Is Anthony Fauci Lying About NIH Funding of Wuhan Lab Research? Or Is Rand Paul?
Inside the dispute over gain-of-function research.
Senate
Senate Considers Requiring Women To Register for the Draft
A proposal obtained by Politico would get rid of male-only language in an upcoming military service bill.
Senators Aim To Curtail Presidential Power Over War, Arms Sales, Emergency Declarations
Plus: The FBI had at least a dozen informants helping put together the plot to kidnap Michigan's governor, price controls fail again, and more.
Senate Could Pass a $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill This Week, Even Though There's No Agreement on How To Pay for It
Plus: Strip clubs help reduce crime rates, tariffs fail to achieve their primary political purposes, Jeff Bezos goes to space, and more.
Dean Erwin Chemerinsky's Views on the Filibuster, Past and Present
Dean Chemerinsky has argued for and against the filibuster on both constitutional and policy grounds.
There Is Nothing "Unconstitutional" about the Filibuster
Some academics are urging VP Harris to declare the filibuster unconstitutional
Catherine Lhamon, Once and Future Title IX Czar, Says Campus Rules Don't Require 'Presumption of Innocence'
Her response to questions from the Senate HELP committee were disqualifying.
Chuck Schumer Says He Wants To Legalize Marijuana. His Bill Suggests Otherwise.
The Senate majority leader's racial rhetoric and overly prescriptive approach make an already iffy effort even more quixotic.
RIP Mike Gravel, Unapologetic Opponent of War and Star of Absurdist Presidential Campaign Ads
A heterodox hero and committed antiwar activist, Gravel put the Pentagon Papers in the public record.
The Budget Reconciliation Battle Is a Procedural Power Grab
By effectively casting aside the filibuster while technically leaving it in place, Democrats can maintain the pretense that they played by the rules.
Federalizing Elections Doesn't Make Much Sense and Won't Save Democracy
The "For The People Act" was a flawed package that would have solved some problems while creating new headaches.
The Filibuster Will Survive Because a Few Democrats Are Smart Enough Not To Kill It
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is right: Democrats have more to lose by ending the filibuster than by putting up with it.
Biden's Nominee to Head the ATF, Who Wants Congress to Ban 'Assault Weapons,' Says He Can't Define Them
David Chipman's obfuscation, like the president's vagueness, is aimed at concealing the illogic of targeting firearms based on their "military-style" appearance.
The Real Enemies of Democracy
Putting criticisms of the Senate, Electoral College, and Supreme Court in perspective.
The PRO Act Empowers Union Bosses, Not Workers
If workers were as eager to join unions as President Joe Biden seems to think, they wouldn't need a more powerful NLRB to encourage that outcome.
Senate Bill Would Ban Judges from Using Acquitted Conduct at Sentencing
The little-known but outrageous practice allows federal judges enhance defendants' sentence based on conduct a jury acquitted them of.
The Senate's Industrial Policy Bill Is a Debt-Financed Corporate Giveaway That Lobbyists Love
The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act is a lobbyist-crafted proposal that funnels emergency spending to politically connected special interests.
Can Republicans Be Persuaded To Restrict Qualified Immunity?
Polling shows a sharp partisan divide on the issue, but it also suggests that compromise might be possible.
Why Would Republicans Want a Credible, Nonpartisan Investigation of the Capitol Riot?
From Mitch McConnell's perspective, an independent commission can only mean trouble.
America's Semiconductor Industry Doesn't Need $52 Billion in New Subsidies To Stay Ahead of China
Industrial policy is the wrong answer to a problem that mostly doesn't exist.
Immigration Is the Most Important Way To Beat China
The Senate’s Endless Frontier Act aims to spur innovation but leaves out immigration reform.
A Minor League Baseball Bailout Would Be a Major Mistake
Taxpayers already spend millions to build minor league ballparks. Sen. Richard Blumenthal thinks they should financially support the teams, too.
Tim Scott Is Proposing a Major Reform to Qualified Immunity
The GOP has resisted reining in the doctrine. That might change.
Abolishing the Filibuster Is About Power, Not Anti-Racism
Even Joe Biden and Barack Obama were willing to acknowledge this basic fact just a few years ago.
Will Democrats Really Nuke the Filibuster—and What Happens If They Do?
