Eight senators are facing criticism from Democrats for their deal with Republicans to end the federal government shutdown.

National Guard troops are patrolling in Memphis for the first time, as part of President Donald Trump’s federal task force.

Pope Leo XIV has intervened for the first time in an abortion dispute roiling the U.S. Catholic Church.

The Archdiocese of Chicago plans to honor Sen. Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award, sparking controversy over his support for abortion rights.

Seventeen immigration court judges have been fired in recent days.

Political analyst Daniel Cronrath joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton on this week’s episode of Politics & Power to look at the challenges for the Democratic Party if it hopes to make a generational shift.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted along party lines to advance the nomination of Kash Patel for FBI director.

Senate Democrats reelected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday as the party moves into a deeply uncertain time, with no real consensus on a strategy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.

The Secret Service’s acting director has told lawmakers he considered it indefensible that the roof used by the gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was unsecured.

President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill strengthening oversight of the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons after The Associated Press exposed systemic corruption and abuse in the prison system.

Congress has passed legislation overhauling oversight and bringing greater transparency to the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons, following reporting from The Associated Press that exposed systemic corruption in the federal prison system and increased congressional scrutiny.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin says his committee has uncovered at least three additional luxury trips given to Justice Clarence Thomas by donors as part of the panel’s ethics investigation into the Supreme Court.

Senators criticized top federal officials over the rise of illegal electronic cigarettes in the U.S., a multibillion-dollar business that has flourished in recent years.

Two Democratic senators are requesting a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts after reports that two separate flags carried by rioters at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol had flown outside of houses owned by Justice Samuel Alito.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin says Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito should recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election and the 2021 Capitol insurrection after a report about an upside-down American flag outside his home.

The White House has announced that Palestinians living in the U.S. will be shielded from deportation as the Israel-Hamas war continues, citing “significantly deteriorated” conditions on the ground in Gaza.

The CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies have testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about child safety on their platforms.

Top Biden administration officials have ramped up their involvement in the recent border talks on Capitol Hill.

A Senate committee has issued bipartisan subpoenas to the CEOs of Discord, Snap and X, demanding that the heads of the three companies testify at a December hearing on protecting children online.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have abruptly adjourned a meeting without an expected vote on subpoenas for two conservatives who helped arrange luxury travel and other benefits for Supreme Court justices.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden to take steps to protect Palestinians in the United States as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

Senate Democrats say they will subpoena Republican megadonor Harlan Crow and conservative activist Leonard Leo for more information about their roles in organizing and paying for luxury travel for Supreme Court justices.

The Supreme Court would have to abide by stronger ethics standards under legislation approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says it's time for Supreme Court justices to bring their conduct in line with the standards of other branches of government.

Senate Democrats moved three of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees along party lines Thursday after weeks of delay due to California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s extended absence.

Senate Democrats are promising to pursue stronger ethics rules for the Supreme Court in the wake of reports that Justice Clarence Thomas participated in luxury vacations and a real estate deal with a top GOP donor.

Chief Justice John Roberts has declined a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a hearing next week on ethical standards at the court, instead providing the panel with a statement of ethics reaffirmed by the court’s justices.

The Senate has taken a first step toward repealing two measures that give open-ended approval for military action in Iraq.

The D.

Democrats recently celebrated the 100th judicial confirmation of Joe Biden’s presidency and are clamoring for more.

President Joe Biden has hosted the Democratic congressional leaders at the White House.

Senior Democrats are expressing criticism of how President Joe Biden handled classified material after leaving office as vice president.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he plans to question the director of the federal Bureau of Prisons this week about why the agency continues to stand by a high-ranking official who beat Black inmates in the 1990s.

Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are urging the Education Department to strengthen regulations against excluding kids from class because of behaviors related to a disability — a practice known as informal removal.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he plans to hold an oversight hearing on the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons after The Associated Press reported that the agency is keeping its embattled ex-director on the payroll as an adviser to his successor.

