Politics

From the debates to Iran, it’s been a busy week in American politics. Here are some of the biggest stories you might have missed (and some links if you’d like to read further). ___________________ The first Democratic debate lineup was announced. The Democratic National Committee revealed which 20 candidates would be in the first two […]

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s accusation on Thursday that Iran was behind an attack on two oil tankers forces President Trump to confront a choice he has avoided until now: whether to make good on his threat that Tehran would “suffer greatly” if American interests were imperiled. For weeks, Mr. Trump has weaved

If Sean Spicer’s tenure as White House press secretary made him a figure of national renown and mockery, priming him for his current incarnation as a special correspondent on the syndicated TV show “Extra,” the legacy of his successor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is more straightforward. And, perhaps, more lasting. She made the White House briefing

With his initial remarks earlier in the week, Mr. Trump had put his relationship with Moscow back into the center of the debate in Washington over the future of the presidency after Mr. Mueller reported that he could not establish any criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. He reopened

WASHINGTON — Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s announcement that she would step down as White House press secretary has set off the latest round of musical chairs in the West Wing and an internal debate over whether to revive the daily news briefing as President Trump heads into the thick of election season. Some White House officials

WASHINGTON — As someone who fancies himself an aviation expert — he did once have his own airline, after all — President Trump indulged his interest this week in a number of ways. He ordered an F-35, a (very loud) $80 million fighter jet, to fly over the White House during the visit of the

WASHINGTON — To President Trump, the question of culpability in the explosions that crippled two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman is no question at all. “It’s probably got essentially Iran written all over it,” he declared on Friday. The question is whether the writing is clear to everyone else. For any president, accusing

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Friday backed a decision by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to defy a request from Congress for President Trump’s tax returns on the basis that it lacked “legitimate legislative purpose.” The department issued a 33-page memo, dated Thursday, that came as House Democrats were preparing a lawsuit as the next

WASHINGTON — The roadside bomb that disabled an American vehicle in Niger last week was rudimentary and harmed no one, but its location — roughly 70 miles into the country’s interior and minutes from an American Army outpost — was unusual and alarming, military officials said. The strike was the latest in a string of

WASHINGTON — Extensive work was well underway on a new $20 bill bearing the image of Harriet Tubman when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month that the design of the note would be delayed for technical reasons by six years and might not include the former slave and abolitionist. Many Americans were deeply disappointed