New Jersey’s most vulnerable GOP incumbent is MIA

Rep. Tom Kean Jr.'s team said the absence is due to unspecified health issues.

Vote-a-Rama starts tonight

Reorganization, other changes loom for NWS

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Weather Service faces reorganization The Trump administration is reorganizing the National Weather Service (NWS) and making changes to forecasting, while a key union representative warns the reorganization

Wind, solar energy support slips: Survey

A new Gallup poll released Wednesday showed that support for wind and solar energy has slipped, with a majority still favoring those energy alternatives. The poll found that 66 percent of Americans prefer the U.S. to put more emphasis on solar energy and 55 percent prefer the

Democrats fume over lack of Oversight hearings, accusing GOP of dodging on Epstein

House Oversight Committee Democrats are fuming over Republicans’ shift away from holding formal hearings, accusing the majority of trying to dodge any further action on subpoenas in the Epstein investigation and questioning whether the order came from the White House. Instead

Anti-data center measures gain steam at state, local level

{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story Anti-data center measures gain steam at state, local level Measures seeking to block or rein in data center construction are gaining momentum at the state and local level, as Americans increasingly sour on the massive buildout of

Cassidy clashes with Kennedy over vaccine studies

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) fact-checked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. multiple times Wednesday about his insistence that vaccines have not helped improve mortality. Kennedy cited two studies during his testimony in the Senate health committee to prove that deaths due

Changes loom for National Weather Service as union official warns of potential staff cuts

The Trump administration is reorganizing the National Weather Service (NWS) and making changes to forecasting, while a key union representative warns the reorganization could involve potential staff cuts. Federal employees at the NWS’s Weather Forecast Offices, which provide

Senate Republicans defeat for fifth time resolution to halt military operations against Iran

Senate Republicans voted largely in unison Wednesday to defeat a Democratic-sponsored war powers resolution that would prohibit President Trump from continuing military operations against Iran. It marked the fifth time that Republican senators voted against a proposal to halt

Haaland leads Democratic primary for New Mexico governor: Poll

Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is leading the Democratic primary race for governor of New Mexico, new polling shows. A new Emerson College Polling/KRQE News 13 poll found 4 in 10 primary voters back Haaland, a former Democratic lawmaker who joined the Biden

Senate eyes AI expansion for congressional business

The Senate’s top cybersecurity official is requesting a $2.8 million funding boost to support AI expansion.

House Democrat questions DOJ on possible Ghislaine Maxwell pardon

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) sent a Wednesday letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) strongly opposing the possibility of a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime partner and accomplice of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “I am writing to express my disgust

Ceasefire in question after Iran seizes ships

Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story Ceasefire in question after Iran seizes ships Iran has attacked multiple ships in the Strait of Hormuz less than a day after President Trump

Navy secretary stepping down 13 months into job

Navy Secretary John Phelan is departing the administration after serving in the role for just over a year, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday. “On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department

Rogan: Trump 'called me a liberal' at White House

Podcaster Joe Rogan on Tuesday said President Trump "called me a liberal" while at a White House event last week to hasten research on psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine. "The Joe Rogan Experience" guest Luis J. Gomez told Rogan that "people are pissed" about remarks Trump

Hakeem Jeffries finally gets a signature win

Allies say the House Democratic leader’s redistricting counteroffensive showed he’s worthy of stepping into Nancy Pelosi’s shoes.

Dr. Oz Gives Trump the Weirdest, Grossest Compliment Yet

Dr. Oz waved off national concerns Wednesday about Donald Trump’s health, claiming that the president is “healthy as a bull.” The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator told the New York Post podcast that Trump’s “success to longevity as well as good health is

FAA probing close call at JFK airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking into a close call between two planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the agency said in a statement. According to the FAA statement, Republic Airways flight 4464 halted its landing at JFK on Monday afternoon “after

RFK Jr. apologizes for comments about Black kids he claims he didn't say

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday apologized for past comments he made about Black children being "re-parented," while maintaining that he didn't make those remarks despite there being a recording of him doing so. Sen. Angela

Oversight members split over whether to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, committee chair says

The only convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein has said she would testify to Congress if granted clemency — a power held solely by the president.

