WASHINGTON — Seventy years ago, before Medicare existed to inspire "Medicare for All," a Democratic president wrestled with a challenge strikingly similar to what the party's White House hopefuls face today on the issue of health care. Harry Truman, then in his fourth year of pressing for a national health...
Trump Vows to Act After Mass Shootings, But Gives Scant Details
President Donald Trump on Monday condemned weekend shootings in Texas and Ohio as barbaric crimes "against all humanity" and called for bipartisan cooperation to respond to an epidemic of gun violence. Trump said he wants legislation providing "strong background checks" for gun users, but he provided scant details and has...
E-Cigarette Giant Juul's Campaign Donations Favor Democrats
WASHINGTON — E-cigarette giant Juul Labs gave nearly $100,000 to members of Congress during the first half of 2019 as the company faced the bulk of the blame for a surge of underage vaping and calls for tighter government regulation of the industry. The donations from Juul's political action committee...
Trump Administration, Democrats Make Progress on New NAFTA
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats appear to be moving from "no way" to "maybe" on President Donald Trump's rewrite of a trade pact with Canada and Mexico. House Democrats have met four times with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, most recently on Friday, and both sides say they are making progress...
What Comes After Mueller? Investigations, Lawsuits and More
WASHINGTON — After months of anticipation, Congress finally heard testimony from former special counsel Robert Mueller. So what now? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Mueller's appearance was "a crossing of a threshold," raising public awareness of what Mueller found. And Democrats after the hearing said they had clearly laid out the facts...
Questions for Mueller From the Left and the Right
What should the members of Congress ask former special counsel Robert Mueller when he testifies in front of two House committees Wednesday? A pair of columnists, writing for InsideSources.com, answer that question from two political points of view. Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for Public Citizen, views the task...
Trump vs. Democrats: 'Racist' and 'Socialist' Lines Drawn for 2020
WASHINGTON — With tweets and a vote, President Donald Trump and House Democrats established the sharp and emotionally raw contours of the 2020 election campaigns. In the process, they have created a fraught political frame: "racists" vs. "socialists." Trump's aggressive condemnation of women of color in Congress has allowed House...
Facebook's New Currency Plan Is Under Scrutiny in Congress
WASHINGTON — Facebook's ambitious plan to create a financial eco-system based on a digital currency faces questions from lawmakers, as it's shadowed by negative comments from President Donald Trump, his treasury secretary and the head of the Federal Reserve. Congress begins two days of hearings Tuesday on the currency planned by Facebook,...
Costa 'Disappointed' By Soria's Challenge of His House Seat
Esmeralda Soria officially revealed a poorly kept secret — she is running for Congress against fellow Democrat Jim Costa. Soria made the announcement Thursday with a three-minute video on Facebook. “I am humbled by the overwhelming local support, as I stand up and step up for my family and community,"...
Fed Chairman Signals That Rate Cut Could Happen Soon
WASHINGTON — Chairman Jerome Powell signaled Wednesday that the Federal Reserve is likely to cut interest rates late this month for the first time in a decade in light of a weakening global economy and rising trade tensions. Delivering the central bank's semiannual report to Congress, Powell said that since...