EXPLAINED: 22 | Vintage Vibes

Bill to ban certain Chinese cars approved by Senate panel

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a series of six nominations and seven bills on Wednesday, including a measure to limit the use of vehicles and vehicle technologies developed by foreign entities of concern on American roadways. The bill, introduced by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and co-sponsored by…

Roll Call · Jul 22

Appropriators ponder alternatives to annual shutdown threats

As Congress struggles, yet again, to pass a funding extension to head off a government shutdown this fall, House appropriators took some time Wednesday to think about other ways of doing business. For more than three hours, the Appropriations Committee debated the merits of tweaking the budget process in an…

Roll Call · Jul 22

Fight at the museum

Lawmakers went for a Smithsonian sequel this week, as a top museum official and a nearly identical group of witnesses appeared for their second congressional hearing.  Republicans have thrust the National Museum of American History into the spotlight and accused it of rewriting history two days in a row, first…

Roll Call · Jul 22

Which direction is Trump’s job approval rating headed?

ANALYSIS — The good news for Republicans is that President Donald Trump’s job approval rating isn’t getting any worse. The bad news is that many of the issues that drove his rating down in the first place are making their way back into the news, with the midterm elections creeping…

Roll Call · Jul 21

For Darline Graham, winning Trump’s endorsement may be the easy part

South Carolina Republican Sen. Darline Graham has collected several key endorsements since announcing Monday she would run for the seat of her late brother, Lindsey Graham. But the political newcomer, who entered the race for a full six-year term at the urging of President Donald Trump, now faces a potentially…

Roll Call · Jul 21

Louisiana’s Cleo Fields forgoes reelection after redistricting eliminated his seat

Louisiana Democrat Cleo Fields said Tuesday that he would not seek reelection this fall after his majority-Black district was redrawn to favor Republicans earlier this year.  Instead, Fields said he would seek a return to the state Senate, running for his old seat that’s newly open following the recent death…

Roll Call · Jul 21

Republicans in Congress probe history museum, echoing Trump

As lawmakers clashed with a top Smithsonian official at a Tuesday hearing, they ping-ponged between small details — like items sold in the gift shop — and the loftiest American ideals. Republicans accused Anthea M. Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History, of trying to “rewrite” the country’s past…

Roll Call · Jul 21

Independent voters have been skeptical of Trump’s election claims

Independent voters’ skepticism of Donald Trump’s baseless claims about the 2020 presidential race and his contention that American elections are not secure are contributing to a broader trend of the key voting bloc abandoning the president ahead of November’s midterms. Multiple polls conducted in recent weeks show independents continue to…

Roll Call · Jul 21

Rotunda tribute and Cathedral funeral announced for Lindsey Graham

The late Sen. Lindsey Graham will be honored with a ceremony in the Capitol’s Rotunda ahead of a funeral at the National Cathedral next Tuesday. “For so many of us in the Senate and the House, myself included, Lindsey was more than a colleague, he was a friend,” Senate Majority…

Roll Call · Jul 21

Appeals court upholds contempt of Congress conviction for Navarro

A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld a contempt of Congress conviction against Trump ally Peter Navarro tied to his defiance of subpoenas from the panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia unanimously…

Roll Call · Jul 21