Tariff votes hand Republicans an unwanted referendum on affordability

House GOP leaders shielded their most vulnerable members from politically explosive votes for more than a year. Now the fallout is reverberating.

Biden-pardoned Maduro ally again targeted by DOJ

A close ally of Venezuela's former regime leader is being targeted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after receiving a pardon during the Biden administration. Alex Saab, Venezuela's former Minister of Industry and National Production, is being investigated by DOJ officials for

IRS improperly disclosed immigrant tax data to DHS: Report

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) improperly disclosed confidential tax data of thousands of people to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of the Trump administration’s push to crack down on immigration enforcement measures across agencies. Last April, DHS

'Dawson's Creek' star James Van Der Beek dies at 48

James Van Der Beek, the hit star from "Dawson's Creek," died to colorectal cancer on Wednesday. He was 48 years old. "Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace," his family wrote in a statement on

Trump threatens 'consequences' for Republicans who voted against tariffs on Canada

President Trump threatened "consequences come Election time" for Republican lawmakers who oppose his administration’s tariffs on U.S. trading partners. “Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election

House Democrats think Pam Bondi just helped them in the midterms

Tensions flared between Democrats and the Attorney General during a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

House passes GOP elections overhaul

GOP voting bill clears House as conservatives clamor for Senate action

House Republicans clamoring for stricter voting rules cleared a hurdle with passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act on Wednesday — but that’s only ramping up debate among conservatives on how to pressure the Senate to take up the election

Trump gives coal a Pentagon boost

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Trump tells Pentagon to buy more coal power President Trump on Wednesday directed the Pentagon to purchase more power from coal plants – in a boost to the declining fossil fuel. © AP Photo/Evan Vucci “I will

World of Travel: Cappadocia and Bodrum — Inside Turkey’s Hidden Cities and Lost Wonders

Turkey has long been defined by its ability to connect worlds. In Istanbul, that connection plays out between continents. But deeper inside the country and along its southwestern coast, that bridge reveals itself differently. Underground cities carved for survival. Ancient

6 Republicans join Democrats to rebuke tariffs on Canada in blow to Trump

Six House Republicans joined Democrats on Wednesday to pass a resolution to repeal President Trump’s tariffs on Canada, a blow to both President Trump and House GOP leadership. The Wednesday 219-211 vote also followed an intraparty revolt against leadership over the

Musk's AI firm loses cofounders

{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story xAI loses two co-founders amid shakeup Two co-founders of Elon Musk’s xAI resigned with little explanation, leaving the AI company with half of its original dozen co-founders. © Evan Vucci, Associated Press Tony Wu announced early

Buddhist Monks close out 'Walk for Peace' on National Mall

A group of Buddhist monks marched down the length of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday afternoon, concluding their “Walk for Peace" that began 109 days ago in Fort Worth, Texas. Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, who has led the group over the course of their 2,300

RNC asks Supreme Court to take up Pennsylvania mail ballot fight

The Republican National Committee (RNC) petitioned the Supreme Court on Wednesday to reverse a ruling that requires Pennsylvania to count undated and misdated mail-in ballots, saying its logic transforms the courts into “weapons of political warfare.” The technical

Trump directs Pentagon to boost coal use as Energy Department announces $175M infusion for plants

President Trump on Wednesday directed the Pentagon to purchase more power from coal plants in a boost to the declining fossil fuel. “I will sign an executive order that directs the Department of War to work directly with coal plants on the new power purchasing agreements,

FDA refuses Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine application

Presented by the Coalition to Strengthen America's Healthcare {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story FDA refuses Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine application The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused to review an application by Moderna for its influenza mRNA

Trump gets jobs day reprieve

Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Trump good news from delayed January jobs report January’s delayed jobs report gave President Trump a badly needed spot of good news on Wednesday, showing the

Trump Secretly Yanks National Guard Out of Three Blue Cities

In a humiliating defeat for Donald Trump’s administration, all federalized National Guard troops have been pulled out of American cities that never wanted them there after failing to accomplish what the president asked them to do. Hundreds of service members deployed as part of