Lufthansa cutting 20K flights to save jet fuel

The German airline Lufthansa said it would cut 20,000 flights in the coming months to accommodate rising jet fuel costs amid the ongoing war with Iran. The schedule adjustments will affect “unprofitable short-haul flights” in Europe through the end of October, the Lufthansa

Kalshi suspends 3 political candidates for betting on own races

Kalshi has suspended three political candidates for betting on their own races, the prediction market platform announced Wednesday. Minnesota congressional candidate and state Sen. Matt Klein (D) and former Texas congressional candidate Ezekiel Enriquez (R) both settled and

Senate Democrats press Postal Service to reject Trump mail-in voting order

Dozens of Senate Democrats are calling on the U.S. Postal Service not to comply with President Trump’s executive order that restricts mail-in voting. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

Massie says $10M 'wasted' in Kentucky GOP primary: 'Imagine if they had used that in Virginia'

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said Republicans “wasted” the money spent funding his opponent and attack ads against him in the upcoming Kentucky Republican primary race. “They’ve wasted $10 million in my race already. Imagine if they had used that in Virginia,” Massie wrote on

House GOP FISA tensions boil over as Johnson hunts for a plan

The speaker said a deal could come as soon as Thursday.

Debate Night Live: Race for California governor

The Hill will present two and a half hours of live coverage on Nexstar Media Inc.'s California gubernatorial primary debate on Wednesday evening. The debate will be moderated by Nikki Laurenzo, news anchor at KTXL FOX40 in Sacramento and host of Inside California Politics, and

House leaders pull Endangered Species Act bill

The chamber was poised to vote on the Republican legislation Wednesday afternoon. Its future is now in limbo.

House Democrat: Iran in 'better position' today than before war

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) on Tuesday said Iran is in a "better position" than it was before the U.S.-Israeli conflict against Iran started on Feb. 28. Moulton, an outspoken critic of the war, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that Iran has "the willingness to endure the pain and

Trump administration giving unclear graduate student loan guidance: Financial aid group

The Department of Education (DoE) is issuing unclear guidance on whether graduate school loans are included in the new borrowing limit that will take effect this summer, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). In a Tuesday

Purse thief who targeted Noem sentenced

A man who pleaded guilty to stealing former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse at a downtown Washington, D.C., restaurant in a string of thefts last spring has been sentenced to three years in prison. Mario Bustamante Leiva, 50, received a 36-month sentence in

James Comer Is Effectively Killing the Epstein Investigation

Republicans have found a new way to conduct the Epstein investigation. Democrats insist it’s just another attempt to sweep the whole scandal under the rug. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee flamed House Oversight Chair James Comer in a congressional memo for “running

US urges Americans to leave Iran during partial airspace reopening

The State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs on Wednesday told Americans in Iran to leave after its airspace partially reopened amid the ceasefire between both countries. The bureau warned Americans in an alert to be "aware that the Iranian government may prevent U.S.

Cassidy hammers RFK Jr. on abortion drugs, vaccine-preventable deaths

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on how he plans to act on abortion pills and the ongoing measles outbreak in the U.S. during a congressional

Adversaries may have taken missing US scientists, lawmaker says

Nearly a dozen scientists have disappeared or died in circumstances that some observers have deemed suspicious.

