Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Federal agencies spent an estimated $9.5 billion in salary costs on paid administrative leave in 2025, a sixfold increase from 2023, as the Trump administration pursued a sweeping effort to reduce the size of the federal government. The Government Accountability Office said Wednesday that use of paid administrative leave increased …

U.N.-commissioned human rights experts say they found “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two February airstrikes in Iran, including a missile attack on a school in the southern city of Minab that killed civilians. The independent fact-finding mission also accused Iran’s government of crimes against …

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates Wednesday for the first time in three years as inflation continues to dog the economy, largely driven by soaring gas and fuel oil prices while the war in Iran drags on. The central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee voted 12-0 to increase its benchmark interest …

The House on Wednesday passed a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran, sending the legislation to President Donald Trump after months of negotiations over how aggressively the United States should pressure Moscow and countries that continue buying Russian energy. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of …

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., moved Tuesday to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Trump administration’s war with Iran, accusing the Pentagon chief of exceeding his constitutional authority and defying Congress. Massie read his articles of impeachment aloud on the House floor shortly after the chamber convened, arguing that Hegseth …

The Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel that would include 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, reviving the transfer of weapons whose delivery the Biden administration paused in 2024 over concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza. The proposed package includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, according …

President Donald Trump’s push to reshape cryptocurrency regulation suffered a major setback Tuesday when the Senate blocked a procedural motion to advance a sweeping crypto market-structure bill, leaving the industry’s long-sought legislative framework stalled on Capitol Hill. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, known as the Clarity Act, received 49 …

FBI Director Kash Patel sidestepped questions about FBI agents at polling places in the midterm elections at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday that also featured a tense exchange between GOP Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. With the November midterm elections fast approaching …

The Kennedy Center board voted Tuesday to close the historic Washington performing arts complex after a federal judge again blocked efforts to put President Donald Trump’s name on the building, prompting Trump to threaten to halt a planned $257 million renovation unless the ruling is overturned. The board’s decision came …

Donald Trump Jr.’s lavish Bahamas wedding was partly financed by Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, according to records and interviews reviewed by ProPublica. Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses for the May wedding, including the rental of a private island …

Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time in three months, appearing in a wheelchair and acknowledging that he is still recovering from a June fall that led to hospitalization and rehabilitation. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican briefly addressed reporters outside the Senate chamber before casting …

States, cities and counties filed a pair of lawsuits Monday challenging new federal rules that will allow immigrants’ use of safety net resources to be taken into account for green cards and other applications to stay in or enter the country. The new federal policy goes into effect Friday and …

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could face bankruptcy within weeks unless it secures a major financial rescue, and center officials say President Donald Trump’s fundraising support may depend on restoring his name to the building. The warning is contained in a 57-page packet prepared for the …

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s request to revive new U.S. Postal Service restrictions on mail-in ballots, leaving the rules blocked as states prepare to conduct the November midterm elections. In a brief order in U.S. Postal Service v. California, the justices denied the administration’s emergency request …

The Senate returns to Washington Monday after a five-week recess with a crowded legislative agenda and limited time to act before lawmakers leave Capitol Hill for the final stretch of the 2026 midterm campaign. With Congress having already pushed the next major government funding fight into December, senators are expected …