Commerce Department announces new restrictions on U.S. firearms exports
The Commerce Department is announcing new restrictions on U.S. firearms exports in an effort to prevent the guns from ending up in the hands of drug traffickers and criminals in other nations.
EXPLAINER: Declassification in spotlight during Trump probe
In the weeks since the FBI searched Donald Trumpโs Mar-a-Lago estate and seized about 100 documents with classification markings, the former president has insisted he had declassified the information.
Migrants sue Florida governor over Martha's Vineyard flights
Venezuelan migrants flown from San Antonio to the upscale Massachusetts island of Marthaโs Vineyard have sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his transportation secretary for engaging in a โfraudulent and discriminatory schemeโ to relocate them.
โWhat the hell do you need an AR-15 for?โ Spurs coach Popovich, Castro brothers speak at โStand with Uvaldeโ benefit rally
Hundreds of people gathered in San Antonioโs Travis Park on Saturday to stand with the town of Uvalde during a call-to-action event in support of the victims and families affected by the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
Dems: Discovery, AT&T merger will hurt diversity, workers
House Democrats are raising concerns that the proposed merger of Discovery and AT&Tโs WarnerMedia, a $43 billion effort to conquer the world of streaming, could affect diversity efforts in Hollywood and particularly hurt Latinos, who are already deeply underrepresented.
![With ambassador picks, Biden faces donor vs. diversity test](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Jva2MFwvyhgtfh6W1cph4YMTOD4=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/3RFZYWP6NZE2XCMBUAMT7NCLGA.jpg)
With ambassador picks, Biden faces donor vs. diversity test
President Joe Biden is facing a fresh challenge to his oft-repeated commitment to diversity in his administration: assembling a diplomatic corps that gives a nod to key political allies and donors while staying true to a campaign pledge to appoint ambassadors who look like America.
![Rivals seeking to gain as Biden mulls approach to Syrian war](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/jVeazCTWPxStEqSy6JbMNO3vwIE=/2048x1299/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/Y6BVNLTQAVBANCD5RXREWLLX4Q.jpg)
Rivals seeking to gain as Biden mulls approach to Syrian war
The Biden administration is mulling over Americas role in Syrias ongoing conflict as the U.S. tries to break away from Middle East wars. AdDealing with Syria's war will test the Biden administration's determination to focus on Asia and not the Middle East. Hence Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's Middle East tour this month. โIf this is the security future of the Middle East, weโre all in trouble,โ Jeffrey warns. It was the Syrian war that sparked that debate, when President Barack Obama first considered military strikes there, said Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
![Pelosi says bipartisan panel should investigate Capitol riot](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/_i2IsgpnRJDWYekvjvy14zLtXhY=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/PEHUVE6CYZCQNIYSDGWYKI66C4.jpg)
Pelosi says bipartisan panel should investigate Capitol riot
But to ensure Republican support, Pelosi said Democrats sent the proposal to GOP leaders โto see what suggestions they may have because, for this to work, it really has to be strongly bipartisan." It is an open question whether the commission will be authorized to investigate Trump's actions. Still, some Republicans have said they think such a commission is necessary alongside other congressional efforts to investigate the attack. โThereโs still more evidence that the American people need and deserve to hear and a 9/11 commission is a way to make sure that we secure the Capitol going forward,โ said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. โOur country has been wounded,โ the former 9/11 commission chairmen said.
![A fight or a 'fight'? In impeachment, a clash about context](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/3cRK6qDzmSyJBHEGWFIqpXQxuwo=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/BWAISVRZQVGBNDF3PXYJMEQMMM.jpg)
A fight or a 'fight'? In impeachment, a clash about context
In American political speech โ and particularly in Donald Trumpโs impeachment trial and the discussions around it โ words matter. Fight for your rights, fight for your children, join the fight against breast cancer: Do those always involve fists? Finally, the question of fight or โfightโ points, too, to the status of Trump himself โ his position as president. Does a president saying โfightโ in that situation remove the quote marks like a street brawler tossing aside his jacket? Much of the time, when we fight, we โfight.โ On Jan. 6, 2021, outside and inside the U.S. Capitol, some Americans decided to actually fight.
