Pariahs no more? US reaches out to oil states as prices rise
Three checkered oil regimes that President Joe Biden and past U.S. leaders have spectacularly snubbed โ Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran โ are the targets of U.S. outreach as global fuel prices hit dizzying highs during the Ukraine crisis.
'Hatred in the eyes': How racist rage animated Jan. 6 riots
The Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection by pro-Trump supporters and right-wing group members shattered the sense of security that many had long felt at the Capitol as rioters forcefully delayed the certification of President Joe Bidenโs election victory.
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First steps made in Congress to honor pop superstar Prince
Minnesotaโs Congressional delegation on Monday is introducing a resolution to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to pop superstar Prince, citing his โindelible mark on Minnesota and American culture,โ The Associated Press has learned.
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Congressional leaders urge FCC to perform equity audit
Congressional leaders and a media advocacy organization are urging the Federal Communications Commission to investigate how policy decisions have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the acting FCC chair.
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Fallout from riot, virus leaves toxic mood on Capitol Hill
FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2021, file photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. One problem in resuming fully in-person operations at the Capitol is the lack of vaccinations for thousands of staff to the 435 House members. Give me a break.โItโs clear that Democrats are more emotionally spent than House Republicans, who bolstered their ranks in the last election despite Trump's loss. In February, the House voted to remove Greene from her committee assignments because of her lengthy history of outrageous social media posts and other actions. AdWhile security fencing is set to be removed from the Capitol, metal detectors remain stationed outside the House chamber after some Republican lawmakers pledged to bring their firearms onto the House floor.
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House OKs George Floyd Act as Democrats avoid 'defund' clash
Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON โ House Democrats passed the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing nationwide, avoiding a potential clash with moderates in their own party who were wary of reigniting the โdefund the policeโ debate they say hurt them during last fall's election. Approved 220-212 late Wednesday, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is named for the man whose killing by police in Minnesota last Memorial Day sparked demonstrations nationwide. โWe want to feel safe when we encounter law enforcement. โOur law enforcement officers need more funding not less,โ Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis. Another possible point of contention is provisions easing standards for prosecution of law enforcement officers accused of wrongdoing.
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With Biden's backing, Dems revive bill to overhaul policing
House Democrats are hustling to pass the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing. The bill would ban chokeholds and โqualified immunityโ for law enforcement and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability. โOur law enforcement officers need more funding not less,โ Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., said during Wednesday's debate. AdPolice unions and other law enforcement groups have argued that, without such legal protections, fear of lawsuits will stop people from becoming police officers โ even though the measure permits such suits only against law enforcement agencies, rather than all public employees. California Rep. Karen Bass, who authored the bill, understands the challenge some House members face in supporting it.
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Rep. Greene says 'morons' voted to boot her from committees
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., goes back to her office after speaking on the floor of the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON โ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out Friday at โmoronsโ in both parties who voted to kick her off her committees, a day after the House meted out the unprecedented punishment that Democrats said sheโd earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories. Underscoring the political vise her inflammatory commentary has clamped her party into, all but 11 Republicans voted against the Democratic move on Thursday but none rose to defend her lengthy history of outrageous social media posts. Even social media stars like Greene could find it harder to define themselves without the spotlights that committees provide. That chamberโs minority leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., this week called Greeneโs words a โcancerโ on the GOP and country.
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A glance at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's incendiary words
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., goes back to her office after speaking on the floor of the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. Afterward, Greene suggested that the shooting might have been staged. Connecting a series of scattershot points, Greene suggested a bank controlled by the Rothschild family, who are Jewish, a utility company responsible for the fire and then-Gov. Greene โlikedโ the comment and replied, โMost people honestly donโt know so much. 9/11 ATTACKSIn November 2018, Greene shot a video in which she talked about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, referring to a โso-calledโ plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
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Biden officials considering action on student debt relief
โThe President continues to support the cancelling of student debt to bring relief to students and families,โ Psaki tweeted. AdBiden previously had said he supports erasing up to $10,000 in student debt through legislation, but he had not shown interest in pursuing executive action. โThe last thing people should be worried about is their student debt,โ she said. Calls for debt forgiveness have been mounting following years of college tuition increases that have contributed to ballooning national student debt. Forgiving $50,000 in student debt would cost an estimated $650 billion, Warren said.
