WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said the odds congressional negotiators will craft a deal to end his border wall standoff with Congress are "less than 50-50." As hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers prepared to return to work, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he doesn't think the...
The Address That Wasn’t: A State of the Union Quiz
For the first time, a presidential State of the Union address is being rescheduled due to partisan politics. It’s the latest chapter in a tradition that stretches to the closing days of the 18th century. How much do you know about the State of the Union speech? Take the quiz...
King's Speech Inspires Writer to Break Silence on Palestine
One year before his assassination in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King took a strong, public stand against the Vietnam war. NY Times opinion writer Michelle Alexander says most of King's closest advisors advised him to stay silent on the topic or soften his criticism. "They knew that if he told...
Time for Congress to Curb the Powers of the President: Zakaria
NEW YORK -- Watching the struggle over funding for a border wall, I am struck by the way in which, in one sense, Donald Trump has already achieved success. He has been able to conjure up a crisis out of thin air, elevate this manufactured emergency to national attention, paralyze...
In First House Speech, Cox Calls for End to Federal Shutdown
Payday will come Friday without any checks for about 800,000 federal employees affected by the government shutdown, forcing workers to scale back spending, cancel trips, apply for unemployment benefits and take out loans to stay afloat. On Thursday, Rep. TJ Cox (D-Fresno) used the impact of the shutdown as the...
Trump Threatens Emergency Declaration Ahead of Border Visit
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to declare a national emergency to circumvent Congress if he can't reach a deal with Democrats to fund his promised border wall. He headed to the U.S.-Mexico border to draw further attention to his case after negotiations with lawmakers blew up. The...
Senate Republicans Target Boycott Movement in $38B Israel Defense Funding Bill
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans' first bill of the new Congress aims to insert the legislative branch into President Donald Trump's Middle East policy — but also tries to drive a wedge between centrist and liberal Democrats over attitudes toward Israel. Among other provisions, the bipartisan package, backed by Senate Majority...
Trump Answers Romney Criticism: ‘I Won Big, and He Didn’t’
WASHINGTON — Faced with biting public criticism from Republican Sen.-elect Mitt Romney, President Donald Trump pushed back Wednesday, reminding him that "I won big, and he didn't." Days away from joining the Senate's Republican majority, Romney broadly criticized Trump's policies and character in a newspaper column, arguing that the president...
Trump-Pelosi Showdown Over Shutdown First Battle of New Era
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nancy Pelosi often quotes Abraham Lincoln saying public sentiment is everything. It's a theory that will be put to the test when the new House Democratic majority gavels in this week and votes to end the government shutdown without money for President Donald Trump's border wall with...
Trump Hangs Tough as Partial Government Shutdown Continues
WASHINGTON — Christmas has come and gone but the partial government shutdown is just getting started. Wednesday brings the first full business day after several government departments and agencies closed up over the weekend due to a budgetary stalemate between President Donald Trump and Congress. And there is no end...