Republican opposition to President Donald Trump’s deal with Democrats to end the partial U.S. government shutdown began to crumble late Monday despite the ongoing a standoff over the administration’s immigration crackdown.

Trump implored House Republicans in a social media post to pass the spending measure “IMMEDIATELY!” He told ...Read more

President Donald Trump defended his plan to shut down the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for two years, calling it necessary to complete a $200 million renovation that includes the installation of a new Carrier Global Corp. air conditioning system.

“It’s in very bad shape. It’s run-down. It’s dilapidated, sort of ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Bill and Hillary Clinton agreed Monday to appear for depositions as part of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s investigation of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the House took steps to vote on contempt of Congress measures this week.

Attorneys for the Clintons informed the committee they accept terms...Read more

U.S. President Donald Trump said he anticipated talks with Iran over a new nuclear deal in the coming days, building on a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at averting war between the two countries.

“We have ships heading to Iran right now, big ones, biggest and the best, and we have talks going on with Iran,” Trump told reporters Monday...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Monday that the federal government should “nationalize” elections, repeating — without evidence — his long-running claim that U.S. elections are beset by widespread fraud.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, Trump said Republicans should “take over the voting in ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson is hanging on to his GOP majority by a thread as he faces tough maneuverings to fund the government after parts of it shut down over the weekend.

House Republicans’ already slim margin dropped by another seat Monday night after the swearing-in of Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee, who won Texas’ blue 18th...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called on Republicans to seize control of election processes from individual states, signaling that he may push for drastic measures to change the dynamics of the midterm elections.

“Amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it,” Trump said in an interview Monday with former FBI official Dan ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Local advocates in Washington, D.C., are pushing back against Congress’ latest attempt to block a local law, this time related to the District’s taxes.

The House is preparing to vote on a disapproval resolution this week sponsored by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas. It would reverse a recent measure passed by the D.C. Council that...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s only February, but Minnesota is gearing up for a 2026 election that could reshape leadership of the state, and potential voters have their first formal chance to air their opinions Tuesday at the parties’ precinct caucuses.

The caucuses come at a time when Minnesota is in the spotlight over federal immigration ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The push to force the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files appears nowhere near settled on Capitol Hill after the Justice Department’s latest document drop, with lawmakers requesting meetings and seeking to gain further access to the documents.

The skepticism from Capitol Hill underscores a loss of faith from lawmakers ...Read more

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing the latest policy requiring a seven-day notice period for members of Congress to make oversight visits at immigration detention facilities.

Judge Jia M. Cobb of the District Court of the District of Columbia issued the temporary restraining order Monday on ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson will try to clear a $1.2 trillion spending package in the House this week despite mounting Democratic opposition and fractures within his own GOP conference.

The five-bill fiscal 2026 package, which passed the Senate on Friday, punts on full-year funding for the Homeland Security Department as lawmakers try ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — According to President Donald Trump, the 68th Grammy Awards on Sunday were “virtually unwatchable.” Still, he watched enough to take issue with comedian Trevor Noah’s latest turn as the ceremony’s host.

Trump, in a Sunday night post to his social media platform, said he intends to sue the comedian and former “Daily ...Read more

A federal judge again ordered authorities to grant two Colorado congressmen and their colleagues unannounced access to immigration detention centers Monday.

The ruling is the latest blow to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s monthslong effort to slow congressional oversight of the facilities.

The temporary restraining order applied ...Read more

The murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, followed by the victim-blaming slanders from Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller, may finally have exhausted the public’s patience with the Trump administration.

We can only hope.

It bears remembering that, aside from the agents themselves, the crimes of ICE are the responsibility of amoral politicians ...Read more

Iran said talks with the U.S. over a new nuclear deal could get underway in the coming days, building on a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at averting war between the two sides.

President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the start of negotiations with Washington “within the framework of the nuclear issue,” Iran’s semi-official Fars news ...Read more

Costa Ricans elected ruling party candidate Laura Fernández in a first round landslide as her promise of a draconian crackdown on criminals appealed to voters in a nation roiled by soaring drug violence.

With 94% of ballots tallied, Fernández led with 48% of the vote, enough to avoid a runoff, and trouncing 19 other candidates. Álvaro Ramos...Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A proposed amendment that would have let adults buy and use recreational marijuana failed to qualify for Florida’s 2026 ballot, the Department of State said Sunday.

Smart & Safe Florida, the group behind the marijuana campaign, fell short of the nearly 880,000 verified signatures required, along with 21 other proposed ...Read more

Costa Ricans elected ruling party candidate Laura Fernández in a first round landslide as her promise of a draconian crackdown on criminals appealed to voters in a nation roiled by soaring drug violence.

With 94% of ballots tallied, Fernández had with 48% of the vote, enough to avoid a runoff, and trouncing 19 other candidates. Álvaro Ramos...Read more

WASHINGTON — All eyes will be on the House this week as the Republican majority seeks to bring a quick end to the partial government shutdown that began on Friday.

The House Rules Committee meets Monday afternoon to work on a rule for floor consideration of the package of five fiscal 2026 spending bills, in addition to a two-week extension of...Read more