Trump Oversells Recent U.S. Economic Growth

In the second and third quarters of 2025, the U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in two years. Those growth rates were not "numbers unheard of," or figures the U.S. "never had" before, as President Donald Trump has claimed. The post Trump Oversells Recent U.S. Economic

Fiery exchanges dominate Bondi appearance before Congress: 4 takeaways

Attorney General Pam Bondi went toe-to-toe with lawmakers in a heated hearing on Wednesday as the country’s top lawyer appeared before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time since taking office. Bondi fielded questions on issues ranging from pending investigations

Member of White House Religious Liberty Commission booted after antisemitism hearing

Carrie Prejean Boller has been removed from the White House Religious Liberty Commission after Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), who chairs the body, accused her of trying to “hijack” a hearing on antisemitism this week. “No member of the Commission has the right to hijack a

Just 8 percent in US see immigration as biggest problem: Gallup

A new poll from Gallup released Wednesday shows that few Americans see immigration as the country's biggest problem compared with other nations where more respondents say it's an issue. Gallup found that 8 percent of Americans said immigration was their top concern, placing the

Anthropic says it will cover electricity price hikes caused by its data centers

Anthropic said Wednesday that it will cover increases in consumer electricity prices that result from its data centers, becoming the latest company to make commitments in the face of growing pushback to the AI infrastructure. The company behind Claude pledged to pay for grid

RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vax Nonsense Has Helped Spread Measles to Mexico

The measles situation in the United States is so bad that the disease is spreading south of the border. Answering a question from a reporter Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed that the sudden resurgence of measles in Mexico had originated from the U.S. “It

State Department to revoke more passports from people who haven't paid child support

The State Department is planning to revoke more passports from people with large amounts of outstanding unpaid child support. Individuals who owe more than $100,000 will be among the first groups targeted by the State Department for passport revocation, a U.S. official told

Rep. Crow on grand jury’s refusal to indict six Democrats: ‘They always will fail’

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) on Wednesday applauded a grand jury’s decision not to indict him and five other Democratic lawmakers over their participation in a controversial video last year, arguing that the Department of Justice “failed, and they will always fail.” The failed

Trump slams 'RINO' Stitt over National Governors Association dinner

President Trump lashed out at Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, calling him a “RINO” after the National Governors Association (NGA) announced it would not hold its annual meeting at the White House. “The RINO Governor of the Great State of

The Memo: Failure to indict 6 Democrats disrupts Trump’s push to punish

The Trump administration suffered one of its most embarrassing legal setbacks so far on Tuesday, when a grand jury in the District of Columbia rebuffed a request to indict six Democratic lawmakers. The case was made over a video the lawmakers released in November noting troops

Bessent says housing market has 'gotten better' in defense of Trump economy

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday the housing market has improved in defense of the economy under President Trump. “President Trump is laser-focused on the housing market, and things have gotten better. Last month, we hit a three-year low in mortgage rates. The

Trump gets spot of good news from delayed January jobs report

January’s delayed jobs report gave President Trump a badly needed spot of good news on Wednesday, showing the economy gained 130,000 jobs, a number well ahead of expectations. Economists expected the U.S. to have added roughly 70,000 jobs in January, with the unemployment rate

'Sandcastle Man' banned from California hotel property over 'political' quote

The Sandcastle Man had been building sandy creations outside a Southern California hotel for nearly 20 years.

