Political developments with market and economic implications.
Coverage of political events, elections, legislation, and regulatory changes that influence markets and economic policy. Focuses on political risk, fiscal decisions, and policy uncertainty relevant to investors.
347 total articles
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to block California’s recently redrawn congressional map, allowing a map approved by state voters last year that is expected to add five seats favorable to Democrats. The court issued a one-sentence order denying the California Republican Party’s emergency request without public dissent or explanation. T…
The Trump administration will reduce its federal immigration enforcement presence in Minnesota by 700 agents while leaving roughly 2,000 on the ground, White House border official Tom Homan said on Wednesday in Fort Snelling. Homan framed the partial drawdown as a response to cooperation from county sheriffs that operate local jails, but stressed t…
Ryan Routh, 59, was sentenced to life in prison in Fort Pierce, Florida after a jury found him guilty last September on five counts including attempted assassination of Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon cited the premeditated nature of the plot and Routh's extensive criminal history while imposing the sentence. Prosecutors characteriz…
The Democratic National Committee is launching a program called Local Listeners to reach more than 1 million voters who supported Democrats in 2020 but did not vote in 2024. The initiative, announced ahead of the November midterm elections, combines large-scale phone outreach with in-person events and voter registration drives in tight races, and w…
Two U.S. senators introduced legislation requiring companies that synthesize gene sequences to vet customers and orders and directing the Commerce Department, with other federal agencies, to compile a list of genetic sequences judged potentially dangerous. The proposal aims to close regulatory gaps as advances in AI and compact synthesis machines m…
New York and New Jersey filed suit in federal court on Feb. 3 seeking immediate restoration of federal funding for the $16 billion Hudson River tunnel project. The states say the Department of Transportation has blocked release of funds approved under the previous administration, and they asked a Manhattan judge to order the money released before w…
President Trump has urged Minnesota to give federal immigration agents broader access to people in custody. Minnesota's Department of Corrections says it notifies and transfers noncitizen felons sought by ICE, and some county jails have formal agreements; other counties, citing legal limits and public-safety concerns, limit or bar ICE access. State…
Federal authorities in Massachusetts charged four individuals for allegedly using 115 stolen identities to obtain over $1 million in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Prosecutors say the fraud financed bulk food purchases for a restaurant and generated more than $700,000 from false une…
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear before the House Oversight Committee for transcribed and filmed testimony on February 26 and 27 as part of the congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The planned contempt vote that could have led to criminal referrals has been paused while both agree …
President Donald Trump urged Republicans to 'nationalize' elections and 'take over' voting in at least 15 places, repeating false claims about the 2020 election. His remarks, delivered on a podcast, have produced sharp responses from Democrats who see a potential effort to influence the November midterms and from some Republicans who reject federal…
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a team of volunteer legal observers who will wear purple vests to monitor and record federal immigration enforcement activity. The observers will document whether officers act within legal bounds as the Trump administration increases deportation efforts and has staged high-profile operations in citi…
Lawyers for U.S. Senator Mark Kelly will ask a federal judge to block Pentagon proceedings that could remove his retired Navy captain rank after he urged service members to refuse unlawful orders. The hearing, before U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, is framed as a test of a wider campaign of retribution pursued by President Donald Tr…
A Democrat, Taylor Rehmet, won a special election for a Texas state senate seat formerly held by a four-term Republican, defeating Republican Leigh Wambsganss by more than 14 percentage points in a conservative Tarrant County district. The result, framed by the losing candidate as a 'wake-up call,' adds to a string of recent Democratic victories th…
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says she attended an FBI search of a Fulton County election facility at President Donald Trump's request and that her presence fell under her statutory election-security responsibilities. In a letter to lawmakers, Gabbard says she observed agents executing a warrant, briefly visited the Atlanta f…
In a podcast appearance, the president said Republicans should "take over" voting in at least 15 unspecified jurisdictions and "nationalize" voting, repeating unproven assertions that his 2020 defeat was due to fraud. He provided no operational details. His remarks came amid an FBI search of a Georgia election office and reports he contacted agents…
Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has issued directives and taken steps aimed at reshaping how federal museums, national parks and cultural bodies present American history. Actions include an executive order targeting what the administration calls "anti-American ideology," reviews of interpretive materials at the National P…
A coalition of civil rights organizations filed suit in federal court in Manhattan seeking to halt a State Department policy that paused immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries. Plaintiffs contend the policy undermines long-established immigration law and rests on an unsupported claim that nationals of the listed countries will becom…
The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump spoke by phone with several FBI agents a day after their search of a Fulton County, Georgia election office. The call followed a raid tied to an inquiry connected to Trump’s unproven claims about the 2020 election. A White House statement defended collaboration on election integrity priorities…
President Donald Trump told officials he was not asleep during a December cabinet meeting in which he shut his eyes repeatedly, saying he was simply bored and wanted to leave. The remarks came during an 81-minute televised meeting that the White House shortened from its usual format. The episode underscores ongoing questions about the 79-year-old p…
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has issued an executive order instructing the Chicago Police Department to investigate allegations of illegal activity by federal immigration agents and to refer cases for prosecution when warranted. The order requires preservation of body-camera footage, identification of federal supervisory officers at scenes, and co…
On Jan 31 a U.S. district judge in Minneapolis declined to pause a Department of Homeland Security-led immigration enforcement operation that state officials say has produced widespread civil-rights abuses. The Minnesota Attorney General's lawsuit sought court intervention after the deployment of thousands of federal agents to Minneapolis-St. Paul,…
A federal judge ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, after they were taken into custody during an immigration enforcement action in a Minneapolis suburb. A Texas congressman said he retrieved the pair from a detention center in Dilley, Texas and escorted them back to Minnesota. The decision and su…
A Democratic candidate, Taylor Rehmet, captured a Texas state senate seat in a special election by more than 14 percentage points, taking control from Republicans for the first time in decades. The result in a conservative district outside Dallas prompted calls from the losing Republican candidate and party officials for renewed focus ahead of the …
Christian Menefee, a former Harris County attorney, won a runoff to represent Texas' 18th Congressional District, shrinking the Republican majority in the U.S. House. The result follows a Democratic pickup in a separate Texas state Senate special election and precedes several scheduled special elections and potentially close legislative votes in Co…
President Donald Trump announced he has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to refrain from engaging with protesters in cities led by Democratic officials unless those cities request federal assistance or federal property is at risk. The declaration follows weeks of unrest tied to federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, including the …
