WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders continued to blame the other party for the U.S. government shutdown as President Donald Trump doubled down on his threats to use the stalemate, now in its ninth day, to make sweeping cuts to Democratic priorities and the federal bureaucracy.

There was no sign of progress as government workers and military ...Read more

NEW YORK — Brooklyn City Councilman Chi Osse is shooting down rumors that he will mount a Democratic primary challenge to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries in next year’s midterm elections.

The progressive ally of mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani refuted a report claiming he has privately discussed an insurgent run against Jeffries, who has so far ...Read more

ATLANTA — A state agency will have some extra time to select a prosecutor to replace Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on the election interference case, but not as much as the council’s head had wanted.

On Wednesday, Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said he’d give the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia until ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Sidelined by political appointees, targeted over deep state conspiracies and derided by the president, career public servants have grown used to life in Washington under a constant state of assault.

But President Donald Trump's latest threat, to withhold back pay due to workers furloughed by an ongoing government shutdown, is ...Read more

CHICAGO — Lawyers for the Trump administration argued in a filing late Wednesday that escalating violence against immigration officials during the ongoing “Operation Midway Blitz” enforcement actions justify the deployment of National Guard troops to protect against “a danger of a rebellion against federal authority” that impedes “...Read more

The Red Mass, a long-standing tradition marking the start of the U.S. Supreme Court’s term, brings judges, lawyers and public officials together at Washington’s St. Matthew’s Cathedral to pray for wisdom and moral clarity in the administration of justice.

Since the 1950s, this ecumenical service — welcoming for people of all faiths and ...Read more

I once held what seemed to be a perfectly rational belief: that even the staunchest supporters of President Donald Trump would change their minds once his incompetence and hatred directly affected them. That logic tracked with the dominant narrative of the last decade, going back to when pundits first claimed that Trump supporters were motivated...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump instructed members of his Cabinet to move to declare antifa a foreign terrorist organization at an event that highlighted his efforts to crack down on the loose collective of far left-wing groups.

“I think it’s the kind of thing I’d like to do,” Trump said Wednesday at the White House in response to...Read more

WASHINGTON — Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who rose to national prominence after his expulsion from the state House over a gun control protest launched a bid for Congress on Wednesday, challenging longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen.

Pearson’s announcement is part of a larger trend of younger Democrats around the nation challenging ...Read more

WASHINGTON — As the government shutdown entered its second week, Democratic lawmakers insisted the tide is shifting toward a deal as some hard-line Republicans express support for extending health insurance subsidies, despite blanket opposition from Republican leadership to any agreement in advance of reopening the government.

Ending the ...Read more

New York Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries and Mike Lawler got into a shouting match Wednesday during a testy exchange over the ongoing government shutdown.

Lawler, a Republican, confronted the House minority leader after a news conference about Affordable Care Act subsidies, a sticking point in negotiations between the two sides.

Lawler asked ...Read more

WASHINGTON — It was noon on Wednesday and the House side of the Capitol was almost deserted. Save for the remaining staff and journalists roaming the halls, it was a shell of its typical self in the middle of what was supposed to be a congressional work week.

But here and there, scattered groups of House Democrats wandered around, drawing ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will undergo a physical exam on Friday following mounting questions about his health prompted by noticeable bruising and swelling in recent months.

“On Friday morning, President Trump will visit Walter Reed Medical Center for a planned meeting and remarks with the troops. While there, President Trump will...Read more

WASHINGTON — Chicago is emerging as the latest testing ground for President Trump’s domestic deployment of military force as hundreds of National Guard troops were expected to descend on the city.

The president said Wednesday that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should be jailed for failing to support federal ...Read more

An attorney for veteran downstate Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost told the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that Illinois’ post-election mail-in ballot-counting law created the potential for reputational and financial harm to the congressman and he should be allowed to sue to try to overturn it.

But a lawyer for the state of Illinois argued ...Read more

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of Anton “Tony” Lazzaro, the formerly well-connected Republican donor convicted of giving teenage girls gifts, alcohol and money in exchange for sex.

On Monday, the high court turned away Lazzaro with no comment. In February, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also denied his appeal.

In ...Read more

President Donald Trump is targeting U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal again after Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator grilled U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing.

Trump called for an investigation in a Truth Social post into long-discussed allegations that Blumenthal lied about his ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is challenging President Donald Trump's grip on the state's National Guard, telling a federal court the White House used claims of unrest in Los Angeles as a pretext for a deployment that has since expanded nationwide — including now sending troops to Illinois.

The Trump administration deployed 14 soldiers ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Former Illinois Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who pleaded guilty to misusing campaign funds and served time in federal prison, announced a comeback bid Wednesday, entering the Democratic primary for the 2nd District.

He joins a crowded field seeking the seat being vacated by Rep. Robin Kelly, his successor in Congress who is running...Read more