LA28 Olympics leaders back Casey Wasserman after Epstein files fallout

The leaders of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics determined on Wednesday that the chair of its organizing committee, Casey Wasserman, will remain in his role amid uproar over his past exchanges with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell. "The [LA28]

Johnson on calls for Lutnick to resign over Epstein ties: 'Absurd'

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday said calls for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to resign for misrepresenting his previous interactions with Jeffrey Epstein are “absurd.” “It’s absurd. Howard Lutnick is a great Commerce Secretary. He’s done an extraordinary job for the

Walz: Immigration crackdown in Minnesota may end in days

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said Tuesday that he expects the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis to end in a matter of days. Walz told reporters that he spoke with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles earlier that morning and with White House border

Coincidence? Gallup Ends Presidential Approval Poll After 88 Years

Gallup will no longer track presidential approval rating after nearly nine decades of doing so, stating that the move “reflects an evolution in how Gallup focuses its public research and thought leadership,” according to The Hill . “This change is part of a broader, ongoing

US participating in influenza vaccine meeting: WHO

The U.S. will participate in the World Health Organization's (WHO) upcoming meeting on the composition of the influenza vaccine despite officially withdrawing from the global group last month. The WHO will meet on Feb. 26 in Turkey to discuss the composition of the 2026-2027

Bondi Says Jewish Rep. Who Asked About Trump, Epstein Is Antisemitic

Attorney General Pam Bondi stomped and raged her way through her hearing before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, but her refusal to answer one particularly heated line of questioning inspired Bondi to accuse a Jewish lawmaker of antisemitism in an apparent attempt to

Bondi dodges questions about Lutnick’s connections with Epstein

Pentagon, Agriculture Department increasing information sharing on farm vulnerabilities

The Pentagon and Department of Agriculture signed a Wednesday memorandum of understanding to partner on securing American farmland vulnerabilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins both signed the MOU allowing the department to expand its

Bondi says DOJ is investigating possible Epstein conspirators

Andy Ogles accuses Bad Bunny of broadcasting 'gay pornography'?

The government is flirting with shutdown drama, immigration policy is in chaos, and Congress is struggling to pass basic, functional legislation. But sure — let’s launch a federal inquiry into Bad Bunny’s half-time show.

Democrat Mocks Pam Bondi’s Burn Books of Insults

Attorney General Pam Bondi got called out Wednesday for using a cheat sheet of personal attacks against Democratic lawmakers in order to dodge tough questions and—ironically—offered a pathetic comeback. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Florida Representative Jared

Key FEMA official says it's too easy to get major disaster funding

A key official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) indicated Wednesday that he believes the nation’s threshold for the declaration of major disasters is too low as various changes loom for the agency under the Trump administration. During a congressional hearing,

Pentagon plans to test anti-drone laser led to El Paso airspace closure: Report

The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) brief restriction of airspace above El Paso, Texas, and southern New Mexico resulted from the Pentagon planning to test anti-drone technology despite the FAA’s reservations, according to multiple reports. Earlier Wednesday, a Trump

Watch live: Trump to tout 'clean, beautiful coal' at White House event

President Trump on Wednesday afternoon will hold an event at the White House to tout his administration's support for coal mining. Trump in his second term has made moves to nix climate change rules and restrictions on power plants that use coal and other fossil fuels, despite

TPUSA halftime success! Channel gains 1M subscribers after Kid Rock show

Turning Point USA’s YouTube channel added 1 million subscribers after its alternative half-time show Sunday. It’s a big win, regardless of whether you personally liked Kid Rock’s performance.

7 states back in CDC's worst tier for flu as influenza B spreads

As one variant of the flu virus starts to decline, another is rising to take its place.

El Paso Airport Closed After Military Shot Down Random Party Balloon

The FAA briefly closed the airspace over El Paso, Texas, after the military used a high-powered laser to shoot down what appeared to be a drone but was actually just a party balloon. CBS reports that the Pentagon wanted to use the technology to practice shooting down drones

CBO projects worsening federal deficits, debt

The federal deficit and national debt are expected to grow by trillions of dollars over the next decade, according to 10-year projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The CBO projected that the U.S. budget deficit will reach $1.9 trillion in fiscal

Trump, Netanyahu end meeting with no deal on Iran strategy

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended a two-and-a-half hour meeting on Wednesday with no agreement on how to move forward with Iran. "There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or