John Hickenlooper ought to be a poster child for American capitalism. After being laid off from his job as a geologist during the oil bust of the 1980s, he and his business partners turned an empty warehouse into a thriving brewery. It launched his political career, first as a problem-solving...
House OKs Elections Overhaul, but Senate Likely to Slam Door
WASHINGTON — Newly empowered House Democrats approved a centerpiece of their agenda Friday, a sweeping plan to reduce the role of big money in politics, ensure fair elections and strengthen ethics standards. But the leader of Republican-run Senate has pledged it will not come up for a vote and the...
House Broadly Condemns Hate After Anti-Semitism Dispute
WASHINGTON — Divided in debate but mostly united in a final vote, the House passed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and other bigotry Thursday, with Democrats trying to push past a dispute that has overwhelmed their agenda and exposed fault lines that could dog them through elections next year. The one-sided...
Dems Struggle to Respond to Omar Over Israel, Bigotry
WASHINGTON — House Democrats are struggling with how to declare they are against bigotry, bias and racism after progressives challenged an effort to rebuke freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar for her remarks on Israel. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged during a closed meeting on Wednesday that her caucus faces "internal issues"...
llhan Omar’s Criticism Raises Question: Is AIPAC Too Powerful?
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg WASHINGTON — When Rep. Ilhan Omar landed a coveted seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Stephen Fiske began working the phones to Capitol Hill. Alarmed by messaging that he saw as anti-Semitic and by Omar’s support for the boycott-Israel movement, Fiske, a longtime activist with...
House Panel Opens Sweeping Probe of Trump, His Associates
WASHINGTON — Democrats launched a sweeping new probe of President Donald Trump, an aggressive investigation that threatens to shadow the president through the 2020 election season with potentially damaging inquiries into his White House, campaign and family businesses. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Monday his panel was beginning the...
House OKs Democrats' Bill Blocking Trump Emergency on Wall
WASHINGTON — Democrats ignored a veto threat and rammed legislation through the House Tuesday that would stymie President Donald Trump's bid for billions of extra dollars for his border wall, escalating a clash over whether he was abusing his powers to advance his paramount campaign pledge. The House's 245-182 vote...
House Targets Family Separations in First Trump Subpoena
WASHINGTON — A House committee voted Tuesday to subpoena Trump administration officials over family separations at the southern border, the first issued in the new Congress as Democrats have promised to hold the administration aggressively to count. The decision by the Oversight Committee will compel the heads of Justice, Homeland...
Walters: 'Ballot Harvesting' Just Latest Power Move by Politicians
Anyone who harbors the quaint notion that high-stakes politics are rational, much less ethical, should be disabused by two terms: “gerrymandering” and “ballot harvesting.” When Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in 2010 and maintained it for three subsequent election cycles, Democrats complained loudly that it was the...
House Dems Introduce Measure to Revoke Trump Border Edict
WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Friday introduced a resolution to block the national emergency declaration that President Donald Trump issued to fund his long-sought wall along the U.S-Mexico border. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., immediately announced that a vote would come on Tuesday. The move sets up a fight that...