe Biden’s recent assessment that the “darkest days” in fighting the virus lie ahead. “And the reason I’m concerned and my colleagues in public health are concerned also is that we very well might

President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign a Covid-19 stimulus and government spending package has left small business support, jobless benefits and relief checks for millions of Americans in limbo — all while raising the prospect of a government shutdown if Trump doesn’t sign the legislation before Monday evening. Trump upended weeks of careful negotiations last

When Congress met to tally the results of the 2004 presidential election, then-Sen. Barbara Boxer stood alone on the Senate floor to object to President George W. Bush’s reelection victory in Ohio over Democrat John Kerry, forcing the House and Senate to vote for only the second time in a century on whether to reject

Republican Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign a $900 billion relief package Congress passed last week and allow critical benefits to lapse for millions of jobless Americans “shows the chaos of the whole thing.” Kinzinger is one of several members of the President’s party urging him to sign

Millions of jobless gig-workers and independent contractors, as well as long-term unemployed Americans, are set to lose their unemployment benefits after this weekend since President Donald Trump hasn’t signed the $900 billion relief package Congress passed last week. What’s more, all laid-off workers will likely lose a week of the $300 federal boost to payments

President Donald Trump’s waffling over the $900 billion Covid relief package, which he has yet to sign, is leaving his fellow Republicans in Georgia in a tough spot as they fight to maintain control of the US Senate. GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler — who are running as Trump loyalists — have touted

In early December, we fact–checked misleading attack ads from both Democrats and Republicans in the two Georgia runoff elections that will determine control of the US Senate. Since then, Republicans have run some additional misleading ads attacking both Democratic candidates, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. Here’s a breakdown of two of these ads. Warnock’s comment

Though Congress has passed a $900 billion Covid relief package, millions of Americans are in danger of losing important benefits just after the holidays if President Donald Trump continues to refuse to sign the bill. The legislation would extend two pandemic unemployment programs and provide the jobless with a $300 weekly federal boost through mid-March.

President-elect Joe Biden is leaning on familiar faces and old allies from his decades in public life as he builds an administration that will immediately confront a storm of extraordinary interlocking crises. With less than a month until the inauguration, Biden is walking a political tightrope — buffeted by competing demands from inside an increasingly

Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff each brought in more than $100 million in a two-month period, setting a blistering fundraising pace in their quest to topple two Republican incumbents in Georgia and seize control of the US Senate, new filings show. Warnock reported total receipts of more than $103 million between October 15 and

The US Postal Service has agreed to take extraordinary measures to deliver mailed ballots for Georgia’s upcoming Senate runoff elections, including treating ballots as express mail, sweeping postal facilities for ballots and making special arrangements to ensure ballots reach the state election board’s offices in a more timely manner. The plan — signed off on

The House of Representatives on Thursday failed to advance a measure that would increase direct payments to Americans under a certain income level to $2,000 — up from the $600 level passed earlier this week — bringing lawmakers back to square one as they search for a way to appease President Donald Trump’s demands. House

A second round of stimulus payments that was included in a coronavirus relief package passed by Congress Monday night is now at risk if President Donald Trump doesn’t sign the bill. The deal provided for $600 checks but the President indicated on Tuesday he would like that amount increased to $2,000 per person. House Republicans,

The chief executive officer of Dominion Voting Systems on Thursday did not rule out taking legal action against President Donald Trump as the election technology company has been the target of conspiracy theories about voter fraud after Trump’s election loss to President-elect Joe Biden. CEO John Poulos confirmed on CNN’s “New Day” that the company

The next two weeks on Capitol Hill will test the legislative branch’s ability to confront a President who Democratic and Republican aides have acknowledged is coming unmoored, lashing out at anyone — especially Republicans — who don’t do exactly what he asks. Earlier this week, Congress passed the massive coronavirus relief bill, which included up