Capitol agenda: GOP’s health revolt heads to the Senate

Idaho’s immigration fight reveals a national Republican rift

The reluctance among many Republican officials to support stricter enforcement stems from a belief that significant sectors of Idaho’s economy depend on unauthorized labor.

Trump's jarring disconnect on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s talking points on ending the war in Ukraine are alarmingly being parroted by President Trump. It is clear from his interview with Politico’s Dasha Burns that he is buying into the Russian narrative. Asked who has the stronger negotiating

'He was ready': Sharon Osbourne reveals husband's final words to her

Sharon Osbourne sat down for an interview for the first time since her iconic rock 'n' roll husband died in July.

US ratchets up Venezuela tensions with tanker seizure

Plus: Trump Gold Cards, FEMA reforms, Senate votes on health plans, Dems split on stock trading ban

Geminids meteor shower peaks this week: What you should know to see the show

At its peak the Geminid meteor shower produces over a hundred meteors every hour.

Infant botulism probe: Tainted products may date to 2022, FDA says

At least 51 infants are believed to have become ill from ByHeart formula dating back to at least December 2023.

Trump lets RFK Jr. ‘go wild’ on childhood vaccine policy

On the campaign trail last October, President Trump promised to let his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., "go wild on health." A year later, that promise is being fulfilled. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, is unmaking federal immunization policy and running

Top Lobbyists 2025

Welcome The Hill’s annual list of Top Lobbyists. President Trump’s return to the White House brought a whirlwind of policy changes and political battles to Washington, D.C., creating both obstacles and opportunities for the lobbying world. Over the past year, K Street players

The Supreme Court Will Get Another Shot at Church-State Separation

In May 2025, the Supreme Court handed down a 4–4 split decision in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond . That deadlock left intact a ruling from the Oklahoma Supreme Court that denied what would have been the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter

The States Leading the Way on Regulating AI

Artificial intelligence is rushing into our lives at a breakneck pace. And the AI mavens know it: In the merging language of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill, they like to describe our present state of affairs as a “race.” There are reports that the technology can now execute

The Self-Delusions of Olivia Nuzzi’s American Canto

Midway through the journey of her life, Olivia Nuzzi found herself in Malibu, for she had wandered from the straightforward path. In exile from the East Coast, where she had held a plum gig with New York , she awoke on the West, with a plum gig at Vanity Fair , doing hard time

Senate rushes to finish crypto market bill ahead of holiday recess

Senators are trying to iron out key sticking points in legislation to regulate the cryptocurrency industry in their final working weeks of the year, as they push to get the bill out of committee after months of negotiations. Republicans are pushing for a markup next week on

Mad King Trump’s Latest Peeve: Sans Serif Fonts

In The Emperor , Ryszard Kapuściński’s classic portrait of autocratic senility, Emperor Haile Selassie orders a great palace to be built in Ethiopia’s Ogaden Desert, keeps a liveried staff there for many years—but visits the site only a single day. In Addis Ababa, one servant

GOP lawmakers unhappy with Trump’s affordability message: ‘You can’t call it a hoax’

Senate Republicans, unsettled by recent Democratic victories in the off-year elections, want President Trump to do more to respond to the issue of “affordability,” a buzzword Trump recently dismissed as a Democratic “con job” despite polls showing voters view higher costs as a

Democrats divided over effort to force vote on banning lawmaker stock trading

Democrats are at odds over a Republican-led discharge petition to ban stock trading by members of Congress, with some insisting that any prohibition should also apply to the executive branch. It marks the latest complication on an issue that has vexed Congress for years and

Democrat gains in race against Ramaswamy for Ohio governor: Poll

Democrat Amy Acton is polling neck and neck with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor’s race, according to a new survey. An Emerson College Polling survey released on Thursday found Acton, a former Ohio Department of Health director, receiving 46 percent while

Cracks forming in Democrats' demand for 3-year ObamaCare extension

Cracks are forming in the Democrats’ demands for extending ObamaCare subsidies. For weeks, House Democratic leaders have championed a “clean” three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, pressing centrist Republicans to sign their discharge petition to

A New Report Reveals the Real Reason Democrats Lost in 2024

Democrats need to move right to win back voters in 2026 and 2028—that’s the conventional wisdom from a slew of Democratic think tanks and Beltway strategists . To make their case, they’ve released reports and polling trying to prove that voters are more moderate on many social

7 million student loan borrowers could face higher payments as SAVE plan gets the ax

More than 7 million student loan borrowers now need to make new arrangements after the Trump administration announced this week it is ending the Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, which had been considered the most generous income-driven repayment (IDR) option

Hassett says Fed has 'been way behind' on cutting interest rates

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Wednesday said the Federal Reserve has "been way behind" on cutting interest rates before its narrow vote later in the day. "Well I think the futures markets expect that the Fed is going to cut rates, a kind of small amount of

Greene says she cut deal on NDAA for vote on anti-trans bill

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she made a deal on Wednesday to change her "no" vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to allow her anti-transgender bill to be voted on next week. "I made a deal and changed my NO vote on the rule to a Yes in exchange for

What to know about $1M Trump Gold Card visa program

The new visa program promises U.S. residency in "record time."

Green group files suit to keep Trump's face off National Parks pass

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday to prevent President Trump's face from appearing on the "America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands" passes to be used in 2026. The Department of the

Newsom posts AI video of Trump in handcuffs

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday shared an AI-generated video depicting President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller in handcuffs. The video shows the three sitting on a step outside, their hands behind their

Hegseth, Bradley and the Venezuela boat strikes: Who is legally responsible?

