WASHINGTON — House Republicans shot down a Democratic bid on Thursday to pass President Donald Trump's longshot, end-of-session demand for $2,000 direct payments to most Americans as he ponders whether to sign a long-overdue COVID-19 relief bill. The made-for-TV clash came as the Democratic-controlled chamber convened for a pro forma...
Control of Senate at Stake as Trump’s Allies Face Democrats
WASHINGTON — Control of the Senate is a razor-close proposition in Tuesday's election, as Republicans fight to retain their majority against a surge of Democratic candidates confronting the president's allies across a vast political map. Both parties see paths to victory, and the outcome might not be known on election night....
Dems Boycott as Senate Panel Advances Barrett for Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans powered past a Democratic boycott Thursday to advance Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate, keeping President Donald Trump's pick on track for confirmation before Election Day. Democratic senators refused to show up in protest of the GOP's rush to install Trump's nominee...
Trump Camp Hopes Mideast Pacts Translate to Jewish Support
Jewish American voters have leaned Democratic for decades, but Republicans are hoping the recent steps toward normalized relations between Gulf states and Israel — which Trump vigorously touted earlier this month — bolster his appeal to Jewish voters. With battleground states like Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan collectively decided in 2016...
GOP Senators Called Trump a Kook, Narcissist, and Liar Before He Became President
The progressive digital media site act.tv launched a video compilation Friday of prominent Republicans criticizing Donald Trump before he was elected to the White House. Here is a sampling of what some Republican senators said: Rand Paul: “My concern is that he would grab up that power and really treat the...
Republicans, With Exception of Trump, Now Push Mask-Wearing
WASHINGTON — In Republican circles -- with the notable exception of the man who leads the party -- the debate about masks is over: It’s time to put one on. As a surge of infections hammers the South and West, GOP officials are pushing back against the notion that masks...
Senate GOP Proposes Policing Changes in ‘Justice Act’
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled proposed changes to police procedures and accountability Wednesday including an enhanced use-of-force database, restrictions on chokeholds and new commissions to study law enforcement and race, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press. The “Justice Act” is the most ambitious GOP policing proposal in...
Battered California Republicans See Hope in Rare House Win
LOS ANGELES — California Republicans have been waiting for a turning point and some think it's finally arrived. The party of Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan has been fading in California for years: Democrats control every statewide office, dominate the Legislature and hold all but eight of the state’s...
'No Way Out': Demographics Drive GOP Nosedive on West Coast
BEND, Ore. — In the early 1990s, the population of Bend was around 25,000 and leaned Republican. A lumber mill operated along the banks of the Deschutes River in Oregon's high-desert country. Today, the lumber mill is an REI outdoor recreation store. The population has quadrupled. And for the first...
Some Democrats Fear Fallout from Sanders Atop the Ticket
DENVER — Sen. Bernie Sanders' robust start in the race for the presidential nomination is triggering alarm among congressional Democrats, with many warning that a ticket headed by the self-declared socialist could be devastating to the party's chances of winning the Senate and holding the House in November. In anxious huddles around...