The intensifying rivalry between former President Donald Trump and his once fiercely loyal vice president, Mike Pence, has been put on stark display in Washington.

MSNBC says it has hired former Biden aide Symone Sanders to host a weekend television show and another on its Peacock streaming service.

A freshman senator has ground the Senate to a crawl in order to slow the passage of a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package.

Prospects for a vast infrastructure deal have been thrown into serious doubt.

Sen. Ron Johnson is in an uncomfortable class of his own.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has launched a new advocacy group as he and other Trump administration officials look to boost their post-White House plans.

In the two years since the office-sharing company’s failed IPO, a new way to launch a stock on Wall Street has become fashionable: SPACs. Special purpose acquisition companies have been embraced by big institutions and small-pocketed investors alike. The goal is to use those millions of dollars to take a private company public without using the traditional initial public offering process that’s been around for decades. Management has a financial incentive to find an acquisition target — most often management receives a 20% stake in the newly public company. An exchange-traded fund consisting of SPACs and companies taken public through SPAC acquisitions, the Defiance Next Gen SPAC fund, jumped 55% between early November and mid-February.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the offer to Pelosi late Tuesday afternoon, he said in a statement. Mnuchin reached out to Pelosi after a call with top congressional GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who remains at odds with Democratic leaders over COVID-19 relief. The $916 billion Mnuchin offer, the separate ongoing talks among key rank-and-file senators, and the shifting demands by the White House all add up to muddled, confusing prospects for a long-delayed COVID-19 aid package. McConnell said Congress will not adjourn without providing the long-overdue COVID-19 relief. Pelosi blasted McConnell's offer as an attempt to undercut the bipartisan group whose framework she supports as a foundation for the negotiations.

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers are giving themselves more time to sort through their end-of-session business on government spending and COVID-19 relief, preparing a one-week stopgap spending bill that would prevent a shutdown this weekend. House floor leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said on Twitter that the temporary government funding bill is slated for a vote on Wednesday, when it is sure to easily pass. Disagreements flared Monday over one key provision — a proposed liability shield from COVID-19-related lawsuits for businesses, schools and organizations that reopen. Republicans initially proposed a sweeping five-year liability shield, retroactive to December 2019, to protect companies and organizations from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Negotiators suggested a scaled-back liability shield, but a six-month proposal was panned by Republicans and there is no agreement yet from Democrats.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump never admits defeat. “He intends to fight,” Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow said as it was becoming clear that the president was headed for defeat. “What I would tell President Trump is: Don’t give up. “President Trump’s legacy will only become more significant if he focuses on moving the country forward," she said Thursday. “For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight.

— Trump paints an apocalyptic portrait of life under a Biden presidency— Trump Cabinet members fan out to states, blending politics and policy. ___HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON:8:45 p.m.President Donald Trump has met with rap star Lil Wayne at his resort in Doral, Florida. The Trump campaign and the company didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. The Minnesota Department of Health has linked 28 coronavirus cases to other recent Trump campaign events in the state. Mrs. Trump warmed up the large crowd outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for President Donald Trump.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – A new White House coronavirus aid offer got bad reviews from both ends of the political spectrum on Saturday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rejected the most generous Trump administration plan to date as “one step forward, two steps back." The White House had boosted its offer before Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi spoke on Friday afternoon. The White House says its most recent offer before that was about $1.6 trillion. It's clear from Saturday's Senate GOP conference call that the skepticism or outright opposition hasn't changed.

Crowds of people gathered shoulder to shoulder on the White House South Lawn. Instead, he flouted his own government’s guidelines and helped create a false sense of invulnerability in the White House, an approach that has now failed him as it did a nation where more than 200,000 people have died. And their use, while technically required, wasn’t enforced in the White House either. Even in the hours after the president’s diagnosis, senior White House staff, including chief of staff Mark Meadows and economic adviser Larry Kudlow, walked around the White House complex without wearing masks. The White House, even now, says the face coverings are a matter of “personal choice” for most staffers.

The final agreement gives the administration continued immediate authority to dole out Agriculture Department subsidies in the run-up to Election Day. This is cash flow to mom and pop businesses all over rural America," said Texas Rep. Michael Conaway, top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee. Trump announced a new $13 billion allotment of bailout funding at a political rally in Wisconsin last week. But the financial fix had been passed before, and other Democrats, including endangered House incumbents in states like Iowa and Minnesota, pressed for it. In the past, both Democrats and Republicans have sought to use government funding deadlines and must-past temporary funding bills as leverage to try to win concessions elsewhere on Washington's agenda.

Only those the White House expected to be in "close proximity to the president and vice president had been tested for COVID-19. But few convention speakers made reference to the virus, while others have discussed it in the past tense. Health and economic impacts were tragic, said White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on the conventions second night. The White House and campaign refused to say how many in attendance at the events had been tested for the virus. White House spokesman Judd Deere said only that those in close proximity to the president and vice president are screened.

