Giant New Spending and COVID-19 Relief Bill Also Creates 2 New Museums and a Library, References Dalai Lama Controversy
"No responsible legislator should vote for such a thing," said Justin Amash (L–Mich.).
Congress
Government by 'Harrison Bergeron'
From pandemic relief to public schools, wealth taxes to COVID vaccines, politicians are finding bad ways to redistribute the pie.
Justin Amash Introduces Bill To End Forever National Emergencies
Current law can allow the president to route around Congress indefinitely.
Deal Reached To Tack $900 Billion COVID-19 Relief Package on to Spending Bill
Plus: 1 in 5 prisoners has had COVID-19, Supreme Court won't stop undocumented immigrant exclusion from Census, and more...
Supreme Court Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Trump's Plan to Exclude Undocumented Immigrants from Congressional Apportionment Counts - But the Case Could Soon Come Back
The case was dismissed on procedural grounds that will change when and if the administration actually decides which people will be excluded.
Trump Promotes a Doomed Electoral Vote Challenge As Even Diehard Supporters Admit He Lost
The strategy of lodging objections under the Electoral Count Act has been tried before, but it has never succeeded.
Mitch McConnell and Several Other GOP Senators Finally Acknowledge Biden's Victory
The president and his diehard allies in Congress continue to insist the election was stolen.
Congress Could Pass a $900 Billion COVID Stimulus Bill This Week. Or There Might Be a Government Shutdown.
Unsettled political circumstances and the ongoing pandemic crossed with Congress' broken bill-passing process is a recipe for chaos.
The House Freedom Caucus Just Trashed What Little Credibility It Had Left
More than 100 members of Congress signed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the presidential election, including several prominent members of the group founded to protect "the rule of law."
Trump Undermined Civilian Control of the Military. With His Pentagon Pick, Biden Has Too.
Civilian control over the military still matters.
For the First Time Ever, the House Votes To Repeal the Federal Ban on Marijuana
The bill is unlikely to make headway in the Senate, but it could nudge President-elect Joe Biden toward more ambitious reforms.
Sneaking Section 230 Reform Into the Defense Bill Is a Terrible Idea
Plus: Bar food police strike in New York, study finds COVID-19 circulating in the U.S. last December, and more...
Thoughts on Today's Supreme Court Oral Argument in Trump v. New York
Many of the justices seem intent on avoiding the substantive issues at stake in a case challenging the legality of Trump's plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment count for congressional representation.
Will a Historic House Vote on Marijuana Legalization Nudge Biden Toward More Ambitious Reforms?
The MORE Act, which would repeal federal prohibition, is scheduled for a vote this week.
Supreme Court Considers Whether Trump Can Block Immigrants From Census Counts
Plus: Pennsylvania rejects mail-in vote challenge, Facebook begs for regulation, and more...
Amicus Brief in the Congressional Apportionment Case Currently Before the Supreme Court
The brief filed by Univ. of Texas law professor Sanford Levinson and myself explains why the Trump administration's efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from the apportionment count for allocating seats in the House of Representatives goes against the text and original meaning of the Constitution.
Prison Guards Who Forced Naked Inmate To Sleep in Sewage and Urine Were Given Qualified Immunity. SCOTUS Disagreed.
The legal doctrine is a free pass for rampant government abuse.
Voters Wisely Chose Divided Federal Government
Anyone who was rooting for both "teams" to lose on Election Day should be fairly satisfied right now.
The Voters Eschewed Extremism on Election Day
Americans are nowhere close to embracing the radical left.
Dems Ask Trump Administration to Stop Executing Inmates Ahead of Biden Transition
The incoming administration opposes the death penalty, but the Justice Department has three more executions planned this year.
It Sure Looks Like Democrats Are Going To Retain Control of the House
It's been a good night for incumbents.
Dishonest Politics and Coronavirus Relief
Why people continue to trust government officials is a mystery.
Mark Zuckerberg to Congress: Please Regulate Us (Wink, Wink)
Plus: Unrest and looting in Philadelphia after the police shoot and kill a black man, Trump supporters stranded in Omaha, Biden faces new corruption allegations, and more...
Libertarian Lawmakers or Libertarian Laws?
Advancing laws that further libertarian objectives, no matter who champions them, looks like the surer route to our preferred ends.
