AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Rhode Island's state primaries
More than five months after weighing in on the presidential matchup, Rhode Island voters will choose which candidates will face off in this fallโs U.S. Senate election.
Democrats in Congress are torn between backing Biden for renomination and sounding the alarm
After days of no direct talks between Joe Biden and congressional leaders, many lawmakers have been grappling with a potential crisis that could reach beyond the results of the presidential election.
Roberts rejects Senate Democrats' request to discuss Supreme Court ethics and Alito flag controversy
Chief Justice John Roberts has declined an invitation to meet with Democratic senators to talk about Supreme Court ethics and flags that flew outside Justice Samuel Alito's homes.
Democratic senators request meeting with Chief Justice Roberts over flags flown at Alito's homes
Two Democratic senators are requesting a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts after reports that two separate flags carried by rioters at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol had flown outside of houses owned by Justice Samuel Alito.
The EU wants to put a tax on emissions from imports. It's irked some other nations at COP28
The European Unionโs plan to impose a tax on the carbon pollution emitted to make goods imported from countries like India and China has sparked a debate at the United Nations climate conference in Dubai, as poorer countries argue that the tax will harm livelihoods and economic growth.
Letter: 'Nothing to suggest' Alito violated ethics standards
The Supreme Court says in a letter to Congress that there is โnothing to suggestโ that Justice Samuel Alito violated ethics standards following a report that a 2014 decision he wrote was leaked in advance of its announcement.
Lawmakers urge action after report of other high court leak
The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman is among those urging action in response to a report that a former anti-abortion leader knew in advance the outcome of a 2014 Supreme Court case involving health care coverage of contraception.
Biden vowing 'strong' climate action despite dual setbacks
President Joe Biden is promising โstrong executive actionโ to combat climate change, despite setbacks that have restricted his ability to regulate carbon emissions and boost clean energy such as wind and solar power.
EXPLAINER: Why Court's EPA-climate change ruling matters
The Supreme Courtโs new climate change ruling is likely to hinder the Biden administrationโs plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade and make the electric grid carbon-free by 2035.
Nonprofits likely under fire as Senate explores โdark moneyโ
A Senate hearing on Wednesday is likely to produce fireworks as Republicans and Democrats square off over the role that foundations and nonprofits are playing in elections.
Senators issue bipartisan call to restore donors' tax breaks
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers called Thursday for restoring the charitable deduction for donors who donโt itemize their taxes, a priority for nonprofits nationwide, but a key senator was noncommittal on the question of whether to support legislation designed to boost payout from foundations and donor-advised funds.
Opposition from GOP senator threatens Biden judicial pick
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson's opposition to President Joe Biden's judicial nominee in Wisconsin has surprised Democrats and is providing the latest test to the Senate tradition of letting home state senators block district court judges from advancing.
Two Democratic senators oppose Powell as Fed chair
Two Senate Democrats said Friday they oppose the reappointment of Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve, as President Joe Biden is expected to announce within days who he will pick for the nationโs most powerful economic position.
![Senators question FDA on work with opioid maker consultant](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/ad780gGt1czHUfiQfWeiJp8127k=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/5HTOL6EG3BAWVLZ73STVVZSVQQ.jpg)
Senators question FDA on work with opioid maker consultant
Several U.S. senators are questioning the Food and Drug Administrationโs work with a consulting firm that helped businesses sell prescription painkillers during the nationโs overdose crisis.
![Senate Dems rallying behind Biden's $3.5T budget vision](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/Ufbg6i82D_ibK0c0NFUdWSpGozE=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/QNU3IPPMXJGKHG2TLSBFEFV4L4.jpg)
Senate Dems rallying behind Biden's $3.5T budget vision
Senate Democrats from across the party's political spectrum seem near the unanimity theyโll need for the crucial first step toward their $3.5 trillion infrastructure vision.
![Go green or go bipartisan? Biden's big infrastructure choice](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/rjXURm3iYS0Y_SJkuZaIBDZdat8=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/NVU4A7CSSFFONLUC64GLL33ACE.jpg)
Go green or go bipartisan? Biden's big infrastructure choice
President Joe Bidenโs hope of pouring billions of dollars into green infrastructure investments is running into the political obstacle of winning over Republican votes.
![Dem retreat on witnesses brings messy end to Trump trial](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/HfnIipIwjCCfa1xD7R1IzsPmHqE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/W7FHZESIHVB7NGDJ2WVFE2HNNQ.jpg)
Dem retreat on witnesses brings messy end to Trump trial
The House Democrats charged that Trump incited the violent insurrection, which left five dead, and the former president appeared to side with the rioters on the call. A few hours later, the Senate voted to acquit Trump, 57-43, the majority falling short of the two-thirds needed for conviction. The momentary chaos, and the House Democratsโ eventual retreat on witnesses, was emblematic of the prosecutorsโ challenge throughout the trial. But โwe overwhelmingly proved our case.โSeveral senators agreed โ three of the seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump had voted not to call witnesses. โThe House managers did a masterful job,โ he said after the final vote.
![Democrats ask ethics panel to investigate Sens. Cruz, Hawley](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/4sBjl8_gHtWWDrmrbE02relk1Kc=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/4HDCEOHWOJDI5PBKLXAS2KXML4.jpg)
Democrats ask ethics panel to investigate Sens. Cruz, Hawley
Thousands had gathered that day as Congress voted to formally certify President Joe Bidenโs victory over Trump in November. Hawley and Cruz led objections in the Senate to Bidenโs victory, despite the widespread recognition that the effort would fail. And both senators used their objections for political fundraising,โ the Democratic senators said in their letter. Cruz helped force a vote on Biden's victory in Arizona, while Hawley helped force one on Biden's victory in Pennsylvania. โThis latest effort is a flagrant abuse of the Senate ethics process and a flagrant attempt to exact partisan revenge."