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The Latest: Trump campaign manager tests positive for COVID
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON โ The Latest on President Donald Trump testing positive for the coronavirus and being hospitalized (all times EDT):12:10 a.m.President Donald Trumpโs campaign manager, Bill Stepien, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Conway attended the Rose Garden announcement Saturday where President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. He issued the statement as President Donald Trump was being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the same illness. ___6 p.m.Joe Bidenโs campaign is taking down its attack ads in the wake of President Donald Trumpโs coronavirus infection. ___11:55 a.m.First lady Melania Trump says she is experiencing โmild symptomsโ after she and President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19.
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Trump, Biden absorb news of Ginsburg death on the fly
BEMIDJI, Minn. โ Minutes into the latest Donald Trump campaign rally, the world got word that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. Over the next 90 minutes, Trump claimed that Minnesota would be flooded with refugees if Democrat Joe Biden won the White House. As Trump moved on to other topics, White House aides were reacting to Ginsbergโs death. White House adviser Ben Williamson took to Twitter to say the White House flag had been lowered to half-staff to honor Ginsburg. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows tweeted his condolences to the late justiceโs family and loved ones.
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State denies improper IG firing, defends Saudi arms sales
(Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON โ The State Department on Wednesday rejected Democrats' charges of improperly firing its independent inspector general and defended its weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. Linickโs firing was one of several dismissals by Trump of people charged with preventing fraud and abuse in the government. The State Department officials told the committee that Pompeo acted appropriately on all counts. The IG concluded that the arms sales did not violate the letter of the law but said the department did not take enough action to limit civilian casualties. Members of Congress had been blocking some of the sales because they might contribute to the human rights disaster in Yemen.
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Georgia candidate's post removed for inciting violence
ATLANTA Facebook removed a photo illustration showing a Republican congressional candidate in Georgia posing with a rifle next to three Democratic House members, saying Friday that it violated the social media platform's policy against inciting violence. Greene's post featured four separate photos that had been combined to show her posing with a rifle next to Democratic U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. After her Aug. 11 runoff victory, she inveighed against spineless Republicans" and promised to kick Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of Congress. But she denied in a statement Friday that she was trying to incite violence. Those videos brought her criticism in the primary, with some Georgia Republicans pulling their support, but opposition eased after her runoff win over neurosurgeon John Cowan.
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Omar, seeking 2nd term, is targeted for her celebrity
Fifth Congressional District candidate, Democrat Antone Melton-Meaux, answers questions during an interview in his Minneapolis office Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Melton-Meaux is giving Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar an unexpectedly strong, well-funded primary challenge in one of the country's most heavily Democratic congressional districts, which includes Minneapolis and some suburbs. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Israel grants Rep. Tlaib West Bank visit on humanitarian grounds
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's interior minister says he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds. Minister Aryeh Deri said in a statement on Friday that Tlaib asked to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank. In a letter published by Deri's office, Tlaib said she would respect any restrictions and would "not promote boycotts" during her visit. On Thursday, Israel had decided to ban Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar from visiting the West Bank, arguing that they would promote a boycott campaign against Israel during the trip. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Israel bars U.S. Reps. Tlaib & Omar from entering country
Israel decided to ban Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering the country, a spokesman for deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely told CNN on Thursday. The announcement came shortly after Trump said Israel would be showing "great weakness" by allowing them to enter the country. On Thursday, Trump said it would show "great weakness" if Israel allowed entry to Omar and Tlaib. "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit," Trump tweeted. If used to deny entry to Tlaib and Omar, it would be by far the most high-profile implementation of the law.