President-elect Trump demanded Panamanian authorities either lower fees for U.S. ships to transit the Panama Canal, or return its control to the United States.
Why it matters: The U.S. ceded one of the world's most crucial pieces of infrastructure in 1999, and China has become increasingly influential in its operations since.
Congress' long-simmering debate over the age of its members has resurfaced over revelations that Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) has been living in an independent living facility in Texas.
Why it matters: The retiring former House Appropriations Committee chair's absence from votes since July has led some of her colleagues to raise concerns.
Republicans members of Congress said in Sunday show interviews that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could have a difficult battle ahead to keep his gavel.
Why it matters: Johnson can spare precious few defections on Jan. 3 given his razor-thin majority, and some Republicans are openly wishing they had a different kind of leader.
President-elect Trump suggested Sunday that he might let TikTok stick around in the U.S., boasting his success on the app.
Why it matters: The popular short-form video app could be banned in the U.S. in less than a month — but Trump, who threatened to boot the app during his first term, has suggested he'd offer TikTok a lifeline.
Republican members of Congress took to the Sunday shows to praise Trump lieutenant Elon Musk's involvement in last week's government funding saga, with one likening him to "our prime minister."
Why it matters: The tech billionaire's influence is being fueled by threats to fund electoral challenges against those who defy him, creating a powerful incentive for Republicans to go along with his demands.
PHOENIX — Five hundred fans of Charlie Kirk — the 31-year-old founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, the MAGA-verse's biggest outside group — broke into applause Saturday as Kirk welcomed former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to the stage for a taping of "The Charlie Kirk Show" podcast.
"I wish they were all members of the United States Senate," Gaetz joshed, a month after withdrawing as President-elect Trump's choice for attorney general, and with release expected imminently of a House Ethics Committee report on his conduct.
Democratic voters are far more likely to reduce time with family due to political differences compared to Republicans and independents, a new survey finds.
Why it matters: "It may be tense around the Hanukkahand Christmas table,"Robert P. Jones, president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which conducted the survey, tells Axios.
Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) compared U.S. political polarization and fatigue to family dynamics in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."
The big picture: The commentsfrom the only two ordained ministers in the Senate come as the nation grapples with a divisive post-election ideological divide.
Congress stopped the clock ticking toward a government shutdown early Saturday after the Senate followed the GOP-controlled House's lead in passing a stopgap measure that runs through March.
The latest: The resolution came after a Trump-backed plan to suspend the debt ceiling failed in the House Thursday and was nixed from the funding plan.
President Biden signed a three-month stopgap funding measure into law on Saturday after Congress acted at the last minute to avert a government funding lapse.
Why it matters: Both chambers of Congress passed the measure in a flurry of activity late Friday and into Saturday morning, capping a chaotic week on Capitol Hill that demonstrated President-elect Trump's influence over lawmakers.
Holiday travelers fretting over how a government shutdown would affect their flights can breathe easy — now that both chambers of Congress have approved a temporary stopgap avoiding the prospect.
The big picture: An estimated40 million people are expected to fly during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, and TSA agents and air traffic controllers will continue to work.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) notched a major win Friday by averting a government shutdown, but it has not taken him out of the woods in his fight to retain the speaker's gavel on Jan. 3.
Why it matters: Johnson will likely be able to bank just one GOP defection and still win. Many in the right-wing Freedom Caucus aren't committing to vote for him yet.
The MAGA-verse, with President-elect Trump and Elon Musk at the helm, continues to wield unprecedented power over Congress — but it has also found its limits.
Why it matters: Three times now, the influential voices surrounding Trump — often organizing on X — have failed to get exactly what they want.
The Senate passed a bill early Saturday to extend government funding until March, sending the measure to President Biden for his signature and averting a government shutdown over the holidays.
Why it matters: The bill's passage ends a chaotic week on Capitol Hill, which demonstrated President-elect Trump's influence over lawmakers.