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators have reached a compromise – on the biggest debate in the nation: gun reform.

An ongoing Associated Press investigation has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Justice Department’s largest law enforcement agency, the federal Bureau of Prisons.

Moments before the Senate began Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation vote to become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, the chamber filled with the swell of history.

As members of the Ukrainian parliament visited Capitol Hill, pleading for wartime aid, an air raid siren suddenly blared.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is pushing Ketanji Brown Jackson closer to confirmation, setting up a vote next week to recommend her nomination to the full Senate and seat her as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has announced his intention to support the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, pushing her one step closer to confirmation.

After more than 30 hours of hearings, the Senate is on track to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

History was made the instant Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson may not get any Republican votes.

At first, the White House resisted calls from Congress to ban Russian oil imports to the U.S. And then, it did just that.

The Senate has given final congressional approval to a $13.6 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for besieged Ukraine and its European allies.

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson has begun courting senators on Capitol Hill, making her case for confirmation in private meetings as Democrats worked to move her nomination through the Senate within weeks.

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson has taken the first step toward confirmation in the Senate.

President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats say they are hoping for a bipartisan vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court has launched what Democrats hope will be a quick, bipartisan confirmation process for the court’s first Black woman.

The leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee are demanding Attorney General Merrick Garland take immediate action to reform the beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson's opposition to President Joe Biden's judicial nominee in Wisconsin has surprised Democrats and is providing the latest test to the Senate tradition of letting home state senators block district court judges from advancing.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a proposal to reauthorize the 1990s-era law that extends protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence after it lapsed in 2019 because of Republican opposition.

President Joe Biden is expected to nominate veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to serve as his ambassador to Ukraine.

President Joe Biden is reaching out to Republican as well as Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee leaders as he works to gain GOP support for his Supreme Court nominee.

The White House says President Joe Biden will meet with Senate Judiciary Committee leaders on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court vacancy and the president’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court.

In a Senate where bitter Supreme Court battles have left a lasting imprint, the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s pick for Supreme Court has the potential to be much less combative and toxic.

An inmate at the largest federal prison in the U.S. was stabbed in the eyeball by a fellow prisoner earlier this month.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is demanding Attorney General Merrick Garland immediately fire the director of the beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons.

Senate Democrats forced another test vote on voting rights legislation.

Broken security cameras at federal prisons across the U.S. have allowed inmates to escape from prison undetected and hampered investigations into misconduct.

The Biden administration says the U.S. will take in 125,000 refugees and their families next year, fulfilling an earlier pledge to raise a cap that had been at a historic low under his predecessor.

The roar of applause that typically greets a new president entering the House chamber softened to just a few hundred hands clapping as Joe Biden arrived to deliver his first joint address to Congress.

Legislation introduced by a group of Democratic lawmakers would to add four seats to the nine-member Supreme Court, in a long-shot bid designed to counter the court’s rightward tilt during the Trump administration.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., leaves the chamber after criticizing Democrats for wanting to change the filibuster rule, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warned ominously Tuesday of a “scorched earth” landscape if Democrats use their new majority to bring an end to the Senate filibuster in hopes of muscling legislation supporting President Joe Biden's agenda past GOP opposition. If Republicans simply block the bills, Democrats are expected to lean in more forcefully to try to change the rules. Democrats did away with the filibuster rules to overcome Republican stonewalling of President Barack Obama's executive branch nominations and some judicial nominees. AdRepublicans and McConnell then escalated the process by eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court justices, smoothing confirmation of President Donald Trump's three high court nominees.

WASHINGTON – A leader of Senate Democrats' drive to help millions of immigrants become citizens cast severe doubt on its prospects Monday, as one of President Joe Biden's early priorities seemed in danger of running aground in a Congress his own party controls. A top Republican senator who's been pivotal in past efforts to find bipartisan compromise on the issue also expressed pessimism. Ad“I don't see a means of reaching that,” Durbin, a veteran of past efforts to strike an immigration deal, said of a comprehensive bill in this two-year Congress. Durbin spoke three days before the House plans to approve a pair of bills that would advance pieces of Democrats’ immigration agenda. Both face uphill fights in the Senate, where Democrats would likely need at least 10 GOP votes in the 50-50 chamber.

