Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — FBI Director Chris Wray began the new year with a public appearance to assure the American public and the academic community that, in spite of a growing number of foreign actors and nation-states seeking to disrupt the democratic process in the U.S., the Bureau is well-positioned to defend against…
Video and full text below… By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The sting of Trump’s violent insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021 that nearly brought down a shroud and a pall over American democracy is still fresh like an open, bleeding, infected wound that refuses to heal after three years of Covid and political strife.…
By Ashley Murray – Maryland Matters – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville’s one man filibuster of President Joe Biden’s top military appointments effectively came to an ignominious end Tuesday night when the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the remainder of the senior generals and admirals on hold for the past year in a…
By Jennifer Shutt – Maryland Matters – WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. senators voted 87-11 to approve legislation Wednesday that would fund the government into next year, clearing the measure for President Joe Biden’s signature. The stopgap spending bill, sometimes called a continuing resolution or CR, would fund part of the government until mid-January and the…
Public Opinion – National Politics – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wait just a doggone minute. Did The New York Times just bury the lede? In the Sunday Times, a banner headline promoting a public opinion story about the 2024 presidential election proclaimed that President Joe Biden was trailing former President Donald Trump…
By Jennifer Shutt – Maryland Matters – ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Congress will need to pass a second stopgap funding measure before Thanksgiving if lawmakers want to avoid a government shutdown, though pushing off final decisions on full-year spending bills until next year would put lawmakers smack dab in the middle of what’s expected to be…
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Who is the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson? Let his own words reveal all. “It’s no secret that I am a steadfast Christian and man of God,” Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told supporters in recent fundraising emails. But in…
The Dead on Arrival Bill Included a Partisan Poison Pill to Cut Federal Spending – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a crass attempt to appear to side with Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson brought up a bill which included $14.3 billion…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — Little known Louisiana arch-conservative Mike Johnson managed to do what others could not. He managed to get 220 votes and was elected Speaker of the House on Wednesday, bringing an end to three weeks of chaos that left the chamber without a leader and put Republican divisions on display…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chaos in the House continued on Friday as Jim Jordan of Ohio failed for a third time to win election as Speaker, “leaving his party with no consensus on a way forward and the chamber paralyzed in the face of growing pressure to get back to business,”…
By Glynn Wilson — WASHINGTON, D.C. — A behind the scenes scorched earth political pressure campaign over the weekend failed to generate enough votes for right-wing flame thrower Jim Jordon of Ohio to be approved as Speaker of the House in a floor vote on Tuesday. In the final analysis, he only got 200 votes.…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the world watches the devastating crisis of war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas on 24-hour cable news and social media, the federal government in Washington is still operating without a 2024 budget on a temporary continuing resolution that will expire on Nov. 17, the…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The MAGA Dixie Caucus, a.k.a., the “Freedom Caucus,” led by Matt Gaetz of the Redneck Riviera in the Panhandle of Florida, got their way on Tuesday as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed in a vote of 216 to 210. In live coverage, the New York Times called it…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — While every federal agency was going through contingency plans preparing for a catastrophic government shutdown, including National Park Service rangers getting ready to close most national parks and campgrounds at the beginning of the busy Autumn color season, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy failed to obtain an agreement from…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of the Interior held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to inform the press and the people about what they can expect to happen if and when Congress fails to compromise to keep the United States government open and running and forces a massive federal government shutdown…
The Big Picture – By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — With all the clouds of gloom and doom rocking the world, there are still days when a little light shines through with portents that could hint at a chance of better days to come. It’s a long shot, but I think we should cling…
By Jennifer Shutt – Maryland Matters – WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 3.5 million federal employees and military personnel — many in the Washington, D.C., area but also scattered across the states and around the globe — are bracing for another partial government shutdown, as U.S. House Republicans struggle to produce a short-term plan to…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. – While every news organization in the land was covering it and Democrats all over social media were watching cable TV talk shows and complaining about House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio’s grilling of Attorney General Merrick Garland over Hunter Biden’s laptop, a nothing burger of a story…
By Glynn Wilson – WASHINGTON, D.C. — So let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re interested in getting involved to help “save the world” or save the planet, or at least help try to keep life livable for humans on Earth, and at the same time, you have an interest in saving some…
Staff Report – WASHINGTON, D.C. — The presiding judge in the federal election conspiracy trial of former President Donald Trump rebuffed defense counsel attempts to delay the trial until after the 2024 election, setting a trial date for March 4, the day before the “Super Tuesday” primary on March 5. U.S. District Judge Tanya S.…