![The Latest: Tuberville stands by account of Trump phone call](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/GoTJsNCx3lsV61MzEKCcjYgfeHo=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/AS3TCXKQ3NHAPEH2FRC24W7ZKU.jpg)
The Latest: Tuberville stands by account of Trump phone call
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, after the fourth day of the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. AdGoodman has been in the chamber for much of the impeachment trial, in which House Democrats are charging that former President Donald Trump incited the Jan. 6 insurrection. Senators are submitting written questions to the prosecution and the defense in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. But he's made a comeback as one of Donald Trump's lawyers at the former president's impeachment trial. AdHe's getting a chance to make a different impression when he begins to present Trumpโs defense on Friday.
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Convict Trump or face dire democracy damage, prosecutors say
Trump is accused of inciting the invasion, which prosecutors said was a predictable culmination of the many public and explicit instructions he gave supporters long before his White House rally that unleashed the Jan. 6 attack. Even out of office, Democrats warned, Trump could whip up a mob of followers for similar damage. Even out of the White House, the former president holds influence over large swaths of voters. The first president to face an impeachment trial after leaving office, Trump is also the first to be twice impeached. His lawyers say he cannot be convicted because he is already gone from the White House.
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Trial highlights: Harrowing footage, focus on Trump's words
NEW SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGETo reconstruct the siege for senators, Democrats aired never-before-seen security footage from inside the Capitol that showed the attack unfolding. AdโVice President Pence had the courage to stand against the president, tell the American public the truth and uphold our Constitution. Many Republicans had been appalled by Trump's treatment of his most loyal soldier during his final days in office. REPUBLICANS HOLD FIRMThere appears little chance enough Republicans will break with Democrats to convict Trump at the end of the trial. AdThe video evidence was โnothing new here, for me, at the end of the day,โ said Hawley, who maintains the trial is unconstitutional.
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Trump trial video shows vast scope, danger of Capitol riot
In this image from video, a security video shows Vice President Mike Pence being evacuated as rioters breach the Capitol, as House impeachment manager Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, speaks during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. AdโOn Jan. 6, President Trump left everyone in this Capitol for dead,โ said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, a prosecutor. โGreatly disturbing.โTrump is the first president to face an impeachment trial after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.
![What to Watch: Democrats to argue Trump alone incited mob](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/o59l5AHJwwIHFE4PiQRlCLKBnY4=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/73YOJFIIQ5BOBFHWCL2QDKH6MY.jpg)
What to Watch: Democrats to argue Trump alone incited mob
While the Democrats have appealed to the senatorsโ emotions, Trumpโs lawyers have tried to tap into raw partisan anger. REPUBLICANS TO WATCHSix Republican senators voted with Democrats on Tuesday not to dismiss the trial on constitutional grounds. AdCassidy was the only one who did not side with Democrats in a similar vote two weeks ago. He said after the vote Tuesday that he thought Democrats had a better argument and that Trumpโs team had done a โterribleโ job. He said he will watch the additional arguments as an impartial juror and then decide whether to convict.
![Immigrants in sanctuary in churches hope Biden offers relief](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/C90SXmc06JYervdSdDcfkoXWo6o=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/O2HDBFSFDRASNDADENXOKVXBIA.jpg)
Immigrants in sanctuary in churches hope Biden offers relief
โ For over three years, Maria Macario has been too afraid to leave the white steepled First Parish church just outside Boston. AdThose who have taken sanctuary have enlisted lawmakers to ask Biden for relief, pushing to cancel deportation orders and reviving the use of private bills โ measures to protect a person or group. The Trump administration was more hardline, taking an Indonesian immigrant into custody on church grounds last year. After all, her family was ordered to leave when Biden was vice president. โMy lawyer says I could leave the church today, but I just donโt trust things,โ Macario said.
