U.S. Politics
U.S. Politics
After heated debates, House passes resolution condemning both anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim hatred
March 7th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House overwhelmingly passed a large-scale resolution condemning anti-Semitism and bigotry on Thursday, including anti-Muslim statements and “White supremacist attitudes,” according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The final vote was 407-23, with all “no” votes coming from Republicans and Iowa Republican...
Omar fires back at latest attack: “Being opposed to the occupation is not anti-Semitism”
March 4th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just days after lawmakers nearly came to blows in West Virginia over a poster linking her to the 9/11 attacks solely because of her religion Democratic state rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is once again fending off an attack from a colleague. On Friday, March 1, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House...
Departing Michigan Republican chairman Weiser announces he has cancer, will not seek re-election
February 24th, 20190 LANSING —Outgoing Michigan GOP party chairman Ron Weiser has announced he is not seeking re-election to another two-year term, after sharing that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. “I ask you for your prayers as I fight the prostate cancer that has invaded me,” Weiser said according to a report from the Detroit News at...
Sadaf Jaffer sworn in as America’s first female Muslim mayor
February 20th, 20190 MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, NJ - Sadaf Jaffer was sworn in as mayor of Montgomery Township, N.J., a rapidly growing municipality of about 25,000 north of Princeton, making her the country’s first female Muslim mayor, first female Pakistani American mayor and first female South Asian American mayor. Jaffer has a doctorate from Harvard with...
Senate votes to rebuke Trump’s Syria policy in amendment to Mideast bill
February 16th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate voted on Monday to rebuke President Trump's troop withdrawal policy on Syria, in a bill expected to pass the chamber later this week, a report from Al Jazeera said. The amendment, introduced by Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, warns against a “precipitous” withdrawal of...
Trump declares national emergency to build border wall, Michigan Democrats criticize decision
February 15th, 20190 LANSING - Prominent Michigan Democrats are responding to President Trump’s national emergency declaration to pay for a wall at the southern border. Despite Congress refusal to grant him, Trump declared a national emergency at the border on Friday to access billions of dollars to build a border wall that...
American politics’ great divide
February 15th, 20190 One of the more striking political developments of the last few years has been the partisan sorting of American voters. It used to be that both the Republican and Democratic parties covered some ideological ground. Now, it’s so habitual for conservatives to make their home in the GOP and liberals in the Democratic Party that party and...
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar fires back at Trump as AIPAC controversy continues
February 15th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following in the footsteps of her colleague, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MINN) sparked controversy this week with stark comments about the country's most prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “It's all about the Benjamins...
Poll: Most Americans aren’t fans of Trump as a person or president
February 2nd, 20190 WASHINGTON — A new poll has found that most people in the U.S. aren't fans of Donald Trump as either a person or president. The survey, conducted by Langer Research Associates for ABC News and the Washington Post, found that only 32 percent of Americans viewed the president favorably, while 59 percent viewed him...
Bipartisan lawmakers seek end to U.S. support for Saudi military action in Yemen
February 1st, 20190 WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is expected to seek an end to U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, a report from Reuters said, with a greater chance of success than a similar attempt that passed the Senate in December. The measure is being led by Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, Democratic Senator...
Concerned with waning support, Democrats are forming a new pro-Israel lobbying group
January 30th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. —Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm and former Clinton administration housing secretary Henry Cisneros are among a group of Democrats planning to create a new pro-Israel political action committee later this year, in hopes of turning the tide of waning support from young progressives. The number of Democrats...
Senate advances controversial Combating BDS bill, Michigan senators’ votes split
January 29th, 20190 WASHINGTON — The United States Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill that would give states the power to pass laws banning business with supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel, advancing the bill known as S.1. The final tally was 74-19 in favor of the bill, which also codifies...
President Trump reaches deal to end shutdown, threatens another if wall is not built
January 25th, 20190 WASHINGTON —After 35 days, the United States government shutdown of 2018-2019 has finally come to a halt, for the next three weeks at least. The announcement was made by President Trump on Friday, ending the record-setting shutdown and allowing government employees to head back to work. Trump said that the new legislation will...
Texas Rep. tries to block Rashida Tlaib’s “dangerous” congressional visit to Palestine
January 19th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Texas Rep. Brian Babin has issued a warning about Detroit congresswoman Rashida Tlaib's planned trip to Palestine, calling it “both ill-conceived and inconsistent with our national values.” Tlaib is planning the trip as a response to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) trip, which is aimed...
Rashida Tlaib fires back at Florida official and right wing media
January 17th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC - Recently elected U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) responded to racial attacks from Annabelle Lima-Taub on Wednesday, at a time when the Florida city commissioner faced calls for her resignation online. Lima-Taub signed an online petition last week calling for Tlaib's removal, according to a photo of her Facebook......
Minnesota congresswoman becomes first to don hijab after 181 year-old law is changed
January 9th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly elected Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was sworn in on Thursday, January 3, the same day as fellow American Muslim Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. While the soft-spoken Omar did not grab as many headlines as Tlaib did with her comments in the past month, she did usher in a new rule change that will have a...
Rashida Tlaib shakes up Capitol Hill, calls for Trump’s impeachment
January 4th, 20194 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just hours after being sworn into Congress, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) shook up Capitol Hill by calling for President Trump's impeachment and repeating an expletive she used against him following her election in November. The comments were made to a crowd at an event sponsored by MoveOn, a progressive public...
Defense Secretary Mattis quits after clashing with Trump on policies
December 21st, 20180 WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Trump over his foreign policies, one day after Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria. Mattis announced plans to resign in a candid resignation letter to Trump that laid bare...
Among my biggest disappointments in politics
December 14th, 20180 The other day, a friend asked what surprised me most about politics. This may seem strange, but I’d never really thought about the question. My response was off-the-cuff but heartfelt. The biggest surprise is also among my biggest disappointments with American political life: The ongoing effort by politicians to suppress......
Senators working behind the scenes to pass anti-Israel boycott law during lame duck session
December 9th, 20180 WASHINGTON — Boycott movements have long been an effective tool for protesters, but a new bill being pushed through Congress aims to penalize people speaking in favor of one of the most popular worldwide boycott movements today: The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) is among...
Senate votes 63-37, advances measure to end U.S. support for Saudi war on Yemen
November 30th, 20180 WASHINGTON — While Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was lobbying senators on Capitol Hill not to "pack up and abandon" the U.S. role in the Saudi-led coalition war on Yemen, the Senate voted 63-37 to consider a measure that would do just that, ending U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's military campaign in Yemen. The vote was a......
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Nikki Haley resigns
October 9th, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has resigned, a personal familiar with the situation said on Tuesday, and the White House said she would appear with President Trump at an event later in the morning. Trump accepted the resignation, Axios news site reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Haley discussed...
Blue wave poses governing risks for Democratic Party
September 23rd, 20180 A blue wave in November could not only take the House majority away from the GOP, but could also cause turmoil within the Democratic party next year, according to a report by The Hill. As a progressive wave grips the party, producing upset primary victories in cities like the Bronx, the publication writes that Democrats are bracing......
