Grading is hard — and grade-inflation makes it worthless

Good grading starts long before a class ends.

Trump, Johnson wrangle GOP votes to end shutdown

Morning Report is The Hill's a.m. newsletter. Subscribe here. In today's issue: ▪ Trump hosts Colombian president ▪ Clintons change course amid contempt threat ▪ Final dash in midterm primaries ▪ Campaign finance report takeaways President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)

Transcript: Trump ICE Threats Take Darker Turn as MAGA Calls for Blood

T he following is a lightly edited transcript of the February 3 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here . Greg Sargent: This is the Daily Blas t from The New Republic , produced and presented by the DSR Network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent. It’s now becoming clear

Trump’s War on Higher Ed Is an Attack on Women

In 2024, The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank responsible for Project 2025 and so many guiding principles for President Donald Trump’s second term, published a white paper bemoaning the low birth rate among married women in the United States. It blamed a

The Memo: Trump takes a step back, for now, in the face of resistance

President Trump may finally be crashing up against some limits to his power. The past few weeks alone have seen Trump meet resistance of a strength and breadth that was mostly lacking during 2025. The backlash is made more potent because it comes at a time when the president’s

Texas GOP finds fringe candidates unaffordable in tough midterm year

Kelly Hancock is a very specific kind of Texas Republican. He’d fit in at any moment in the past 50 years of state GOP politics: A businessman with a penchant for small-government, low-regulation conservatism and hair like a richer version of Rick Perry. He’d come off as a real

Senate conservatives seek to sink government funding package in House

Senate conservatives led by Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) are working to sink the Senate-passed government funding package in the House, warning that it threatens to leave the Department of Homeland Security unfunded while doing little to rein in the growth in

House votes to reopen government pose GOP loyalty test and Democratic dilemma

Votes in the House on Tuesday to end a partial government shutdown pose tricky political challenges for both Republicans and Democrats. On the Republican side, a procedural vote to tee up the funding package will test President Trump’s ability to unify the GOP’s razor-thin

Crypto bill hits road bumps, dimming prospects in election year

A major cryptocurrency bill hit several road bumps in the Senate in recent weeks, dimming the legislation’s prospects in a midterm election year when policymaking efforts are expected to face a shorter runway. Efforts to advance the market structure bill in both the Senate

Beneath the Stifling Boredom of Melania

Under a certain strain of authoritarianism, a regime-approved vanity movie wouldn’t even need to premiere in cinemas. Cars with roof-mounted megaphones would circle the towns, announcing mandatory showtimes in the public square. Subjects would dutifully file there to watch it,

5 takeaways from 2025's end-of-year campaign finance reports

President Trump stockpiled millions into his super PAC, while a handful of GOP groups outraised their Democratic counterparts in the last stretch of 2025 as Republicans brace for a midterm cycle shaping up to be much like the anti-Trump 2018 midterms. Trump’s super PAC, MAGA

Trump ICE Threats Take Darker Turn as MAGA Erupts in Demands for Blood

Donald Trump is making it explicit. In an angry diatribe to a right-wing podcaster , Trump told his usual lies about vote-cheating by undocumented immigrants, but this time he explicitly called on Republicans to “take over the voting.” He also darkly promised something new out

House Democrats once again left complaining about a Senate spending deal

A bipartisan agreement to temporarily extend Homeland Security funding is rekindling tensions between the two chambers.

House panel advances funding bill to reopen government, teeing up tight floor vote

The House Rules Committee on Monday night advanced legislation to end a partial government shutdown, teeing up what will be a tight vote on the House floor for House Republican leadership. The panel advanced the funding package 8-4 along party lines. The legislation, passed by

Maryland Democrats advance new congressional lines in state House

Maryland Democrats advanced a new set of congressional lines that would eliminate the state’s one remaining GOP-held House seat on Monday. The Maryland House of Delegates voted 99-37 to advance a new House map that would give Democrats an 8-0 edge in their congressional

