Virginia’s in-state tuition and fees among nation’s highest and more headlines

There have been many times throughout American history in which so-called "lame duck" legislative sessions – gatherings that take place after an election, but prior to the seating of the new Congress or legislature – have been used successfully by elected leaders to find bipartisan common ground and get things done. Sometimes, with the next [...]

Two weeks after the first openly transgender person was elected to Congress, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace has introduced a bill banning transgender women from using women's bathrooms in the Capitol and in House offices. "Biological men do not belong in private women's spaces. Period. Full stop. End of story," the congresswoman wrote in a social media post announcing the resolution. The bill hopes to prevent members and staff "using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biol

Multiple Republican senators are looming as potential obstacles to President-elect Trump's controversial Cabinet picks, especially his two most polarizing choices: former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump has had a rocky relationship in the past with a handful of Republicans senators who won't likely give him the same deference as loyal...

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) left open the possibility of enabling President-elect Trump to appoint his Cabinet by recess appointment, bypassing the need for approval from the Senate. "We'll evaluate that at the appropriate time, and we'll make the appropriate decision. There may be a function for that; we'll have to see how it plays out,"...

Senate Democrats are expected to vote late into the night Monday in a frantic effort to confirm as many of President Biden's nominees to the federal judiciary as possible before President-elect Trump takes over in January. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told colleagues on the Senate floor Monday that the Democratic majority "will keep...

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer's impeachment probe into President Joe Biden may have fizzled, but at least he might get some cash out of it by launching a tell-all book. The Kentucky Republican was co-chair of a two year GOP effort that spent millions of dollars to produce a 291-page report that did not recommend moving forward with impeachment, instead listing off a bunch of previously made, unsupported claims about Biden engaging in "influence peddling." Notably, the report dis

Hundreds of mourners lined up outside an Oak Lawn funeral home Sunday to pay their respects to fallen Chicago police Officer Enrique Martínez, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this month. As the sun set and its last rays pierced the clouds, and temperatures dropped in the early evening, the trickle of people heading into the wake remained constant. Close to the main entrance of the ...

The United States has taken an important decision in terms of its military support for Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday, while stressing that this was not a shift in strategy by the West. President Joe Biden's administration has allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, two U.S. officials and a source familiar with the decision said on Sunday. "The decision from the American side, and I would like to emphasise that this is not a rethink but an intensification of what has already been delivered by other partners, is so important at this moment," Baerbock said in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake retained the key finance minister portfolio and reappointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister on Monday as the Indian Ocean island nation targets stronger recovery from a draining financial crisis. Dissanayake, whose leftist coalition won a record 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in a general election last week, also reappointed veteran legislator Vijitha Herath to helm the foreign affairs ministry. Dissanayake, who has held the key finance minister portfolio since he was elected in September, will continue in that role, two party sources told Reuters, as Sri Lanka looks to chart a stronger recovery out of its worst financial crisis since independence from the British in 1948.

President Joe Biden is requesting nearly $100 billion in emergency disaster aid after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and other natural disasters, telling lawmakers that the money is "urgently needed." The letter Monday to House Speaker Mike Johnson comes as lawmakers meet during a lame-duck session to finish key priorities before making way for a new Congress and the incoming Trump administration. Biden said he has met firsthand with those harmed by the storms and he heard what residents and businesses needed from the federal government.

More than 150 people submitted opponent testimony against a bill that would require school districts to allow students to be released from school for religious instruction. Opponents argued religious release time programs disrupt the school day, create a divide between students who participate and those that don't, and interfere with religious freedom. "My concern with [...]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Martin Gruenberg will retire effective Jan. 19, he told colleagues on Tuesday, clearing the way for Republican President-elect Donald Trump to name new leadership to one of the top U.S. bank regulators. The pending departure of Gruenberg, a Democrat and Wall Street critic who had been a senior leader at the FDIC for nearly two decades, comes at a critical time for the agency - more than 18 months since three big banks failed and ahead of what is expected to be a major shake-up of bank regulation under Trump. In a message sent to employees at the FDIC, Gruenberg said he had informed President Joe Biden of his decision, which is likely to speed up Trump's promised plan to slash burdensome regulations.

STORY: :: Russia's Lavrov says Ukraine's use of U.S.-made ATACMS shows the West wants to 'escalate':: November 19, 2024:: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:: Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister"The fact that ATACMS was used repeatedly in the Bryansk region tonight - of course, it is a signal that they want to escalate the conflict and it is impossible to use these high-tech missiles without the Americans, Putin has said this many times.""And he warned about how our position would change if this range capability, which they are talking about now - up to 300 kilometers, is approved."Putin said on Sept. 12 that Western approval for such Ukrainian strikes would mean "the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine" because NATO military infrastructure and personnel would have to be involved in the targeting and firing the missiles.Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine had fired six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles into its western Bryansk region.Lavrov said he hoped Moscow's new nuclear doctrine, in which President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike, would be attentively read.The Russian foreign minister also said Germany's decision not to provide long-range missiles to Ukraine is "a responsible position."

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he wanted a strong and durable relationship with China Monday as he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Brazil. It was the first time a British leader has met with Xi in recent years as ties between the two countries deteriorated over security and human rights concerns and China's support for Russia in the war in Ukraine. Starmer, who became prime minister in July after his Labour Party won a landslide election victory, is seeking to repair relations with Beijing.

Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden aims to finalize a rule on a clean fuel tax credit before leaving office on Jan. 20, a senior White House official said on Sunday. The clean fuel program, which would provide credits for the production of sustainable aviation fuel and other lower-emission transportation fuels, is set to begin in 2025. The Biden administration also plans to release a study on the environmental and economic impacts of liquefied natural gas before Jan. 20, the official said.