FOUND: 17 - You Need To See This

Surge in veterans’ brain injuries shown in VA records

The number of former servicemembers enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs system who have had traumatic brain injuries spiked considerably in the last four years on record, new data from the department shows. The figures, which were posted on the VA website last week, demonstrate that the number of…

Roll Call · Jul 20

Former Rep. Tim Murphy dies at age 73

Former Rep. Tim Murphy, who championed mental health issues for nearly 15 years before abruptly stepping down from his House seat amid a scandal involving an extramarital affair, has died at the age of 73. The Pennsylvania Republican died Saturday of an apparent heart attack, according to local news reports.…

Roll Call · Jul 20

House spending push

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is trying this week to adopt a budget resolution and pass the annual defense authorization bill and stopgap spending measure. CQ Roll Call’s Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton join guest host Aidan Quigley to discuss the prospects of the continuing resolution and the budget resolution in…

Roll Call · Jul 20

Critics mount offensive against change to federal grant rules

Opposition is building to a sweeping government-wide crackdown on federal grant awards, with opponents threatening litigation over a proposed rule that would put the grant approval process into the hands of political appointees. A request for public comment on the rule by the Office of Management and Budget triggered almost…

Roll Call · Jul 20

How Congress is losing its path(s)

Hoping for a few final wins before the midterms, Republicans are going for reconciliation — again. That’s partly because other legislative paths to President Donald Trump’s desk are disappearing. They’ll spend a good chunk of this week on plans for a third round of the filibuster-proof budget process, this time…

Roll Call · Jul 20

Trump backs newly appointed Darline Graham for full Senate term

President Donald Trump on Friday endorsed newly appointed South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham for a full Senate term, saying he asked her to seek the Republican nomination in next month’s special primary election to pick a replacement for her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.  Darline Graham was sworn in to…

Roll Call · Jul 17

HHS research agency ends funding for dozens of health studies

The Trump administration terminated dozens of health research grants this week, telling grantees it is shifting priorities to issues like the “overmedication of children” and autism, according to a prominent research organization. The cuts hit projects at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, many of them multiyear awards that had already…

Roll Call · Jul 17

Dates set for Lindsey Graham funeral services

As Washington reels from the unexpected death of Sen. Lindsey Graham last weekend, his office on Friday released dates for expected memorials later this month, both in the nation’s capital and back in his home state of South Carolina. Taylor Reidy, who served as the late senator’s communication director, said…

Roll Call · Jul 17

Kids online safety push faces First Amendment hurdles

As Congress considers competing House and Senate proposals meant to protect kids online, lawmakers have only to look to their states to understand the challenges in seeking to regulate kids’ social media usage without running afoul of the First Amendment.  States have already tried some of the same strategies Congress is…

Roll Call · Jul 17

The Factba.se deep dive on Trump fraud claims

President Donald Trump has made thousands of assertions about voter fraud at the local, state, national and international levels, including his Thursday night primetime address.  This interactive Factba.se analysis is based on Trump’s public speeches, interviews, social media posts and any other statement we have picked up in the public…

Roll Call · Jul 17