Texas Democrat sworn in to House, shrinking GOP margin to 1 vote

Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas), a former Harris County, Texas, attorney, was sworn in as a member of the House on Monday after winning the special election runoff for the late Rep. Sylvester Turner’s (D-Texas) seat last week. “It's been more than 330 days since the people of

Newsom’s anti-Trump public health platform

Click in for more news from The Hill {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story Newsom’s anti-Trump public health platform California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has positioned himself and his state as the frontline in opposing the new public health guidelines coming from the

4 issues to watch as Homeland Security funding fight escalates

Congress is staring at a steep climb to finalizing a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as progressives and conservatives each try to throw their weight after the shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis. The House aims to send the five-bill minibus and

House Republicans eye next week for housing bill vote

Colin Allred blasts Talarico, backs Crockett in Texas Senate primary

Former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) criticized state Rep. James Talarico (D) for allegedly referring to him as a “mediocre Black man” and said he would be backing Talarico’s opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), in the Senate Democratic primary for Sen. John Cornyn’s

Clintons reverse course, agree to testify in House Epstein inquiry

Former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have agreed to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of the panel's investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The news marks a stunning about-face

Bill and Hillary Clinton now agree to testify before Congress

It's a stunning change of heart for the former first couple as a contempt vote loomed.

Crypto bill hits road bumps as midterms loom

{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story Crypto bill hits road bumps as midterms loom A major cryptocurrency bill hit several road bumps in the Senate in recent weeks, dimming the legislation’s prospects in a midterm election year when policymaking efforts are expected

Planned Parenthood drops challenge over Trump administration Medicaid cuts

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has filed to voluntarily dismiss its lawsuit against the Trump administration that sought to challenge the decision to cut off Medicaid funding to abortion providers. The PPFA on Friday filed a notice of voluntary dismissal in

Senate Republican on government funding: 'It'll be a clown circus for a few days'

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Monday said the process of funding the government will “be a clown circus for a few days” amid a partial government shutdown. “I think that by the end of the week, the House and the Senate will have passed 11 of the 12 appropriations bills. Now,

Judge allows fifth wind project to keep building

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Judge allows fifth wind project to keep building A federal court on Monday halted the last of five stop work orders issued by the Trump administration in December to block major offshore wind farms, giving the

Trump suggests GOP should 'take over' voting process in multiple states ahead of midterms

President Trump suggested in an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Monday that Republicans should “take over” the voting process in more than a dozen states ahead of the November midterms. “The Republicans should say, 'We want to take over — we should

Musk says SpaceX has acquired xAI

Elon Musk’s spacecraft and satellite communications company SpaceX has acquired his AI company xAI, the tech billionaire said Monday. “SpaceX has acquired xAI to form the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based

Trump plans to roll back mileage standards for heavy pickup trucks and vans

The Trump administration plans to roll back vehicle mileage standards for heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, it announced in a letter to manufacturers Friday. In the letter, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the

Top House Democrats split on funding vote

Trump will keep 'structure' of Kennedy Center intact during $200M in renovations

President Trump said on Monday he intends to leave the basic structure of the Kennedy Center intact during upcoming renovations which are expected to last two years and cost upwards of $200 million. “I’m not ripping it down. I’ll be using the steel,” Trump told reporters in the

Noem: Immigration officers in Minneapolis will now wear body cameras

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that all federal immigration officers in Minneapolis will begin wearing body cameras while in the field. Noem wrote on the social platform X that she spoke with White House border czar Tom Homan, acting

Judge won't order federal investigators to preserve Alex Pretti evidence

A federal judge declined to compel federal officials to preserve all evidence in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, voicing confidence Monday that court intervention isn’t needed. “Plaintiffs identify reasonable concerns regarding Defendants’ ability and

GOP's midterm worries surge after Texas 'wake-up call'

Republicans are stepping up their warnings about the midterms after a stunning Democratic upset in Texas over the weekend. The Republican Party was already grappling with growing backlash to a pair of immigration-related shootings in Minneapolis before Democrat Taylor Rehmet’s