![Trump's impact on courts likely to last long beyond his term](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/cndyWh875TjM_Gv_6vKYflneVeg=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/T2FMMABZ2JEBNAL5ISRQJVHLM4.jpg)
Trump's impact on courts likely to last long beyond his term
President Donald Trumps deep imprint on the federal courts is a rare point of agreement about the president across the political spectrum. The three Supreme Court picks could still be on the court at the 21st centuryโs midpoint, 30 years from now. In Trumpโs first two years, they pushed through 30 appellate court judges and 53 district court nominees. โYou know, when I got in, we had over 100 federal judges that werenโt appointed," he said. That nominee was Stephen Breyer, now a Supreme Court justice.
![Voters strip โPlantationsโ from Rhode Islandโs formal name](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/8MdjJQnyHMiw7MxiTIt-y3cyka8=/1600x1120/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/FV3K6XRSX5HAJNFD3HG67S6RNY.jpg)
Voters strip โPlantationsโ from Rhode Islandโs formal name
(AP Photo/Susan E. Bouchard, File)Rhode Island will now be officially known as ... Rhode Island. Officially, Rhode Island was incorporated as The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations when it declared statehood in 1790. Although the word โPlantationsโ in Rhode Islandโs name does not specifically refer to a place where slaves labored, the measureโs backers insisted it still offends, especially since Rhode Islandโs ties to the slave trade are undeniably deep. The formal vote for House speaker, however, wonโt happen until January, when the new legislature convenes. Mattiello rose to House speaker in 2014 after then-Speaker Gordon Fox resigned amid a public corruption investigation.
![GOP pushes Barrett toward court as Democrats decry 'sham'](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/KCrJNVZVwF-2gn_0GRB3MRXRIuE=/1600x1079/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/UYCQJF2ZIJAKHB2NKSYINT5POA.jpg)
GOP pushes Barrett toward court as Democrats decry 'sham'
Relying on a slim Senate majority, Trump's Republicans are poised to lock a 6-3 conservative court majority for years to come. A former Notre Dame Law School professor, Barrett would be the only one of her Supreme Court colleagues not groomed in the Ivy League. But Barrett is the most open opponent of abortion nominated to the Supreme Court in decades. Others testifying Thursday included Laura Wolk, the first blind woman to be a law clerk for the Supreme Court, who told senators that Barrettโs encouragement and support were life-changing. โHer brilliance is matched only by her compassion,โ said Wolk, who also spent a year as a law clerk for Barrett.
![Health care law on line at court, but is it likely to fall?](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/AqpMaNn1zYJYVZm63-N_vJzm78o=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TJGP5UOSJJEVPJWFOBJIHS3CME.jpg)
Health care law on line at court, but is it likely to fall?
Yes, the Trump administration is asking the high court to throw out the Obama-era healthcare law, and if she is confirmed quickly Barrett could be on the Supreme Court when the court hears the case. Democrats also repeatedly brought up words Barrett wrote in 2017, when she was a law professor, criticizing Chief Justice John Roberts' 2012 opinion saving the Affordable Care Act. Barrett wrote that Roberts had "pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute." But the court could simply โseverโ the mandate from the law and leave the rest of the law alone. One other key observer of the case suggested the Affordable Care Act would likely stand.
![Health care law on line at court, but is it likely to fall?](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/mscoBTqNy_o1ClUYT4Ahi23W6xQ=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/IBUN64VW4JGQDO2WZBQQPBFDTE.jpg)
Health care law on line at court, but is it likely to fall?
Yes, the Trump administration is asking the high court to throw out the Obama-era healthcare law, and if she is confirmed quickly Barrett could be on the Supreme Court when the court hears the case. Democrats also repeatedly brought up words Barrett wrote in 2017, when she was a law professor, criticizing Chief Justice John Roberts' 2012 opinion saving the Affordable Care Act. Barrett wrote that Roberts had "pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute." But the court could simply โseverโ the mandate from the law and leave the rest of the law alone. One other key observer of the case suggested the Affordable Care Act would likely stand.
![The Latest: Senate panel schedules 1st Barrett vote Thursday](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/g8gDhO7MpoxVu-yrCBePq43LXrs=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/XKW77HCKVJBMTITPPYLLXZBVYY.jpg)
The Latest: Senate panel schedules 1st Barrett vote Thursday
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)WASHINGTON โ The Latest on the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett (all times local):5:50 p.m. The Senate Judiciary Committee has wrapped up the first of four days of planned Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett. She warned itโs not just health care that is at risk if Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed. Sen. Michael Lee was present for the start of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings Monday for Barrett. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham opened the hearing by defending holding the hearing so close to the presidential election.
![Raw feelings abound as Senate turns back to Russia probe](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/ukddsjFrXo09Zlp_-nstv_rLaMA=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/Q2WAX22YL5ERVE6ESTI4UQCX5E.jpg)
Raw feelings abound as Senate turns back to Russia probe
WASHINGTON WASHINGTON (AP) Two Republican-led Senate committees have launched election-year investigations into the Justice Departments Russia probe, resurrecting the issue at the urging of President Donald Trump while reigniting the partisan hostility that comes along with it. In a Senate office building next door, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved its own slate of three dozen subpoenas related to the Russia probe over strong Democratic objections. Speaking on the committees investigation, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told Johnson that I continue to be concerned that this is politically motivated even as he voted to move ahead. The president has continued to rail against the Russia probe, which he calls a hoax. Among the names on that list is Trumps Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, who was vice president when the Russia probe began.