NEW YORK – President Donald Trump's new executive orders to help Americans struggling under the economic recession are far less sweeping than any pandemic relief bill Congress would pass. A payroll tax deferral may not translate into more spending money for workers depending on how employers implement it. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow estimated Sunday that the payroll tax deferral could save employees about $1,200 through the end of the year. Trump is proposing that Congress pass a permanent payroll tax cut, but the prospects of such a measure is uncertain. Democrats and some Republicans are against any change to the payroll tax because it could deplete the Social Security and Medicare Trust funds.

Equally up in the air is whether states, which are necessary partners in Trump's plan to bypass Congress, will sign on. Many Republicans have expressed concern that a $600 weekly benefit, on top of existing state benefits, gives people an incentive to stay unemployed. But under Trump's plan, the $400 a week requires a state to commit to providing $100. Asked at a news conference how many governors had signed on to participate, Trump answered: If they don't, they don't. I dont think there will be a huge delay.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's national security adviser, who tested positive for the coronavirus, returned to work Tuesday after recovering from a mild case of COVID-19, the White House said. Robert O'Brien has resumed his meetings with the president, said National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot. “During his quarantine at home, Ambassador O’Brien worked his normal duties. The administration said there was no risk of exposure to the president or Vice President Mike Pence. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said earlier that O’Brien’s daughter also contracted the virus and that that is how officials think he was exposed.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows speaks to reporters at the Capitol, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Washington. Republican senators and the White House are at odds over various items, including how to cutback the jobless benefit without fully doing away with it. Its our goal to make sure that its not antiquated computers that keep people from getting their benefits, Meadows said. The White House and Senate Republicans were racing to regroup after plans to introduce a $1 trillion virus rescue bill collapsed Thursday during GOP infighting over its size, scope and details. Apart from jobless benefits, Mnuchin said Saturday that new $1,200 direct payments would be based on the same formula from the earlier aid bill.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks with reporters about the coronavirus relief package negotiations, at the White House, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday assailed Republican disarray over a new pandemic relief package as the White House suggested a narrower effort might be necessary, at least for now. Its our goal to make sure that its not antiquated computers that keep people from getting their benefits, Meadows said. House Democrats passed a $3 trillion relief package a couple of months ago, with the aim of jump-starting negotiations. Apart from jobless benefits, Mnuchin said Saturday that new $1,200 direct payments would be based on the same formula from the earlier aid bill.

President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador arrive for an event in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, July 8, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

López Obrador had cordial words for Trump, too, saying that while they have disagreed, it was better to find common ground and avoid slinging insults. Trump has dialed back his harsh words since López Obrador took office a year and a half ago. And López Obrador signaled he wanted to put the insults in the past. Trump and López Obrador also pledged to cooperate in responding to the coronavirus, which has rocked both nations. When he arrived at the White House, López Obrador and Trump did not shake hands as would have been customary before the pandemic.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news briefing at the White House, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Washington, as White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow, left, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, look on. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Saturday signed into law a temporary extension of a subsidy program for small businesses battered by the coronavirus,The legislation extends the June 30 deadline for applying for the program to Aug. 8. About $130 billion of $660 billion approved for the program remains eligible for businesses to seek direct federal subsidies for payroll and other costs such as rent, though demand for the Paycheck Protection Program has pretty much dried up in recent weeks. The Democratic-controlled House voted on Wednesday to approve the extension of the program after the Republican-controlled Senate did the same. Trump had been expected to sign the measure.

They hate rallies and its all because they hate the idea of MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Trump said in a recent fundraising email. But he said that Trump is clear-eyed that if the economy isnt roaring by October, his reelection hopes are dim. Trump is really concerned about the news cycle and the next news cycle and hes worried about his reelection. But I dont think his legacy or what the history books are going to say enters his cortex.With his rally, Trump is also flouting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that, for now, discourage large indoor gatherings. Trump aides say the campaign will conduct temperature checks of rally-goers and supply hand sanitizer.

Ocasio-Cortez began airing a TV spot this week that underlines the importance of turnout in what's likely to be a low-turnout primary. Caruso-Cabrera has cast Ocasio-Cortez as a divisive elitist who ignores the district, which also covers parts of the Bronx. Caruso-Cabrera said that after Congress approved the coronavirus bill and the pandemic was ravaging New York, Ocasio-Cortez stayed in a luxury apartment in D.C. with a Whole Foods in the lobby." Caruso-Cabrera, 51, has vulnerabilities in the overwhelmingly Democratic district. The organization tangled with Ocasio-Cortez in a Texas primary in March, when she backed an unsuccessful liberal challenger to pro-business Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar.