Ted Cruz Threatens To Force Facebook and Twitter Heads To Testify About Hunter Biden Article
Plus: Supreme Court won't stop Pennsylvania from counting late ballots, proposed amendment would limit Court to nine justices, and more...
You Can't Always Trust What You Hear Online, and Congress Has Some Ideas About Fixing That
The House Intelligence Committee is mulling ways to stop an "infodemic." Is this really a task we want the government to tackle?
Is the Senate Filibuster a 'Jim Crow Relic'?
The filibuster is not inherently a tool of oppression simply because segregationist politicians in the 1950s and '60s found it useful.
The Next COVID Stimulus Bill Could Cost Trillions of Dollars or Might Not Happen at All
There's a fox, a goose, and a bag of grain. And a hippopotamus in the middle of the river.
Trump Can End Census Now, Says Supreme Court in Ruling That Could Have Big Impact on House Seats
Plus: DOJ sues over Melania Trump adviser's book, Justice Clarence Thomas wants to limit Section 230, and more....
Big Tech Is Just the Beginning: House Dems Seek Major Changes to Antitrust Law
Enforcement is supposed to be about protecting "consumer welfare." Overturning that goal would be bad for all of us.
Debt Reckoning
After years of federal fiscal recklessness, is Washington's bill finally coming due?
House Antitrust Report Hits Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google
Plus: Tech companies respond, proposed H-1B visa changes, and more...
No Stimulus Before the Election, Trump Says, but Expect More Spending No Matter Who Wins
It is an abrupt reversal for Trump, who as recently as Saturday had voiced his support for another stimulus package.
Here's Who Has Tested Positive for COVID-19 in Congress and the White House
Plus: Texas attorney general accused of bribery, Homeland Security wants credit reports on immigration sponsors, and more...
Will the Senate Have a Quorum to Confirm Judge Barrett? (Updated)
As more senators test positive for COVID-19, the ability of the Senate to conduct business is threatened.
Justin Amash Votes Against Resolution Urging FBI To Investigate QAnon Conspiracy Theory
Congress' one Libertarian member cited the counterproductive, free speech-threatening nature of the resolution to explain his "no" vote.
As Airlines Begin Layoffs, Nancy Pelosi Promises Bailout
House Democrats are working to extend another round of emergency aid to airlines in a stand-alone bill after the passage of a larger coronavirus relief package stalled in the Senate.
Senate Democrats and Republicans Strike Deal To Subpoena Big Tech CEOs
Bipartisanship isn't dead, sadly.
People Are Missing the Point on Trump's Tax Returns
The U.S. tax code should be front and center.
DC Circuit Rules House of Representatives has Standing to Challenge Trump's Diversion of Funds to Build his Border Wall
The opinion was written by prominent conservative Judge David Sentelle.
Rand Paul, Tulsi Gabbard, Thomas Massie, Ron Wyden Join Forces To Unplug the President's 'Internet Kill Switch'
Under the broad terms of a 1934 federal law, the president has the authority to seize emergency control of almost any electronic device in the country.
Section 230's Latest Attacker: The Justice Department
A new DOJ proposal aims to bring the internet communications law in line with Trump's personal interpretation of it.
Pentagon Uses Pandemic Response Cash To Pay Defense Contractors for More War Toys
Plus: House votes to keep funding the government, DHS recalls intelligence reports, Jeff Bezos is starting a preschool, and more...
After the Stimulus Binge, Brace for a Crash
Skyrocketing debt, higher borrowing costs, and a hobbled economy are predicted in the latest Congressional Budget Office report.
Democrats Scuttle Marijuana Decriminalization Vote Over Fears of Not Being Deferential Enough to Cop Lobbyists
If Congress is too afraid to vote on marijuana reform, how the hell are they ever going to pass policing reform?
Court Thwarts Trump's Attempt To Exclude Undocumented Immigrants From Census
Plus: Raleigh cop uses fake evidence in drug cases, caution on CDC study linking restaurants to COVID-19 cases, and more...
At the RNC, Rand Paul Is Right About the Need To End Wars, but Trump Hasn't Ended Any
Trump even vetoed a bill that would stop him from military action in Iran without congressional approval.
Would Other Countries Trust a U.S. Government-Controlled Silicon Valley?
We don’t trust state-controlled companies in China. Would it be different if we did more of the controlling?