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Pelosi's nine impeachment managers hope to 'finish the job'
WASHINGTON โ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped nine of her most trusted allies in the House to argue the case for President Donald Trumpโs impeachment. Pelosi hasnโt yet said when she will send the article of impeachment to the Senate. Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette, another manager, says the nine prosecutors plan to present a serious case and โfinish the jobโ that the House started. REP. TED LIEU, CALIFORNIALieu, who authored the article of impeachment with Cicilline and Raskin, is on the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs panels. She is also a member of the House Judiciary Committee, and is a former lawyer and member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
![Biden weighs pick for agriculture chief from diverse slate](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/O_4bRPu2WehBCKAVg_lcomk6Kug=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/5YV4GQEYNZHXRG4WHNSTQWPBXA.jpg)
Biden weighs pick for agriculture chief from diverse slate
Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota are in the running for the Cabinet position. (House Television via AP)WASHINGTON โ One leading candidate for agriculture secretary hails from Cleveland, has the backing of progressives and has worked for years to boost food stamp programs. Tom Vilsack, who served as Obamaโs agriculture secretary for eight years, is also being considered. Biden has said he wants a diverse Cabinet, and some Black leaders have said he needs to do more to achieve that. โYou won't find a better person thant Heidi Heitkamp,โ Manchin said in a statement, adding that she would make a โtremendousโ agriculture secretary.
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Mexico, Brazil leaders silent as world congratulates Biden
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, sometimes dubbed โthe Trump of the Tropicsโ for his populist, off-the-cuff style, has kept silent on Trumpโs loss. And Mexican President Andrรฉs Manuel Lรณpez Obrador refused to congratulate Biden at this point, saying he would wait until the legal challenges over the vote were resolved. On Saturday, Lรณpez Obrador was one of the few world leaders still willing to heap praise on Trump. But a Biden administration that only quietly presses Mexico to limit migrant crossings could leave Lรณpez Obrador in a more uncomfortable position. โDonald Trump will be president for two more months, but Joe Biden will be president for four more years!
![Judge urges US to help find parents deported without kids](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/ldI3pAE7ZLWK5J8YsGYZ5pd0nJ8=/1600x1068/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ANIMVCLHJJEC7LM2CIBIRULLTM.jpg)
Judge urges US to help find parents deported without kids
Most of the parents were deported to their Central American homelands, and their children were placed with sponsors in the U.S., often relatives. But it was later discovered an additional 1,556 children were taken from their parents going back to summer 2017, including the 545 kids who are still separated. The administrationโs foot-dragging has made it even tougher to find the parents because of how much time has passed, he said. The judge called for an update on Dec. 2 and set another hearing for Dec. 4 to discuss the progress. Just nine parents separated from their children were allowed back in January.
![Defying precedent and possibly law, Pompeo dives into race](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/B1cgt5OCHw6VofPbmLZtFM58sN4=/1600x1111/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/FKUN73CAGNAAXC7HTY3MEUWY7Y.jpg)
Defying precedent and possibly law, Pompeo dives into race
Indeed, Pompeo himself had reminded State Department staffers of those restrictions only last month. Pompeo delivered standard recitations of GOP claims about the successes of Trumps America First foreign policy against Russia, China and Iran. In fact, Pompeos convention speech was relatively mild in comparison with previous comments he has made taking Democrats to task for failed policies. They are more safe, and their freedoms more secure, because President Trump has put his America First vision into action. The president moved the U.S. Embassy to this very city of God, Jerusalem, the rightful capital of the Jewish homeland, Pompeo said.
![AP Q&A: Who cares about the Hatch Act?](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/w7FkovHR-UH19wshqdV9SksACBU=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/GHZYTA42WREGVJFDPDTYZ2GHBE.jpg)
AP Q&A: Who cares about the Hatch Act?
____WHAT IS THE HATCH ACT? Theres so much chatter about the Hatch Act that retired Sen. Orrin Hatch tweeted Wednesday, Friends, I am not in charge of the Hatch Act please stop calling.Former Sen. Carl Hatch, D-N.M., wrote the legislation in 1939 to limit partisan activity by federal employees to ensure the government functions fairly and effectively. ___SHOULD THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THE HATCH ACT? If youre trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, its not going to work, she said in May 2019. What you see now is President Trump behaving more and more like an authoritarian leader, not a democratically elected leader.