Amid intensifying scrutiny over U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, questions are emerging over who in the Trump administration’s chain of command is legally on the hook for what many see as war crimes. Administration officials have insisted it

Democratic Miami mayor-elect: City is 'tip of the spear' on affordability crisis

Miami Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins (D) vowed to get straight to work upon taking office on Wednesday, saying the city is “at the tip of the spear” of affordability concerns in the U.S. Higgins defeated Republican Emilio Gonzalez by 19 points in Tuesday’s mayoral runoff, marking

Trump escalates tensions with seized oil tanker near Venezuela

Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story Trump escalates tensions with seized oil tanker near Venezuela President Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast

National Transportation Safety Board 'vehemently opposes' NDAA provision

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy on Wednesday said the board "vehemently opposes" one of the provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the House of Representatives hours earlier. She said during a press conference

Republicans launch long-shot revolt against leaders on ObamaCare

Moderate and vulnerable Republicans are attempting a long-shot revolt against their leaders in the House over health care. They are trying to force a vote to extend the enhanced ObamaCare subsidies that GOP leaders are declining to bring up — and that moderates warn will cost

Senate rushes to finish crypto market bill ahead of holiday recess

{beacon} Technology The Big Story Senate rushes to finish crypto market bill ahead of holiday recess Senators are trying to iron out key sticking points in legislation to regulate the cryptocurrency industry in their final working weeks of the year, as they push to get the

FEMA council expected to announce recommendations

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story FEMA council expected to announce recommendations The Trump administration is set to unveil its plan this week to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a proposal that is sure to be contentious

Bondi posts video of US seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker

Attorney General Pam Bondi shared a Wednesday video of U.S. forces seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker after a series of strikes on vessels in the region. “Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support

Lawmakers react to US seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker

Democratic lawmakers and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed concern Wednesday that the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker by the U.S. could further increase tensions between the two countries, while other GOP senators said they were awaiting more information. “It sounds a lot

Pardoned Democrat faces internal opposition as he seeks to regain powerful committee post

Henry Cuellar faces a vote of fellow Democratic appropriators Thursday, and some have doubts.

ICE: Rep. Adelita Grijalva 'joined the rioting crowd' at search warrant location

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday accused Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) of being part of a "rioting crowd" during a mass arrest in Tucson last week. On Friday, ICE and other federal agents arrested 46 undocumented immigrants in an operation that stemmed

Senate set to vote on competing ACA subsidy bills

Presented by the Coalition to Strengthen America's Healthcare {beacon} Health Care Health Care PRESENTED BY COALITION TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA'S HEALTHCARE The Big Story Senate set to vote on competing ACA subsidy bills After a prolonged fight that saw a record-breaking

EPA cuts mentions of humans from webpage on climate change causes

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has removed several mentions of human activity on a webpage related to the causes of climate change. Last week, the EPA quietly updated a page on its site outlining causes of global warming. Previously, the page said: “This record

House overwhelmingly passes $900B annual defense bill

The House on Wednesday easily passed the annual defense policy bill, sending the mammoth, $900 billion measure to the Senate ahead of the year-end deadline. The measure, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed the lower chamber by a vote of 312-112.

Mace unveils measure renaming DC's Black Lives Matter Plaza to honor Charlie Kirk

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced legislation Wednesday to have the former Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., renamed in honor of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The South Carolina lawmaker suggested the street adjacent to the White House be designated

House lawmakers introduce bill requiring federal agencies, officials to label AI content

A bipartisan pair of House lawmakers plan to introduce legislation Wednesday that would require federal agencies and officials to label any AI-generated content published in official government channels. The Responsible and Ethical AI Labeling (REAL) Act, put forward by Reps.

Fed cuts despite divides

Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Federal Reserve cuts interest rates in divisive vote The Federal Reserve cut interest rates Wednesday in an unusually narrow vote, underscoring the divides among

Former official 'Anonymous' says Trump's Venezuela comments present 'extraordinary danger'

Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official who used the pseudonym “Anonymous,” expressed concern Tuesday about President Trump not rejecting a Venezuelan ground invasion. During MS NOW’s “Ana Cabrera Reports," a clip was played from a recent episode of

Pete Hegseth’s Own AI Bot Backfires on His Boat Strikes

Et tu, ChatGPT? On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled his department’s new AI chatbot for military personnel, GenAI.mil . Almost immediately, the bot called a “hypothetical” situation where the government orders a strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat and then

Trump pushes back on reports of discontent with Hegseth, Noem

President Trump on Wednesday said he was happy with his Cabinet and specifically downplayed reports that he was frustrated with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “I read these same stories that I’m unhappy with this one or that one, and

Most in California approve of Newsom performance: Study

Over half of Californians both approve of Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) performance in office and worry the state is heading in the wrong direction, according to a new study from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released on Monday. Newsom's job performance was backed

Frustrated Republicans move to force Obamacare vote as warnings mount about the midterms

It’s not clear if House Democrats will coalesce behind the bipartisan two-year subsidy extension proposed by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Jared Golden.

Trump: 'Imperative' that CNN be sold to new ownership

President Trump indicated he'd like to see CNN be sold off as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, prepares to undergo a megamerger with either Netflix or fellow conglomerate Paramount. "It's imperative that CNN be sold," the president told reporters at the White House

Senate Democrats request DOJ, FBI records on lawmakers in 'illegal orders' video

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats are demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI turn over all documents and communications related to its investigation into six lawmakers who reminded members of the military they have the right to refuse illegal orders. The FBI