Johnson not asking Trump to call GOP holdouts on funding package

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday expressed optimism about the House approving a funding package to end the partial government shutdown despite demands from conservatives, saying that he is not asking President Trump to call those Republican holdouts to get the deal over

Sean Spicer sounds alarm over Texas special election: 'This is a big deal'

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer sounded the alarm for the GOP over a recent Texas special election, saying, “this is a problem.” “I've always said that special elections are special, so I texted a bunch of Texas folks, elected officials, etcetera, and said,

NFL 'looking into' reported connection between Epstein, Giants co-owner Steve Tisch

The NFL says it is looking into documents showing New York Giants owner Steve Tisch's communications with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “The league is aware of the reports and Steve’s response," the league said in a statement given to multiple media outlets. "Our

ICE Agents Whine That They Aren’t Getting Their Massive Bonuses

New hires at Immigration and Customs Enforcement are complaining that they haven’t yet received the massive bonuses promised to them for agreeing to brutally arrest immigrants. In multiple Reddit posts reviewed by the International Business Times UK , federal immigration

Eddie Bauer stores could close amid possible bankruptcy filing: Reports

Roughly 180 Eddie Bauer stores remain across the U.S. and Canada.

Florida congresswoman to plead not guilty to charges of stealing $5M

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) will plead not guilty Monday to federal charges of conspiring to steal $5 million in federal disaster funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic and funneling some of it into her congressional campaign. Her attorney, William Barzee, notified the

Army Veterans Forced Out of Republican Town Hall as Crowd Erupts

Americans continue to denounce their local representatives over their support of ICE. After residents of Casper, Wyoming, booed Representative Harriet Hageman off stage last week, two protesters were removed from Representative Mike Lawler’s town hall on Sunday after demanding

Shutdown will delay January jobs report: BLS

A partial government shutdown will delay several information releases from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), including the January jobs report. Last month’s employment data was scheduled to be released this upcoming Friday, according to the BLS website. BLS is one of the

Bill Maher: Celebrities are 'making independents vote Republican'

Comedian Bill Maher on Friday railed against celebrity political endorsements, suggesting that they're driving independent voters to favor Republicans. “Celebrities, I know it’s very important to you that you feel that you’re making a difference, and you are, you’re making

Measles Overtakes ICE Detention Center as Immigrants Remain Trapped

An ICE family detention center in Texas is halting “all movement” after finding two cases of measles. The cases were detected Friday, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, confirming that two detainees had “active measles

Ed Martin out as DOJ ‘weaponization’ group head, source says

Trump ally Ed Martin no longer heads the Justice Department’s “weaponization” initiative focused on reviewing probes into President Trump and his allies, a person familiar with the change told The Hill. The person said Martin was told by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in

Trump seeks reset at the Kennedy Center, but performers and stakeholders fear for its future

Amid falling ticket sales and a growing list of performer cancellations, President Trump is looking for a hard reset at the Kennedy Center, but his latest attempt to remake Washington in his own image has stakeholders horrified for the future of one of D.C.'s most iconic

Trump Team to Hold Daily Meetings on Getting Revenge

The Trump administration’s chief priority for 2026: persecuting the president’s political nemeses. Despite efforts by the judiciary to limit Donald Trump’s revenge quest, Justice Department officials are expected to meet as early as Monday to reignite efforts to investigate and

Trump urges House Republicans, Democrats to work together to end shutdown

President Trump urged House Republicans and Democrats to work together to reopen the federal government on Monday, saying that “no changes” should be made to the Senate-passed legislation “at this time.” “I am working hard with Speaker Johnson to get the current funding deal,

Watch live: House panel takes up government funding measure

The House Rules Committee is scheduled to meet late Monday afternoon to tee up legislation to end the partial government shutdown. House Democrats over the weekend declined to commit to providing the votes needed to fast-track approval of a Senate-passed funding package to

What's known about the search for 'Today' host Savannah Guthrie's mother

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing this weekend after she didn’t show up to church Sunday morning near her home in the Tucson, Ariz., area. Here is everything we know about her disappearance: What's the latest on