An explosive ProPublica investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' ties to a billionaire GOP donor has triggered a furious response from Democrats, sparking calls for resignation, impeachment and sweeping reforms to the nation's highest court.
Driving the news: For over two decades, the conservative justice has accepted luxury trips virtually every year from Dallas real estate magnate Harlan Crow without disclosing them, according to flight records, internal documents and interviews with staff.
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is accusing Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) of misrepresenting his investigation into the Biden family and refusing to share information — including a copy of the Hunter Biden laptop hard drive.
Why it matters: Comer has made allegations of influence peddling by the Biden family a focus of the committee and has publicly touted hearing from four critical witnesses. Top Democrats are now questioning his claims.
Families of gun violence victims can't get the gun control they've been fighting for. But they are winning in court.
Driving the news: Victims of the 2017 Sutherland Springs, Texas shooting settled with the Department of Justice for $144.5 million on Wednesday. That's the latest multimillion-dollar settlement awarded to families as mass shootings are an increasingly prevalent part of life in the U.S.
The Supreme Court has rejected West Virginia's bid to enforce a transgender athlete ban against a 12-year-old girl.
Driving the news: The court issued the rejection on Thursday in an unsigned order that did not provide details behind the decision.
Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Clarence Thomas, dissented from the rest, saying they would have granted West Virginia's petition to enforce the law against the transgender athlete.
The U.S. acknowledged its evacuations from Afghanistan in 2021 should have begun sooner — but largely blamed the Trump administration, according to a newly releasedNational Security Council document outlining key moments.
Seeking asylum in the United States is a codified right — but immigrant advocates say it's been severely restricted.
The big picture: A string of policies aimed at reducing irregular migration, both by President Trump and now President Biden, have made it much harder for people fleeing persecution to seek safety in the U.S. if they come through the southern border.
The effects of climate change, violence, political instability and economic strife across Latin America and the Caribbean are forcing millions of people to migrate.
The big picture: Not only are more people coming to the U.S., they're also migrating more within Latin America and beyond the cities that have long drawn migrants.
Migrants are increasinglymaking treacherous journeys from faraway nations to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, including from China, India and Russia.
Why it matters: This has complicated an already chaotic situation at the border, with authorities now contending with new language barriers and countries that do not cooperate with U.S. deportation efforts.
Migration through the Americas has radically changed over the past decade, yet U.S. immigration lawsremain stuck in the last century, with a patchwork of policies to address a growing humanitarian crisis at the southern border.
Driving the news: On May 11, the Biden administration is expected to end the Title 42 pandemic policy, which has allowed immigration authorities to rapidly turn back hundreds of thousands ofpeople without giving them a chance for asylum.
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Thursday subpoenaed Mark Pomerantz, a former New York prosecutor who resigned in protest of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s initial unwillingness to pursue charges against former President Trump.
Why it matters: The subpoena represents a major escalation in the House GOP’s investigation into Bragg’s prosecution of Trump over an alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Permanently moving to the U.S. was once as easy as getting on a ship or strolling across a border.
Today,mostlawful means of entering the country take years because of overwhelmed immigration agencies,rising levels of global migration and a limit on the number of certain visas, all of which have culminated in amassivebacklog of people trying to get to the U.S.
Nearly three decades old, HIPAA appears obsolete and riddled with new technology-induced gaps.
Why it matters: With regulators unable and politicians unwilling to address the shortcomings of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, private companies are offering a fix.
A ProPublica investigation alleging Justice Clarence Thomas accepted luxury trips from an influential Republican megadonor is fueling calls for strict ethics guidelines on the Supreme Court.
Why it matters: Recent controversies involving big donors and chummy D.C. friendships have put a harsh spotlight on the high court as public trust in the institution falls to historic lows.
Big progressive wins in Wisconsin and Chicago elections this week show the staying power of left-wing positions on abortion and crime as issues heading into 2024.
Why it matters: After Democrats became the surprise winners of the 2022 midterms, the twin Midwest results Tuesday in widely watched mayoral and state Supreme Court races showed how the party could energize its base.
House Democrats who attended a GOP-led meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen believe it bodes well for the possibility of bipartisan work in the coming months.
Why it matters: It's a rare moment of cross-party praise for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as he prepares for efforts to fund the government, avert default on U.S. debt and potentially provide more aid to Ukraine.
Six hours after a New York judge warned former President Trump he could be penalized for any remarks that endangered others, Trump stepped to a microphone in Florida — and practically dared the judge to do just that.
"I have a Trump-hating judge," Trump said in a barrage of insults aimed at Judge Juan Merchan, the judge's family, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and more.
Street homelessness in the U.S. has increased by 25% since 2017,and most major metros don't have enough or the right kind of shelter to accommodate people living outside.
State of play: Only 181,786 emergency shelter beds were available for an estimated 421,392 individuals experiencing homelessness nationwide as of January 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Idaho could be at the center of a free speech battle over abortion care.
Driving the news: The American Civil Liberties Union announced Wednesday that it's suing the Idaho Attorney General for "threatening health care providers who exercise their First Amendment right to give patients information about out-of-state abortion care."
China's embassy in Washington, D.C., warned members of Congress in an email to not meet with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday, calling the prospect "a blatant provocation."
Driving the news: The four-page email, sent Tuesday from Li Xiang, the embassy's liaison to Congress, warned of consequences if the meetings between lawmakers and Tsai took place.
