Politics

January 22, 2019 8:52AM PT WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration’s ban on transgender service members to go into effect while the policy is being challenged in the courts. In a 5-4 decision, the high court granted the administration’s request to lift a court stay that had sidelined the policy, which

January 22, 2019 8:26AM PT WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he told Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders “not to bother” with press briefings, once a staple of media coverage of the White House that have instead become a rarity. Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning, “the reason Sarah Sanders does not go to the ‘podium’

January 21, 2019 8:37AM PT Fox News has apologized for airing a graphic that incorrectly implied Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. The 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice, who is very much alive, is at home recovering from lung surgery. The graphic ran during the morning show “Fox & Friends,” displaying a photo of Ginsburg with the

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) launched her presidential campaign on Monday with an online video and an appearance on “Good Morning America” in which she said that “this is a moment in time that I feel a sense of responsibility to stand up and fight for the best of who we are.” Harris, 54,

January 20, 2019 4:22PM PT [embedded content] Lady Gaga took a short break from singing “Million Reasons” at her Saturday performance of “Enigma” in Las Vegas to slam the president for the continued government shutdown. While sitting at the piano for her performance, Gaga broke into a takedown of the government shutdown and Vice President

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Saturday made an offer to extend temporary protections to those brought to the United States by their undocumented parents, saying that it was a way to “break the logjam” that has led to a protracted government shutdown, now in its 29th day. But Democrats appear ready to reject the deal,

WASHINGTON — Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s spokesman issued a rare statement disputing BuzzFeed’s report that President Donald Trump directed his then-attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. “BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign blasted out a new promotion on Friday: Send a brick to either House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer by midnight. “Since Chuck and Nancy keep stonewalling the President, we’ll send the wall to them, brick by brick, until they agree to secure the border!”

Much of the media attention on this year’s Women’s March has focused on discord: Allegations that some of its leaders made anti-Semitic remarks, the association of one of its co-founders with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and the decision by a number of high profile politicians not to attend. While those controversies have overshadowed

WASHINGTON — Washington woke up on Friday to the prospect that the Russia investigation has gone to another level, with BuzzFeed‘s report that President Donald Trump instructed his then-personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. The article, citing two federal law enforcement sources, was one

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump informed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he was canceling an overseas trip she planned to take aboard a government aircraft this weekend, responding to a letter in which she suggested that they postpone the State of Union address until the shutdown ends. Pelosi was set to travel to Brussels, Egypt,

WASHINGTON — Fresh off announcing on “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” that she is entering the 2020 presidential race, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has been taking the traditional next step in the process: Contacting potential donors. Sources said Gillibrand is planning a visit to Los Angeles on Jan. 22, next Tuesday, to meet with potential

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is suggesting to President Donald Trump that his planned State of the Union address, scheduled for Jan. 29, be delayed or that it be delivered in writing. Pelosi cited the government shutdown and the fact that the two agencies tasked with security and planning, the Secret Service and the

Hollywood unions and entertainment companies have stepped up to support the 31,000 Los Angeles teachers in the second day of a massive strike that’s affected nearly half a million students. More than 50 SAG-AFTRA members picketed at a Tuesday afternoon rally in the driving rain next to the Hollywood & Highland Center with secretary-treasurer Jane

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) told Stephen Colbert on Tuesday’s “Late Show” that she was forming a presidential exploratory committee, the latest Democrat to move toward a bid for the White House. Gillibrand chose to make the announcement on Colbert’s show, reflecting the influence and national reach of the late night host. He’s become

British lawmakers have resoundingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s terms for the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union, heightening the country’s sense of uncertainty and paralysis less than two months before the exit is supposed to take effect. Parliament rejected May’s Brexit plan by a 432-202-vote Tuesday evening, one of the biggest parliamentary defeats in

WASHINGTON — William Barr, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the next attorney general, said he’s “interested” in examining how the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has responded to the growth of tech giants. At his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Barr said he’s “sort of interested in stepping back and reassessing or learning more about how

January 14, 2019 2:56PM PT WASHINGTON — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will be a guest on “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday, leading to speculation that she will use the platform to announce that she is forming a presidential exploratory committee. To announce on “Late Show” would be a bit unusual, as campaigns have

WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos “Jeff Bozo” in a Sunday evening tweet, it quickly triggered more amazement at the extent to which he’s changed the nature of presidential discourse. And not for the better. So sorry to hear the news about Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor

WASHINGTON — William Barr, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, said Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to complete his investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, even though Barr himself has previously criticized the probe. In prepared remarks for his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday,

WASHINGTON — John Kasich, who left office on Monday as governor of Ohio, has signed with United Talent Agency for representation. Kasich is viewed as a potential challenger to President Donald Trump next year for the Republican nomination. He’s one of a handful of the president’s conservative critics who may mount an intra-party rivalry. UTA

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told reporters that he “never worked for Russia,” responding to reports over the weekend that the FBI opened an investigation into whether he was willingly or unwittingly working on behalf of the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I never worked for Russia, and you know that answer better than

WASHINGTON — Julian Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and mayor of San Antonio, launched his presidential campaign on Saturday, joining what is expected to be a crowded field of contenders for the Democratic nomination. Castro is the first Latino to enter the race, and at 44 will likely be among the youngest.

WASHINGTON — President Trump has seized on a bombshell New York Times scoop as further evidence that he has been unfairly targeted as part of a “witch hunt.” The Times reported on Friday that the FBI was so concerned with his behavior toward Russia that they started an investigation into whether Trump was actually working on

WASHINGTON — Democrats in the House have just scheduled their first must-see TV moment since capturing the majority: Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 7. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), announced that Cohen would appear voluntarily. “I want to make clear that we

January 10, 2019 10:13AM PT WASHINGTON — The Motion Picture Association of America has promoted its chief spokesman, Chris Ortman, to senior VP of communications. Ortman has managed the MPAA’s media relations and rapid response operations and some of its high-profile initiatives. He was responsible for the press rollout for the trade association’s new chairman

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump claims he never said during the 2016 presidential campaign that Mexico would “write out a check” to directly pay for a border wall. Ahead of a visit to the border in Texas on Thursday, Trump said, “During the campaign, I would say Mexico’s going to pay for it. Obviously, I

January 9, 2019 2:18PM PT WASHINGTON — Tom Steyer, the billionaire philanthropist and environmental activist, said he will not run for president in 2020 and instead will focus on removing President Donald Trump from office. “The impeachment question has reached an inflection point,” Steyer said on Twitter. “That’s why I just announced that I will

WASHINGTON — The 18-day shutdown of the federal government showed little sign of ending after President Donald Trump walked out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer said Trump left the meeting abruptly after he asked Pelosi whether she would support his demand for a border wall,

January 9, 2019 6:23AM PT WASHINGTON — Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who has been overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is expected to leave after William Barr is confirmed as the next attorney general, CNN and other outlets reported on Wednesday. CBS News reported that while Rosenstein was planning