‘Donald Trump is a symptom, not the cause’: Tim Kaine’s journey to healing

Hillary Clinton’s running mate experienced defeat by Trump. His new book documents his attempt to understand America

Jack Kemp. Joe Lieberman. John Edwards. Sarah Palin. Paul Ryan. All ran for vice-president of the United States and fell short. All had to confront the question: what next? The same fate befell Tim Kaine, whose turn as running mate to Hillary Clinton in 2016 ended in a catastrophic defeat by Donald Trump and Mike Pence. The US has not recovered, as polarisation, rancou...

Nancy Pelosi tells of ‘proud’ record as speaker in likely final press conference – as it happened

  • Outgoing House speaker praises ‘remarkable’ Joe Biden
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Nancy Pelosi has given what she suggests will be her final press conference as House speaker, telling reporters this is “maybe the last time I see you in this way”.

She’s been reflecting on some of the successes of her tenure, and paying tribute to Joe Biden and Barack Obama for most of them, fro...

Joe Biden to address inflation as Congress mulls big aid bill for Ukraine – live

It’s primary day in West Virginia and Nebraska, with votes that will test Donald Trump’s influence on Republican party

Divided States of America: Roe v Wade is ‘precursor to larger struggles’

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The president is due to speak shortly about the administration’s efforts to reduce inflation. But a significant chunk of the remarks are expected to highlight a plan by Senator ...

‘Feels like the good old days’: Joe Biden welcomes Barack Obama back to White House – as it happened

  • Former president returns to mark 12 years of Affordable Care Act
  • Confirmation week continues for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
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Ivanka Trump will testify before the January 6 committee this afternoon.

The Guardian confirmed that former president Donald Trump’s oldest daughter, and former senior White House adviser, will speak to the panel virtually.

Continu...

Senator forced to backtrack after saying Republicans will repeal Obamacare

Ron Johnson’s statement about scrapping Affordable Care Act if GOP wins control of Congress seen as open goal for Democrats

The Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson said Republicans should try again to repeal the Affordable Care Act if they take back power – then retreated, under fire from the Biden administration.

Speaking to Breitbart News, a far-right site, on Monday, Johnson said Republicans could “actually make good on what we established as our priorities” if they won control of Congress in midterms this year and the presidency in 2024.

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Harry Reid obituary

Veteran Nevada senator who shepherded and protected Obamacare on its difficult passage into law

During a long, combative career in US political life, Harry Reid, who has died aged 82, made his most telling contribution as Democrat majority leader in the Senate. There, in 2010, he pushed through and then vigorously defended President Barack Obama’s groundbreaking healthcare reforms.

Given the huge strength of Republican feeling against “Obamacare”, the president needed a streetfighter to drive his measures through to the statute book – and Reid was the man for the job. Quietly spoken but toughened by a hard early life and years spent swimming in the shark-infested waters of Nevada politics, he fought through the deeply polarised atmosphere that surrounded Obama’s health reforms to shepherd the Affordable Care Act through the Democrat-controlled Senate.

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Harry Reid, who led Senate Democrats for 12 years, dies at 82

  • Nevada senator helped to pass Obama’s Affordable Care Act
  • Reid called Trump ‘the worst president we’ve ever had’

Harry Reid, who emerged from the unforgiving political landscape of Las Vegas, Nevada, to lead the Senate Democrats for 12 turbulent years, died on Tuesday at age 82.

Reid died Tuesday, “peacefully” and surrounded by friends “following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” Landra Reid said of her husband.

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Republicans slap down Manchin’s voting rights compromise – US politics live

  • Mitch McConnell says proposal is ‘rotten to the core’
  • Manchin’s plan tries to attract bipartisan support in Senate

Christopher Staudinger reports for the Louisiana Illuminator and Floodlight, a nonprofit that partners with the Guardian:

One morning in September, word of layoffs began to spread quickly through Marathon Petroleum’s refinery in the small industrial community of Garyville, Louisiana.

Related: A US oil company cut nearly 2,000 jobs – and reaped $2.1bn in pandemic benefits

Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.

Most of the city’s attention was focused on the supreme court yesterday, as the justices dismissed a Republican challenge to the Affordable Care Act. However, there were also some significant developments on Capitol Hill.

Democrats can change the packaging, but their plan for a power-grab of America’s electoral system is still rotten to the core. My full statement: https://t.co/HLRuDSZ3lS

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Joe Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday – as it happened

  • ‘Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments,’ president says
  • ‘It is time to move forward,’ Biden says after supreme court decision
  • Supreme court votes 7-2, preserving healthcare for millions
  • House votes to repeal measure that gave Bush authority to invade Iraq
  • New York grand jury stores up trouble for Trump Organization executives

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Barr tells prosecutors to pursue ‘clear’ fraud claims, without evidence – as it happened

  • Attorney general says investigations ‘may be conducted’ in some cases
  • President announces ‘Mark Esper has been terminated’
  • Biden gets to work as president-elect while Trump refuses to concede
  • US coronavirus cases surpass 10m as Ben Carson tests positive
  • Republicans back Trump challenge to Biden election victory
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4.02am GMT

Here’s a r...