National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol allow another member in at sunrise in Washington, Monday, March 8, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police has asked for the fencing and the National Guard to remain, for now. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. "Our National Guard troops, who serve with great honor and distinction, are not law enforcement officers, and we will not abide the continued militarization of Capitol complex security,” wrote Sens. Coupled with the hiring of 350 additional officers, the report also recommends establishing a permanent “quick response force” within the Capitol Police but also at the National Guard in D.C. for emergencies.

National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol allow another member in at sunrise in Washington, Monday, March 8, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police has asked for the fencing and the National Guard to remain, for now. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. "Our National Guard troops, who serve with great honor and distinction, are not law enforcement officers, and we will not abide the continued militarization of Capitol complex security,” wrote Sens. Coupled with the hiring of 350 additional officers, the report also recommends establishing a permanent “quick response force” within the Capitol Police but also at the National Guard in D.C. for emergencies.

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- The Navajo Nation has continued on a downward trend in the number of daily coronavirus cases. Canada regulators have approved AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. Gavin Newsom expects California to start administering the new Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine next week. Addition of the J&J vaccine would come as California is seeing dramatic drops in virus cases and hospitalizations after record highs in early January. While they only comprise about 48% of coronavirus cases, they account for 74% of vaccinations.

President Joe Biden speaks about the economy in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, in Washington. “A lot of folks are losing hope,” Biden said in a speech at the White House. Biden concluded in his Friday speech that aid at that level would only prolong the economic pain. Still, the president acknowledged Friday that one of his most ambitious proposals, raising the minimum wage, would likely be left out of the final bill. “At that rate, it’s going to take 10 years until we hit full employment,” Biden said during his Oval Office meeting with House Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., joined at left by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the majority whip, speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. But the prolonged negotiations involved a power play by McConnell as Republicans refused to relinquish control without first trying to extract concessions from Democrats that Schumer refused to give. AdIn particular, McConnell wanted Schumer to commit that Democrats would not end the legislative filibuster. Schumer refused to yield, but two centrist Democrats, Sens. The agreement means Democrats can take control of the committees and set up other operations that have stalled during the standoff.

This was a big day, especially for the House and Senate leadership lane, one of my specialties. Smith Goes to Washington” you've seen my work area since a press gallery scene from the movie was filmed there more than 70 years ago. (The Senate chamber, however, was a soundstage). The mob was out of the building by then and, strangely, it almost seemed boring, waiting for the Capitol to be declared safe. The Daily Press Gallery where I work had not been breached.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)WASHINGTON – A proposed COVID-19 relief bill is expected to get backing from President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell but it won’t include $1,200 in direct payments to most Americans, a Republican senator involved in the bipartisan talks says. “President Trump has indicated that he would sign a $908 billion package — there’s only one $908 billion package out there and it’s ours,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Sunday. While favoring the $1,200 checks, Biden said the emerging compromise was “immediately needed” and that additional assistance could follow later. On Sunday, lawmakers involved in the negotiations said the direct payments would have to wait until after Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20. The direct payments, he said, will be a task for Biden.

The $908 billion aid package to be released Monday would be attached to a larger year-end spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown this coming weekend. “This is not a stimulus bill, it’s a relief bill,” he said. While favoring the $1,200 checks, Biden said the emerging compromise was "immediately needed” and that additional assistance could follow later. On Sunday, lawmakers involved in the negotiations said the direct payments would have to wait until after Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20. The direct payments, he said, will be a task for Biden.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is adjusting the scope of his agenda to meet the challenges of governing with a narrowly divided Congress and the complications of legislating during a raging pandemic. Biden's team is also considering smaller-scale changes to the Affordable Care Act while tabling the more contentious fight over creating a public option to compete with private insurers. Biden is already working on an array of executive actions to achieve some of his bolder priorities on climate change and immigration without having to navigate congressional gridlock. Biden's agenda hinges on the fate of two Senate runoff races in Georgia, which will be decided on Jan. 5. Still, some Republicans argue that if Biden approaches negotiations in good faith, there are some common areas of agreement.