Lawmakers are wrestling over whether to go big as Pelosi wants for the next relief bill or hit pause as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insists. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON Deadlocked over the next big coronavirus relief bill, Congress is shifting its attention to a more modest overhaul of small-business aid in hopes of helping employers reopen shops and survive the pandemic. Yet absent from the agenda is formal talks between congressional leaders on the next phase of the federal coronavirus response. Democrats have already pushed a $3 trillion-plus measure through the House, but negotiations with the GOP-controlled Senate and White House have yet to begin. Its something were looking at very carefully, said White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has a new pitch to voters for this fall: Trust me. Its a transition to greatness, Trump says over and over, predicting a burgeoning economy come the fall. Now, Trump is making the case to voters that if he helped bolster the economy once, he can do it again. "Ill do it a second time.It's not just next year that will be a mystery to voters on Election Day. "The president is placing a bet by reopening the economy before public health officials believe it is safe.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has a new pitch to voters for this fall: Trust me. Its a transition to greatness, Trump says over and over, predicting a burgeoning economy come the fall. Now, Trump is making the case to voters that if he helped bolster the economy once, he can do it again. "Ill do it a second time.It's not just next year that will be a mystery to voters on Election Day. "The president is placing a bet by reopening the economy before public health officials believe it is safe.

The administration has given the board overseeing the Thrift Savings Plan until Wednesday to comply with the president's directive. The more than $4 billion, however, is a small slice of the hundreds of billions in the tax-deferred retirement savings and investment plan that works like a 401(k) plan offered by private corporations. Scalia followed with a letter to the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board asking it to forgo its plan to move money into the Chinese equities. The board declined to reverse its decision and the fund is expected to shortly invest up to $4.5 billion in Chinese equities. The board administers the federal employee retirement fund.

The president, fielding questions from Americans in a virtual town hall from the Lincoln Memorial, acknowledged valid fears on both sides of the issue. After more than a month of being cooped up at the White House, Trump returned from a weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for the virtual town hall hosted by Fox News Channel. We did the right thing and I really believe we saved a million and a half lives,” the president said. To that end, Trump will begin traveling again, with a trip to a mask factory in Arizona planned for Tuesday. The House remains shuttered as debate continues on what the next stage of the economic recovery may look like.

Trump's optimism contradicted the warnings of some public health officials who called for stricter — not looser — restrictions on public interactions. “I gave it two weeks," Trump said during the town hall from the Rose Garden. She suggested that public health professionals could recommend a general easing, while pushing for local restrictions to remain in the hardest-hit areas. Larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, told reporters Tuesday that “public health includes economic health." He said there are a variety of models from other countries, so the exact length of the virus and necessary restrictions are not yet clear.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump on Thursday called off the G-7 meeting at Camp David scheduled for June, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. The leaders of seven major industrial nations — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — will instead huddle by video conference, White House spokesman Judd Deere said. Trump spoke with G-7 leaders Monday by video conference in a meeting convened by French President Emmanuel Macron. Deere said White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow informed his colleagues of the change to allow “each country to focus all of its resources on responding to the health and economic challenges of COVID-19." Trump had originally hoped to hold the summit at his private golf resort outside Miami before moving it to Camp David after a public uproar.

It’s also bedeviling policymakers and central bankers who are struggling to assess the economic damage from an outbreak that's reached 37 countries and territories, infected 80,000 people and killed 2,700 worldwide. Yet if they respond too slowly or timidly, they risk having the economic damage deepen and spread. When the virus began grabbing headlines last month, most economists were relatively sanguine about the economic damage it could cause. What happens in China carries far greater economic weight than it did 17 years ago. But he said it's "still too soon to even speculate about either the size or the persistence" of the coronavirus' effects.

(Chinatopix Via AP)WASHINGTON, DC – The United States and China reached a trade deal Wednesday that eases tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, offers massive export opportunities for U.S. farms and factories, and promises to do more to protect American trade secrets. Trump promoted the trade signing as a way of delivering economic justice for American workers he claims have been betrayed by past administrations and their trade policies. Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in a letter to Trump that the first-phase deal was “good for China, for the U.S. and for the whole world." That was the concern voiced when Trump sparked a trade war by imposing tariffs on Chinese imports in July 2018. The 86-page agreement makes it easier to bring criminal cases in China against those accused of stealing trade secrets.

Shares are higher in Asia after U.S. officials said China and the U.S. were getting close to an agreement to cool tensions over trade. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)BANGKOK – Shares mostly rose on Friday after U.S. governments officials said they were getting close to an agreement with China to cool tensions over trade. Both sides are feeling the pinch and more tariff hikes could be imposed in December if the talks fail. In Asian trading, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.7% to 23,303.23 and the Kospi in South Korea added 1.1% to 2,162.18. In other trading, benchmark crude oil lost 5 cents to $56.72 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

At the same time, Commerce said it was renewing a temporary general license that permits companies in the United States to do business with Huawei on a limited basis, such as to provide security updates to Huawei devices. On Sunday, Trump tweeted that the United States is "doing very well with China, and talking!" The United States has long argued that Huawei poses a national security threat, and has claimed Beijing can use the company's products to spy on other nations. Huawei smartphones run on Google's Android operating system and come with popular apps like Google Maps and Gmail. Without access to Google services, Huawei's devices become a lot less attractive to users outside of China.