We’ve heard the president of the United States denigrate and demean Chicago before.

What we haven’t seen until now is President Donald Trump appearing before a gathering of the nation’s military commanders — summoned to Quantico, Virginia, from all over the globe for what turned out to be a bizarre made-for-TV rally of sorts — and ...Read more

The Supreme Court’s recent refusal to grant a stay of a lower court decision telling South Carolina it has to allow a transgender girl to use the boys’ bathroom in a public school emphasizes the importance of issues the court will be reviewing when its new term starts October 6.

The court’s last term featured significant issues ranging ...Read more

When the Supreme Court returns for its new term on Monday, the crucial question will be whether it serves as a check on President Trump or just a rubber stamp approving his actions. And actually, although the court officially has been in recess since late June, it was still quite active over the summer, hearing a number of matters on its ...Read more

It is easy to take for granted that the current Supreme Court has a majority of committed originalists. But only four decades ago, such a court would have been unimaginable. Who deserves credit for this remarkable change?

“If we can envision a Mt. Rushmore of originalism," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a new book that we co-edited, "the three...Read more

WASHINGTON — Amid tough talk from both sides of the aisle about who’s to blame for the partial government shutdown, bipartisan talks began to take shape as the rank and file sought a way out of the impasse.

Various groups of senators were seen huddling on the floor Wednesday during a vote series, even as Democrats again mostly rejected the ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The partial government shutdown led federal courts to temporarily delay dozens of challenges to Trump administration policies Wednesday and prompted Justice Department attorneys to seek a pause in civil cases across the country.

The shutdown plan for the DOJ states that civil litigation will be curtailed or postponed when it does...Read more

The shutdown of the U.S. government has brought work determined by the Trump administration to be “nonessential” to a halt across the country as thousands of federal employees have been furloughed and ordered not to do their jobs.

The shutdown — the first in six years — began Wednesday at midnight Eastern time and could last days if not...Read more

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are pushing a flurry of bills that would change how pay and federal benefits are handled during a shutdown, including some aimed at their own House.

Most of these are messaging bills, designed to highlight the pain of federal workers while Republicans and Democrats spar over who’s to blame for the current government ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Whether the Senate can coalesce around an agreement to fund the government or not, Capitol Police officers will continue showing up to work to protect lawmakers. But unlike the members of Congress who steered the country into a shutdown, those officers won’t collect a paycheck until it’s over.

And it might mean weekend and ...Read more

President Trump warned the country's top ranking military officials this week that they could be headed to "war" with U.S. citizens, signaling a major escalation in the ongoing legal battle over his authority to deploy soldiers to police American streets.

"What they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles — they're very ...Read more

A record-high share of Americans now describe the Supreme Court as leaning too far to the right, according to a new Gallup survey.

At the same time, public approval of the nation’s highest court and faith in the broader legal system remain at near-record lows.

The poll — conducted Sept. 2-16 — sampled 1,000 U.S. adults and has a margin ...Read more

Just hours before Congress passed its deadline to fund the government, Sen. Andy Kim gave an emotional, 20-minute explanation to constituents for why he sees the shutdown as a pivotal moment for Democrats to fight back against President Donald Trump.

“Look, this is going to be a challenge going forward, but it’s a lot that’s at stake,” ...Read more

WASHINGTON — White House Budget Director Russell Vought is planning to swiftly dismiss federal workers, a sign that Republicans will lean into hardball tactics to pressure Democrats to cave to end a government shutdown.

Vought told House lawmakers Wednesday that some federal agencies will move to terminate workers within one to two days, ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Precipitating the first government shutdown in six years was a vexing problem plaguing Democratic lawmakers: How can they dig out of the worst political hole their party has faced in more than three decades?

A potential answer came this week, when Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill decided to stand and fight the Trump ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Trump administration opened a new front in what appears to be a financial assault on New York City over immigration and inclusion policies with an announcement Wednesday it is holding up $18 billion tied to two crucial infrastructure projects.

“Roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been put on hold...Read more

NEW YORK — Shootings in New York City have dropped by a whopping 20% for the first nine months of the year, although the age of shooting victims is starting to trend younger, the NYPD said Wednesday.

By the end of September, cops had investigated 553 shooting incidents in the city — 140 fewer than by this time last year, NYPD officials said...Read more

The shutdown of the U.S. government could have ripple effects for human health and the environment as an already weakened Environmental Protection Agency will see nearly all of its staff furloughed and many of its operations paused.

The first shutdown in six years went into effect late Tuesday and requires federal agencies to stop all ...Read more

Former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who lost a bid for a second term in a 2022 Republican primary, is seeking a comeback to Congress, this time from Florida.

Cawthorn announced Wednesday that he is running for Florida’s open 19th District, which includes Fort Myers and Naples and where GOP Rep. Byron Donalds is running for governor. ...Read more

WASHINGTON — One of the most competitive House races in the country has gotten a little more complicated with Republican Rep. David Schweikert announcing that he won’t seek reelection to Arizona’s 1st District.

After winning by less than a point in 2022 and 4 points in 2024, Schweikert was near the top of Democratic target lists once ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Some inspector general websites were down across the federal government as of midday Wednesday during the first day of the partial government shutdown, after lawmakers on Capitol Hill could not make a deal on a stopgap funding bill.

For at least a half dozen government watchdog offices, their websites appeared blank Wednesday ...Read more