Are Mitch McConnell's threats credible, or is he a paper tiger?
The 'COVID Relief Bill' Is Mostly an Expensive Bundle of Politically Motivated Giveaways
The Senate is preparing to pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that has very little to do with the pandemic, and we all know it. Congress should admit as much.
Rand Paul, Ron Wyden Want To End Endless National Emergencies
Under a bill the two senators reintroduced on Friday, all presidential emergency declarations would expire after 72 hours unless Congress votes to allow them to continue.
Democrats Can't Use Reconciliation To Pass a $15 Minimum Wage. Here's What They Might Do Next.
But the real reason why Democrats should abandon the effort to hike the federal minimum wage has nothing to do with arcane Senate rules or the filibuster.
Despite Its Own Warning That 'Congress Itself Is the Target,' the Capitol Police Did Not Expect Anything Like Last Month's Riot
The agency also missed an FBI bulletin citing "specific calls for violence."
After Voting to Acquit Trump, Mitch McConnell Explains Why He Was Guilty
The Senate minority leader's triangulation does not bode well for the GOP's ability to stand for something other than a personality cult.
Trump Acquitted in Second Impeachment Trial Despite 7 Republicans Voting To Convict
Whether the reality-show-star-turned-first-president-to-be-impeached-twice has a future in American politics, however, sadly remains an open question.
Impeachment Evidence Leaves Republicans Cold, Dems Hot, and America Tired
Plus: Dems ask FDA to change abortion pill prescribing rule, Vice targets Clubhouse, and more...
Trump's Impeachment Lawyers Try To Deconstruct the Link Between What He Said and What His Followers Did
No amount of parsing can obscure his responsibility for the deadly attack on the Capitol.
Trump's Dubious First Amendment Defense Against Impeachment
He is on firmer ground in arguing that the Senate does not have the authority to try a former president, although that issue is highly contested.
In First Tie-Breaking Vote, Kamala Harris Helps Senate Dems Pass Budget Resolution
Plus: Pandemic housing prices are overvalued, U.S. will withdraw support for war in Yemen, and more...
McConnell and Schumer Agree to Senate Power-Sharing Deal
Senate Democrats will now take (partial) control of the Senate chamber.
Ramming a $15 Minimum Wage Bill Through the Senate Using Reconciliation Would Be a Norm-Busting Mistake
The reconciliation process exists for a reason. Discarding it for political expediency should be viewed with skepticism.
The Constitutionality of Trump's Impeachment Trial Is Not 'Crystal Clear'
There are plausible arguments on both sides of the debate.
Trump's Lawyers Say He Can't Be Impeached for Trying to Subvert the Election Because He Was Just Expressing an Opinion
They also argue that the Senate has no authority to try a former president.
'See Something, Say Something Online Act' Punishes Big Tech for Not Snitching
Plus: Oregon decriminalizes hard drugs, Kroger closes stores over hazard pay rule, and more...
The Constitutional Argument Against Trump's Senate Trial Is Convenient. Is It Also Wrong?
While many prominent constitutional scholars think trying a former president is perfectly legal, the dissenters make some points that are worth considering.
Should Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley Be Expelled From the Senate for 'Insurrection'?
That punishment for reinforcing the delusions that drove the Capitol riot is highly unlikely, and it would set a troubling precedent.
Saying Trump 'Provoked' the Capitol Riot With 'Lies,' Mitch McConnell Tries To Distance His Party From a Dangerous Demagogue
The Senate minority leader sees a grave political risk in failing to repudiate the former president.
Does the Chief Justice Preside over an Ex-President's Impeachment Trial?
Conflicting signals from the Belknap impeachment
Will Lisa Murkowski Be the Jim Jeffords of 2021?
The last time the Senate split 50-50, the even balance did not last long.
Will the Democrats Truly Have Control of the 50-50 Senate?
Vice President Kamala Harris will be able to case the tie-breaking vote, but 50+1/50 is still not 51/49.
After a Chaotic Day, Congress Finally Confirms That Joe Biden Won the Presidential Election
The usually rote process was marred by President Donald Trump's conspiracy theories and a Republican attempt to thwart the outcome, but the result is now official.
Republicans Got What They Deserved. America Will Now Have To Pay the Price.
When one party controls both Congress and the White House, the result is never a reduction in the size or cost of government.