Politics

WASHINGTON — Rushing to shore up a $2 trillion economic stimulus effort that is already under strain, Congress could move as early as this week to approve another $250 billion in aid for small businesses, after the Trump administration asked for additional funds to support an overwhelming demand for help. The request for a quick […]

WASHINGTON — Amid the blur of President Trump’s impeachment proceedings in December, the Government Accountability Office received a terse message from the White House regarding its investigation into why security aid to Ukraine was withheld. The inquiries of Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog arm had already been rebuffed by the Defense Department and it received spotty responses

Justice Ginsburg said that approach trivialized “a matter of utmost importance.” The contrasting visions of the two sides, one viewing the case as minor and technical and the other as an effort to vindicate a fundamental constitutional value, amounted to a deep disagreement about the judicial role in voting rights cases. In public comments, Chief

Mr. O’Donnell’s replacement of Mr. Fine, who remains the No. 2 official at the Pentagon’s watchdog office, does not mean that Mr. O’Donnell becomes the chairman of the pandemic oversight efforts. The larger group of inspectors general will now need to decide whom among their number to select to fill that vacancy. Last week, in

MILWAUKEE — After days of legal wrangling, partisan mudslinging and grave warnings from public health professionals, Wisconsin forged ahead with its primary elections on Tuesday, the first state to hold in-person voting during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of Wisconsin residents, forced to weigh the risks to their health against their willingness to

Tuesday’s mess of an election in Wisconsin is the culmination of a decade of efforts by state Republicans to make voting harder, redraw legislative boundaries and dilute the power of voters in the state’s urban centers. The Republican-dominated state legislature, which has held a majority since 2011, due in part to gerrymandered maps, refused to

WASHINGTON — Pressure mounted Tuesday to remove the acting Navy secretary, presenting a stark choice for Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper: persuade President Trump that his appointment to the Navy’s top civilian job, Thomas B. Modly, is no longer fit to serve, or allow a controversy ignited by Mr. Modly to engulf the entire military.

Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary, is rejoining the staff of Melania Trump, the first lady, and Kayleigh McEnany, a campaign spokeswoman will replace her — the latest shake-up in a communications office that has been seen almost constant turnover under President Trump. Ms. McEnany has been a vocal defender of Mr. Trump on

Wisconsin is the first state to hold a major election with in-person voting despite stay-at-home orders for Americans protecting themselves from the coronavirus. Polls are set to open at 8 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Eastern time. Lines could be unusually long because of a lack of poll workers, and social distancing is a

Senator Bernie Sanders began his live-stream presentation about the coronavirus on Saturday night as he begins nearly all of his events: by thanking the musicians who performed before he took the microphone. “I want to thank Soccer Mommy for their great music,” he said, staring into the camera from his home in Burlington, Vt. The