Politics

House GOP leaders’ daily government shutdown press conference briefly descended into chaos on Wednesday when a Democratic lawmaker interrupted the event. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., a moderate Democrat, shared a heated exchange with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after crashing his remarks outside the U.S. Capitol while demanding he meet with her caucus to end the shutdown. Johnson told her, ‘You should respect free speech,’ to which Houlahan responded, ‘You should respect free speech.’ ‘I’m asking...

Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to win the Virginia governor’s race, tallying significant leads among reliable Democratic groups while capitalizing on economic worries and the deep unpopularity of President Donald Trump in the state. Spanberger will be the first woman to hold the office in the Old Dominion State. The former Virginia congresswoman replaces term-limited Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who was the first Republican to win a statewide election in Virginia in 12...

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday morning that the ongoing government shutdown was partly to blame for Republican losses on Election Day. Trump told reporters during a breakfast with GOP lawmakers at the White House that election night on Tuesday ‘was not expected to be a victory,’ saying the 36-day government shutdown was one of two possible reasons. ‘I think, if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor,’ Trump said. ‘Negative for...

President Donald Trump compared Democrats to Japanese kamikaze pilots who conducted suicide missions during World War II, amid the ongoing government shutdown. Trump’s remarks come on the heels of his Asia trip, where he visited Japan, as the government shutdown has lasted for 36 days – marking the longest one in U.S. history. ‘I think they’re kamikaze pilots,’ Trump told Republican senators at a breakfast at the White House on Wednesday. ‘I just got back...

New York City socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani cruised to victory on Tuesday night, defying the laundry list of critics who railed against him over several high-profile controversial stances and statements. Communist label Mamdani dismissed the ‘communist’ label throughout the campaign, maintaining that he is a democratic socialist. His past comments promoting the abolition of private property, seizing the means of production, claiming billionaires shouldn’t exist, and calling for free government programs earned him the communist...

The most consequential moments of the Trump–Xi summit last week did not occur at South Korea’s Gimhae International Airport. Statements about ‘stabilizing relations’ and ‘reducing tensions’ were predictable, almost perfunctory.  The real story unfolded in the weeks leading up to the summit – in the choreography, the pageantry and the unmistakable assertion of American power across the Indo-Pacific. By the time Xi Jinping sat across from Donald Trump, he was meeting a U.S. president who had already recommitted to America’s military preeminence in the region, reaffirmed its alliances, and reminded Beijing that the United States remains the indispensable Pacific power. In the days before the summit, Trump delivered a series of moves...

Senate Democrats are trying to figure out their exit strategy from the ongoing government shutdown as lawmakers on both sides remain cautiously optimistic that the end is near. At hand are offers Senate Republicans have made since nearly the beginning of the shutdown, which crept into record-breaking territory Tuesday night. Among the options Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus mulled were a vote on expiring Obamacare subsidies, attaching a host of spending...

: The House GOP’s campaign arm is wasting no time in linking New York City’s democratic socialist mayor-elect to congressional Democrats facing challenging re-elections in next year’s midterm elections. Hours after Zohran Mamdani’s election victory in New York City’s mayoral election, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Wednesday launched a digital ad spotlighting him, which is running in nearly 50 competitive House districts. ‘A radical left earthquake just hit America. The epicenter: New York,’...

Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to win the Virginia governor’s race, tallying significant leads among reliable Democratic groups while capitalizing on economic worries and the deep unpopularity of President Donald Trump in the state. Spanberger will be the first woman to hold the office in the Old Dominion State. The former Virginia congresswoman replaces term-limited Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who was the first Republican to win a statewide election in Virginia in 12...

U.S. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Tuesday lauded South Korea’s plans to boost its military spending and take on a larger role in defending itself from North Korea’s aggression. The U.S. has wanted South Korea to increase its conventional defense capabilities so that Washington can center its attention on China. Hegseth spoke to reporters after annual security talks with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul, where he said he was ‘greatly encouraged’ by...