National

By Ashley Murray  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia issued a preliminary injunction Friday halting the Trump administration's nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund for one week, giving the government time to sign a "clear, unambiguous" agreement that the fund is dead. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said from...

By Ashley Murray  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics WASHINGTON — Advertisements for Polymarket and Bud Light lined an eight-sided cage on the White House grounds Thursday ahead of a series of mixed martial arts fights scheduled for Sunday, President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, and billed as a celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship company,...

By Amelia Twyman  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has failed to refund more than $145 billion in tariffs that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unlawful, a pair of U.S. Senate Democrats said in a Wednesday letter to the administration’s chief of customs. Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Edward Markey of Massachusetts demanded that...

By Jacob Fischler  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics Democrats’ prospects in a trio of key U.S. Senate races are improving, an influential elections forecaster said Thursday, though Republicans are still favored to retain control of the chamber after the midterm elections. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, which predicts election outcomes, moved three races — in North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio — in...

By Jonathan Shorman  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics California often takes days or even weeks to tally votes after its elections, a product of measures to protect voters and a deluge of mail ballots dropped off on Election Day. Incomplete vote totals reported in the hours after polls close don’t always reflect final results. None of this is evidence...

By Ashley Murray  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics WASHINGTON — A federal judge denied a temporary restraining order Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, saying the issue is moot after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week the administration is “not moving forward” with the controversial plan. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said...

By Amelia Twyman  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics WASHINGTON — A group of 16 U.S. Senate Democrats is calling on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to tighten its regulation of prediction markets, citing concerns over insider trading and other consumer harms as betting on future events grows in popularity. The senators, led by Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee...

By Jennifer Shutt  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics WASHINGTON — The head of the Social Security Administration testified before Congress on Wednesday that customer service has drastically improved during the last year, though he declined to offer ways to address the program's dire financial situation. Commissioner Frank Bisignano instead deferred to lawmakers, who will need to make changes...

By Sam Gauntt  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Wednesday blamed the Biden administration’s “open-border policies” for the six confirmed cases of the New World screwworm that have reached the United States, repeating a theme among Republicans. Speaking to members of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee during an oversight hearing,...

By Shauneen Miranda  |  D.C. Bureau  |  Gov & Politics WASHINGTON — A bill to crack down on financial aid fraud passed the U.S. House on Wednesday. The measure, which passed 249-172, would require the U.S. Department of Education to set up an identity fraud detection system for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA. Nearly 40...