When Speaker Mike Johnson summarily fired House Intelligence Chair Mike Turner this week, everyone assumed it was about Donald Trump. Actually, it was about power — not the incoming president’s, but Johnson’s. After spending more than a year tiptoeing around a Republican Conference where intervening in even miniscule factional disputes could risk his gavel, the […]
Donald Trump won’t be crowing about crowd size at his second inauguration. Barely more than 2,000 people will pack into the Capitol Rotunda for a cold-weather inaugural ceremony backup plan not seen since Ronald Reagan. The call to move the swearing in and inaugural address indoors was made by the Trump team, but the pivot […]
President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate Michael Ellis as the top lawyer at the CIA, according to two people familiar with the decision. Ellis, who is currently on the CIA landing team, held senior legal and intelligence policy roles on Trump’s National Security Council during his first term. Before that, he served as the top […]
By early next week, Donald Trump’s Justice Department may secure its first convictions of Jan. 6 felony defendants. That’s because two jury trials launched this week by President Joe Biden’s DOJ have not yet reached verdicts and are slated to continue into the first days of the Trump administration. Unless Trump pulls the plug on […]
The association representing progressive Hill staff withdrew its letter calling for a rotating 32-hour workweek for congressional staff in a Friday statement, after significant bipartisan backlash. “The Congressional Progressive Staff Association hereby withdraws its recent letter to congressional leadership on a rotating 32-hour workweek,” the organization said. The group said its letter had failed to […]
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem wrapped up after more than three hours of polite questioning from Democrats and praise from Republicans during her Friday confirmation hearing to be the next secretary of Homeland Security. In testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Noem committed to working with President-elect Donald Trump to reinstate […]
A detailed menu of options for blockbuster legislation including tax cuts and other GOP priorities, obtained by POLITICO, shows the extent to which lawmakers are putting dozens of federal programs under a microscope for cuts and other far-reaching changes. The document lists proposals to repeal Obamacare subsidies, sell federal land and make wide-ranging reforms to […]
Gov. Mike DeWine has selected his own Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to become the next senator from Ohio, passing over entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Two sources, granted anonymity to speak freely about the appointment, confirmed that DeWine will pick Husted. DeWine is expected to make the announcement at 1p.m. Husted, a Republican […]
Here’s what we’re watching in transition world today: 🗓️ What we’re watching President-elect Donald Trump’s transition, which kicked off at an expeditious pace with his naming of top Cabinet positions, comes to a close on Monday, when Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn in during a frigid ceremony at the Capitol. Speaker […]
China will send an envoy, Vice President Han Zheng, to Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, the country’s foreign ministry said in a news release. Karoline Leavitt, who will serve as press secretary in Trump’s new administration, confirmed last month that Chinese President Xi Jinping was invited to the event. Han’s presence at the inauguration comes […]