Fun fact: Rand Paul is a jerk. When Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul isn’t screaming lies and conspiracy theories at Dr. Anthony Fauci, he’s blocking disaster relief…at least to states that are not Kentucky. Read more»

In a unique solution to avoid a default on the country’s debt, the Senate approved a bipartisan plan Thursday that would allow Democrats to raise the debt ceiling without any support from the GOP. Read more»

A commission set up by President Joe Biden to study how the U.S. Supreme Court can be improved voted unanimously Tuesday to submit the extensive research it has conducted, but the few recommendations contained in the report leave little indication on next steps. Read more»

President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill during a ceremony at the White House packed with some 800 supporters, heralding what he said was a “truly consequential” spending bill that will improve Americans’ day-to-day lives. Read more»

President Biden, speaking at the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, urged the international community to transition to clean energy and curb greenhouse gas emissions, and also apologized for his predecessor exiting the Paris Climate Accord. Read more»

U.S. Senate Republicans blocked the advance of voting rights legislation Wednesday for the second time this year — thwarting again Democrats’ attempts to pass federal protections for voters amid a slew of new state elections laws. Read more»

The Senate passed a massive bipartisan infrastructure bill and an even larger budget blueprint that would pave the way for historic changes in the U.S., but getting the packages to President Biden’s desk will still require balancing competing factions among congressional Democrats. Read more»

Senate Democrats issued their budget Monday for a $3.5 trillion package that pours funding into social programs, climate change initiatives and free education, queuing up a widely expected maneuver toward passage without GOP support. Read more»

Democrats racing to vote on the massive Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, after the Senate finally unveiled the 2,702-page bill late Sunday, strode into some quicksand from Republicans less worried about the timeline as the August recess looms. Read more»

As the Delta variant brings a new spike in coronavirus numbers across the nation, only 59% of staff at the nation’s nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are fully or partially vaccinated - with eight states reporting an average rate of less than half. Read more»

A New York court suspended former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s law license in that state for making “demonstrably false and misleading statements” about the 2020 presidential election results to the courts and the public at large, while serving as former President Donald Trump’s lawyer. Read more»

Three southwestern Democratic U.S. senators during a private Zoom call with supporters on Tuesday suggested they were open to filibuster reform but stopped short of offering specifics on the kind of reform they would get behind. Read more»

U.S. Senate Republicans shut down efforts to open debate on a sweeping elections reform and voting rights bill brought to the Senate floor by Democrats Tuesday night. Read more»

The U.S. House voted Wednesday 252-175 to give the go-ahead to the formation of an independent, bipartisan commission that would investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, despite objections from Republican leaders that the scope of the commission was not wide enough and other investigations are ongoing. Read more»

More than 15 hours of testimony failed to answer fundamental questions about the Capitol attack. Among them: Why national security officials responded differently to BLM protesters than to Trump supporters. Read more»