GOP ready to pounce on Harris policy pivots

Vice President Harris’s quick pivot to her White House bid has prompted an about-face on multiple key issues that could affect outcomes in battleground states, handing former President Trump and Republicans a prime attack line.

In the roughly one week since Harris replaced President Biden as the probable Democratic nominee, her campaign has moved to distance her from a series of positions she took when she was a candidate in the 2020 presidential primary.

She no long...

Behind hoopla, Democrats anxious about Harris

Behind the public jubilation over Vice President Harris’s swift rise to become their party’s likely nominee for president, Democratic lawmakers are privately anxious about her prospects of defeating former President Trump, acknowledging that she is largely untested as a candidate and faces serious challenges.

The anxiety, for the most part, has been set aside out of a deep sense of relief that President Biden decided to drop his reelection bid. After months of unease over the ...

Sanders, holding back endorsement, seeks influence with Harris

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has held off from officially endorsing Vice President Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee, and he is seeking to help shape the focus of her campaign and her agenda if she is elected.

Sources close to Sanders say he has no intention of challenging Harris, who is on a glidepath to winning the nomination after President Biden’s decision to not seek reelection.

Harris has seen no significant opponent line up to challenge her, and a b...

GOP plots big Trump agenda despite past missteps

Senate Republicans hoping to win full control of Congress and the White House are crafting an ambitious legislative package that would go far beyond extending former President Trump's tax cuts.

The legislation, being cobbled together for budget reconciliation rules that would sidestep a Senate filibuster, would need to win the support of most or all elected Republicans to become law. That could be a difficult prospect, especially in a narrow majority. 

Both part...

Trump’s endorsement puts Larry Hogan in a political bind

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is having to navigate tricky political terrain after Donald Trump endorsed him in the state’s Senate race — arguably a liability for a Republican in the deep-blue state.

Trump told Fox News last week that he would like to see Hogan win, despite the former governor having emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics over the last several years.

Hogan has already taken steps to distance himself from Trump since then, including r...

Sanders calls for investigation into birth control insurance coverage

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is calling on a government watchdog to investigate why some health insurance plans are charging women for contraception, in violation of federal law that requires it to be free. 

In all 50 states, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) guarantees coverage of women’s preventive services, including all birth control methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration. 

But in a letter sent Monday to the Government Accountability Office, Sa...

McConnell seeks big influence over Trump-era GOP

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is planning to have a major influence over Republican policymaking even after he steps down as party leader at the end of the year and is working behind the scenes to lay out an agenda for his party if it wins unified control of government.

Senate Republicans say McConnell is building the groundwork for a big budget reconciliation package that would extend the Trump-era tax cuts and provide a major boost for defense spending.

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Warren endorses Bowman in contentious NY primary

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has endorsed Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) amid a contentious primary he faces to keep his seat, Bowman's campaign announced in a press release.

"Corporate interests are spending millions against Congressman Jamaal Bowman because he's fighting hard to deliver good jobs, quality education, Medicare for All, and a Green New Deal," Warren said in the release.

The race between Bowman and Westchester County Executive George Latimer for the De...

GOP senators amused as Ted Cruz seeks to move bill: ‘The foot’s on the other hand’

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has become the subject of much bemusement among his Senate GOP colleagues as he has taken a detour from his role as a conservative rabble-rouser to playing the lead on reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

The Texas senator, long-known for stirring up trouble for leadership, has suddenly gone in the reverse as he has prodded Republicans against gumming up the works for the last must-pass bill in Congress for months. 

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