Poli Alert Politics & Civics

The Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as secretary of labor Wednesday, formally installing President Donald Trump’s nominee after Sonderling had led the department in an acting capacity for months. The Senate voted 47-41 along party lines to confirm Sonderling, who has held several positions at the Department of Labor and Equal …

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would decide “very soon” whether to negotiate with Iran or “blow them up,” as Tehran said it had received Washington’s formal response to its proposal to end the seven-month war. “We have to make that decision: We blow them up or make a deal,” …

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing the federal government to stop referring to artificial intelligence as “AI” and instead use the term “super intelligence,” part of his broader effort to promote rapid development of the technology while resisting calls for stricter regulation. The order says “super intelligence” …

Former special counsel Jack Smith told senators Tuesday that he would not be intimidated into silence by threats of prosecution as Republicans pressed him over his investigations of President Donald Trump. Smith appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee as the Trump administration pursues investigations and disciplinary actions involving federal officials …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted, for now, the Trump administration’s request to continue rapid third-country deportation of immigrants to countries not their own.  The decision will allow the Trump administration to carry out its aggressive deportation method of quickly removing immigrants to one of the countries — some with …

U.S.-Canada trade tensions escalated Tuesday as the Trump administration’s ban on nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian imports, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles, took effect. The ban represents a small fraction of the roughly $880 billion in annual two-way trade between the neighboring countries, but it marks another …

The Trump administration on Monday formally rescinded Biden-era Title IX regulations that extended federal protections against sex discrimination to LGBTQ students, while also reversing broader changes governing how schools respond to allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the new rule brings the regulations in line …

The first major changes to SNAP and Medicaid under President Donald Trump’s 2025 reconciliation law begin taking effect this week, shifting more costs to states and narrowing Medicaid eligibility for some lawfully present immigrants. The changes are part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Republicans passed last year …

The Senate on Monday passed the most sweeping federal overhaul of college sports in years, approving legislation that would establish national rules for athlete compensation, NIL deals and transfers while giving the NCAA greater authority to enforce them. The Protect College Sports Act passed 77-22, sending the bipartisan measure to …

The Trump administration is promoting its official White House app as a direct line between President Donald Trump and the public. But cybersecurity researchers say that access comes with a less visible cost: extensive data collection and third-party tracking that raise questions about how Americans’ information is handled. The app …

Former Kennedy Center employees are accusing the performing arts center’s leadership of delaying repairs to known roof and structural problems months before officials cited those same issues as a reason to abruptly close the building. In a whistleblower disclosure sent to Congress Thursday, attorney David Seide, representing anonymous former employees, …

The Trump administration is using taxpayer dollars to air a television advertisement that closely mirrors one of Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign videos, escalating a growing controversy over whether the White House is using public money to promote the president’s political message. The 30-second spot shows Trump walking down a hallway …

President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days and resume negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, signaling that Washington is not prepared to ease pressure on Iran despite the economic stakes of the critical waterway. “I’m rejecting their deal,” Trump told …

President Donald Trump is moving to cancel about $810 million in federal spending that Congress already approved, invoking a rarely used “pocket rescission” just days before the end of the fiscal year and reigniting a broader fight over how much power the White House has to override congressional spending decisions. …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday drove a stake through the heart of Missouri’s undead congressional map, ordering it be buried for the year and for voters to cast ballots in the districts they’ve used the past two election cycles. In a unanimous decision, the court said that state law …