WASHINGTON – California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Monday she will step down from her role as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, giving up the powerful spot after public criticism of her bipartisan outreach and her handling of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings. Feinstein, 87, said in a statement that she would not seek the position in the next Congress. 2 Democrat, said he will seek to replace Feinstein as the committee's top Democrat. He led daily news conferences during breaks in the hearings with the other Democrats on the panel while Feinstein usually did not appear. “It’s time for Sen. Feinstein to step down from her leadership position on the Senate Judiciary Committee,” said Brian Fallon, the executive director of Demand Justice, which opposes conservative nominees to the courts.

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett listens during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – The Latest on the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett (all times local):6:05 p.m.Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation hearing has gaveled to a close for the day, wrapping up three days of testimony. ___HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BARRETT HEARINGS:Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett was back on Capitol Hill for the third day of her confirmation hearings. The confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett paused for about 40 minutes because of audio difficulties. ___9 a.m.Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is back before the Senate Judiciary Committee to face more questions from senators at her confirmation hearing.

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett speaks during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – Over and over, Amy Coney Barrett said she’d be her own judge if confirmed to the Supreme Court. Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court to take the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seems inevitable, as even some Senate Democrats acknowledged in Senate hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday. She called the Voting Rights Act a “triumph in the civil rights movement,” without discussing the specifics of the earlier challenge to it. The health care debate has been central to the week’s hearings, as Americans struggle during the pandemic, leading to a sharp exchange among senators at one point.

(Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – The Latest on the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett (all times local):8:20 p.m. The second day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is finished after nearly 12 hours. __HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BARRETT HEARINGS:Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has spent a long day batting back Democrats’ tough questioning as her Senate confirmation hearings continue. ___HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION HEARINGS:Barrett is facing senators’ questions during a second day of confirmation hearings. President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court made the comments at her Senate confirmation hearings on Tuesday, three weeks before Election Day.

President Donald Trump on Friday vetoed a measure that would have overturned a policy that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued in 2019 making it harder for students to get their loans erased after being misled by for-profit colleges. The Senate gave final approval to the bipartisan measure in March, dealing a rare rebuke of DeVos from the Republican-led chamber. But Trump on Friday said DeVos' rules are better than an Obama-era policy that would have been restored if the measure succeeded. Her changes were opposed by borrower advocates but embraced by for-profit colleges, who said their industry had unfairly been targeted by the Obama administration. Congress' effort to reverse the rules were supported by advocates for military veterans, who make up a major share of students at for-profit colleges.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(CNN) - A sixth person in the United States has died from lung disease related to vaping, Kansas health officials said Tuesday. It's not clear what type of vaping products she used, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said. As of Friday, there have been more than 450 possible cases of lung illness associated with using e-cigarettes reported to the CDC across 33 states and the US Virgin Islands. Tuesday, the American Lung Association warned that "e-cigarettes are not safe" and can cause irreversible lung damage and disease. A two-day congressional hearing was held in July to probe the company's role in the youth vaping epidemic.

CNN image(CNN) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday warned leading e-cigarette maker Juul Labs about illegally marketing its product as a safer alternative to cigarettes. The FDA ordered Juul to respond within 15 working days with corrective actions and its plan to comply with federal law. JUUL has ignored the law, and very concerningly, has made some of these statements in school to our nation's youth," Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless said in a statement. Public health experts have said that Juul has largely propelled the rise, commanding about 75% of the e-cigarette market in the United States. "The illnesses under investigation involve the broader use of vaping products -- including those being used with substances like THC; e-cigarettes are considered one type of vaping product.