'Is that real?:' Warren, CNBC anchor spar over Trump Fed pressure

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday became incredulous when CNBC anchor Sara Eisen compared her prior outspokenness on the Federal Reserve to that of President Trump. During an interview on “Squawk on the Street,” Eisen noted that the Massachusetts Democrat has been

Spirit Airlines reportedly negotiating rescue deal with Trump administration

The Trump administration is considering a rescue deal for Spirit Airlines, a company that filed for bankruptcy twice within the past two years, The Wall Street Journal reported. On Tuesday, President Trump, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Commerce Secretary Howard

Schumer: Trump turning DOJ into 'Department of Vengeance' with SPLC investigation

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that President Trump is turning the Department of Justice (DOJ) into the “Department of Vengeance" with a recent indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). “I just want to say a quick word about the

Trump Hasn’t Actually Wrecked as Much of Iran’s Military as He Claims

President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed to have obliterated Iran’s navy and air force—but it seems that Iran has maintained far more military capabilities than his administration is willing to let on. Last week, Trump claimed that Iran’s navy was “laying at the bottom of

Rick Scott holding Coast Guard promotions over issue with shipbuilder

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is holding up hundreds of Coast Guard promotions over an issue with Eastern Shipbuilding Group, a Florida shipbuilder. In a statement to The Hill on Wednesday, Scott said he has questions about what happened with contracts with the company since

Republicans air misgivings about redistricting push after Virginia vote

The Democratic triumph Tuesday has GOP lawmakers openly questioning the mid-decade redraws pushed by President Donald Trump.

Republicans warn DeSantis's Florida redistricting push 'fraught with peril'

Florida Republicans are barreling ahead with a high-stakes redistricting session as the party looks to offset Democrats’ new maps in Virginia. State lawmakers in the Sunshine State are set to convene next week in what is widely seen as the GOP’s last chance to redraw

Transcript: Trump’s Choices in Iran Are “Humiliation or Escalation”

This is a lightly edited transcript of the April 20 edition of Right Now With Perry Bacon . You can watch the video here or by following this show on YouTube or Substack . Perry Bacon: I am Perry Bacon. I’m from The New Republic show Right Now . I’m joined by Elizabeth

RFK Jr. Faces Backlash Over FDA Rejection of Lifesaving Cancer Drug

President Trump’s Food and Drug Administration has decided not to approve a skin cancer treatment that could save lives, drawing backlash from doctors. On Wednesday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Congress that he had nothing to do with the

Top Republican Sounds Like He Has Some Regrets on Redistricting

National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson wouldn’t back up President Donald Trump’s gerrymandering scheme Wednesday after it backfired and gave Democrats a boost. Virginians voted Tuesday to redraw their state’s congressional district map, potentially

Valor awards upgraded for Marines who defended Abbey Gate during Afghanistan withdrawal

The Marine Corps has upgraded the valor awards given to Marines who guarded Abbey Gate at the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021 — the day a suicide bomber struck the gate and killed 13 service members and 170 Afghans, the Pentagon said Wednesday. “After

Trump Starts Nonsensical Conspiracy After Major Redistricting Defeat

President Trump is once again alleging voter fraud—this time, after his gerrymandering defeat in Virginia. “A RIGGED ELECTION TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT IN THE GREAT COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA! All day long Republicans were winning, the Spirit was unbelievable, until the very end

Trump extends 'rigged' election claims to Virginia redistricting, without citing evidence

President Trump responded Wednesday to Virginia Democrats’ redistricting win Tuesday night, saying the results were “rigged” without citing evidence. “A RIGGED ELECTION TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT IN THE GREAT COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “All

2026 Grammys on the Hill takes aim at AI, honors Coons and Salazar

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) were honored on Tuesday for their work in protecting musical artists during the Grammys on the Hill awards ceremony, an annual event that focused on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in the music

Pentagon Report Destroys Trump’s Dream of Cheaper Gas Before Midterms

It will be a long time before the Strait of Hormuz is back to business as usual. A Pentagon assessment shared with lawmakers Tuesday revealed that it could take six months for the vital oil tradeway to be fully cleared of the mines planted by the Iranian military, according to

Appeals court blocks California law requiring ICE show visible ID

A federal appeals court has halted a California law that requires visible identification for law enforcement, including immigration agents, agreeing with the Trump administration on Wednesday that the mandate is likely unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th