US politics

US politics

The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1, after the Senate could not agree on a bill to keep the government funded beyond September. While the GOP controls the chamber 53-47, 60 votes are necessary to invoke cloture to break filibusters and advance legislation. In exchange for the requisite votes, Democrats are demanding that Republicans agree to extend healthcare premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans have refused.

The agency, which handles employment authorization renewals, said its current processing time is four months in 80% of cases. But immigration experts said the agency will likely take longer than that in certain cases. And because visa holders can only apply for work permits a maximum of six months in advance, some H-4 holders may not get their permits re-approved before they expire. Foreign workers must immediately stop working if their employment authorizations lapse.

The U.S. economy seems immune to the turbulence created by Donald Trump. The first year of his second term in the White House has been fraught with upheaval due to his eagerness to impose a headlong agenda with a marked protectionist approach. Businesses are now inoculated against the vertigo and the uncertainty surrounding the Republican president. Since winning the election against Democrat Kamala Harris exactly one year ago, he has changed the world trade order in one fell swoop;

During a Friday appearance on CNN, former Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) deemed President Donald Trump completely out of touch with how Americans feel about the economy, adding that prices really aren't down everywhere, and people know that. Speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett, Flake referenced his recent op-ed in The Washington Post, in which he argued we're starting to see a great GOP migration away from Trump, promising it will only accelerate as we get closer to the midterms.

The Energy Department has named Dawn Zimmer as its newest permanent chief information officer - the third such official to serve in the role since the start of the Trump administration. Zimmer was brought on as Energy's principal deputy CIO last November, and first served as the acting CIO during the presidential transition. She has subsequently served as Energy's acting CIO in between a carousel of permanent - albeit short-lived - officials under Trump 2.0.

Pete Hegseth apparently rescinded an admiral's promotion because of one (1) drag performance that had happened on that admiral's aircraft carrier,

It's been almost 10 months since former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, her partner Andre Jones, David Duong and his son, Andy, from California Waste Solutions, were indicted in a federal bribery and corruption case. From the start, their lawyers attacked the government's key witness. Sheng Thao's attorney, Jeff Tsai said, "The case is built on allegations from an unknown co-conspirator that we believe when the evidence is revealed will show my client has committed no crimes."

What's going to force the Supreme Court to do something is fundamentally political pressure. It's going to be when Congress starts impeaching judges and saying ... 'You are now encroaching into our territory,'" Mizelle said during a panel discussion at the Federalist Society's annual lawyers' meeting in Washington.