All the president’s portraits: President Trump’s image is ubiquitous inside the White House
Since moving back in, President Donald Trump has significantly altered the “People’s House.” East Wing: gone. Oval Office: maximalized. Rose Garden: Mar-a-Lago-ified. And the art? Lots of Trump. Over the past year, The New York Times has captured at least nine paintings, posters, memes, and even a mug shot outside...
Trump’s ‘roaring’ economy meets a rough start to 2026: What the latest numbers show
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump promised that 2026 would be a bumper year for economic growth, but instead it has kicked off with job losses, rising gasoline prices and more uncertainty about America’s future. In his State of the Union address less than two weeks ago, the Republican president confidently...
After a president-filled celebration, Rev. Jesse Jackson’s family gathers for an intimate homegoing
CHICAGO — A day after former presidents, sitting governors and local Chicago residents alike attended a vibrant, televised celebration for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., the family and friends who knew him best hosted a more intimate gathering Saturday to grieve the civil rights leader at his organization’s headquarters....
Panel reviewing Trump’s White House ballroom project gets an earful from the public opposed to it
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom is “ugly,” “grossly out of scale” and a “gold gilded edifice to one man’s ego,” according to members of the public who oppose the project and got a chance to speak their minds Thursday to a federal panel that’s reviewing it....
Drug plan middlemen face new oversight push as Pa. pharmacies close
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Some Pennsylvania lawmakers want to give the state’s top prosecutor more power to take on pharmacy benefit...
Poll: Pa. voters have a more favorable opinion of Shapiro than Trump
Gov. Josh Shapiro remains more popular with Pennsylvania voters than President Donald Trump, according to a poll released Thursday. Half of Pennsylvania’s registered voters believe Shapiro is doing an “excellent” or “good” job in the state’s highest office, while 44% rate his performance as “fair” or “poor,” the Franklin &...
House narrowly rejects Iran war powers resolution in early test of Trump’s strategy
WASHINGTON — The House narrowly rejected a war powers resolution Thursday to halt President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran, an early sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflict that is reordering U.S. priorities at home and abroad. It’s the second vote in as many days, after the...
Democrats react to firing of Kristi Noem from Department of Homeland Security
Democrats took to social media Thursday to respond to criticism of ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after her ouster. President Donald Trump announced on social media that Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin would fill the role, two days after Noem faced tough questioning on Capitol Hill about her handling of the...
House Republican leaders urge Tony Gonzales to end reelection bid after he admitted to affair with aide
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP leadership are calling for Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas to withdraw from his reelection race after he admitted having an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide. The Republican leadership announced its decision Thursday, a day...
‘Christ is king’ becomes a loaded phrase in U.S. political debates, especially on the right
On its own, the phrase “Christ is king” sums up a core tenet of the Christian faith, that Jesus is the divine ruler of the universe. Catholics and many Protestants celebrate a Christ the King Sunday each year. But the ancient proclamation can morph into something political, controversial or even...
Smoothie King fires 2 Michigan workers after they refused to serve Trump supporter
Two workers were fired from working at a Smoothie King shop in Michigan after they refused to serve a Trump supporter. The incident took place at an Ann Arbor location and was posted Monday on TikTok, the Detroit Free Press reported. The video shows what appears to be a couple...
Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales acknowledges affair with former aide who committed suicide
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas acknowledged for the first time Wednesday having an affair with an aide who later died after setting herself on fire, a revelation that came on the same day the House Ethics Committee announced it was initiating an investigation into the congressman. Gonzales,...
Sen. Fetterman is the only Democrat to vote against curbing Trump’s power to order strikes in Iran
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans voted down an effort Wednesday to halt President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, demonstrating early support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear U.S. exit strategy. The legislation, known as a war powers resolution, failed on a 47-53 vote...
Western Pa. House delegation expected to vote along party lines on war powers resolution
While Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman broke from his party Wednesday by opposing a war powers resolution aiming to stop U.S. military action against Iran, Western Pennsylvania’s House delegation is expected to vote along party lines Thursday on a similar measure. U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly of Butler and Guy Reschenthaler...
Takeaways from the 1st elections of the 2026 midterm campaigns
WASHINGTON — The midterms are here. The 2026 campaign kicked off Tuesday with high-profile primary elections in Texas, where Republican Sen. John Cornyn is heading toward a runoff vote against state attorney general Ken Paxton. Democrats chose state Rep. James Talarico over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett to be their candidate....
Cracks appear in Trump’s MAGA base as leading figures criticize the Iran war
NEW YORK — For President Donald Trump, some of the sharpest criticism he’s faced in the early days of the Iran war has come from once-loyal media figures far more accustomed to singing his praises. Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Matt Walsh are among those to express discontent. It’s been...
Republicans brace for an ugly fight in the Texas Senate runoff between Cornyn and Paxton
DALLAS — The mess in Texas may be just beginning. Four-term Sen. John Cornyn and his allies spent nearly $70 million to survive the first round of the party’s nomination fight on Tuesday. He was slightly ahead of conservative firebrand Ken Paxton, the state attorney general, with more votes still...
John Cornyn, Ken Paxton advance to runoff in Republican primary for Texas U.S. Senate seat
DALLAS — Longtime Sen. John Cornyn and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton are heading to a May runoff in Texas’ Republican Senate primary, setting up what’s expected to be a nasty and expensive second round and a renewed push to win the endorsement of President Donald Trump. On the Democratic side,...
Change in primary voting rules leads to confusion in 2 Texas counties as voters are turned awayVideo
Voters in two major Texas counties were turned away at polling locations and directed to different precincts Tuesday, after a recent change in how the primary is conducted created confusion and frustration. In Dallas County, a judge ordered polls to remain open for two hours past the scheduled 7 p.m....
Roy Cooper, Michael Whatley clinch North Carolina Senate nods, setting up high-stakes fall fight
RALEIGH — Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and ex-Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley each won their party’s U.S. Senate nominations in North Carolina on Tuesday, setting the bout for a fall campaign that could determine control of the chamber. Whatley and Cooper were victorious in their respective primary elections...
Fetterman, Deluzio part of bipartisan push to strengthen rail safety requirements
Bipartisan bills introduced in Congress over the past week aim to strengthen safety requirements for rail carriers hauling hazardous materials, but the group representing the nation’s freight rail companies says the industry is in its “safest era ever.” U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, cosponsored the Senate version of the Railway...
White House attributes redness on Trump’s neck to skin cream but doesn’t say what it’s treating
WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday attributed a large red spot on President Donald Trump’s neck to a skin cream he is using, without elaborating on what condition it is treating. The redness drew widespread attention Monday, when news photographers captured close-up images of the president’s neck during a...
Democrats’ newfound unity faces a test after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran
WASHINGTON — For Democrats demoralized at being shut out of power in Washington, the past several months have offered reason for optimism. A party often beset by ideological division has largely been unified in opposition to President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration tactics, particularly after two U.S. citizens were killed in...
A mess in Texas? What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries
NEW YORK — The 2026 midterm season begins in earnest on Tuesday with two of the nation’s most consequential Senate primaries playing out in Texas, a political behemoth that Democrats have been fighting to flip for decades. Is this the year? Republican leaders in Washington openly fret that a victory...
Lawmakers finally questioned the Clintons about Epstein. They also asked about pizzagate and UFOs
WASHINGTON — A House committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein labored for six months to question former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but once they finally had a chance to sit down with some of the highest-ranked officials to ever be deposed by Congress, the sessions veered...
