Politics
White House says Trump fired State Dept. watchdog at Pompeo's request
U.S. President Donald Trump fired the State Department’s inspector general following a recommendation by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the White House said on Saturday.
Democrats launch probe of Trump's firing of State Department watchdog
Democrats in Congress on Saturday launched an investigation into President Donald Trump’s move to oust the State Department’s internal watchdog, accusing the president of escalating his fight against any oversight of his administration.
Amazon says 'appropriate' executive to be available, as U.S. panel calls on Bezos to testify
Amazon.com Inc said on Friday it would make an “appropriate” executive available to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee to testify about allegations related to how the company uses third-party sellers’ data.
Senate Intelligence panel sets Tuesday vote on Ratcliffe nomination for spy chief
The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee has scheduled a vote for next Tuesday to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee John Ratcliffe to the post of Director of National Intelligence, two Congressional sources told Reuters.
U.S. Senator Burr steps aside as committee chair as FBI probes stock trades
U.S. Senator Richard Burr will step aside as chairman of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee, after the FBI seized his mobile telephone in a major escalation of a probe of his stock trades before the downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas appeals court upholds ruling that expands voting by mail during pandemic
A Texas appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that temporarily expanded mail-in balloting for any voters who fear for their health because of the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. Senate blocks bid to curb surveillance of Americans' internet habits
The U.S. Senate narrowly blocked an amendment on Wednesday that would have prevented law enforcement from collecting information on Americans’ internet habits without a warrant, as the Senate moved toward a reauthorization of divisive surveillance tools.
U.S. judge asks if ex-Trump aide Flynn should be held in contempt
A U.S. judge on Wednesday signaled reluctance to allow the Justice Department to drop its criminal prosecution of Michael Flynn, tasking a retired judge with advising on whether the former Trump administration official should face an additional criminal contempt charge for perjury.
Republican leads in California special election to U.S. Congress: New York Times
Republicans advanced toward their goal of recapturing a seat in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday as Mike Garcia, a former Navy fighter pilot endorsed by President Donald Trump, was leading in preliminary results from a special election north of Los Angeles, the New York Times said.
Democrat Ocasio-Cortez will serve on Biden's climate change panel
U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will serve on a panel helping Joe Biden develop climate policy, an aide to the congresswoman said, providing a prominent liberal voice who could help the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s efforts to win his party’s full support.