WARZONEDemonstrators were peacefully protesting near the White House when police unleashed tear gas on the crowd. was scheduled to take the against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death, police officers near the North Lawn of the White House charged at peaceful protesters, throwing tear gas as they aggressively attempted to disperse the crowd.Dozens of people in the crowd were yelling, some with both hands above their heads, as police continued to infiltrate the scene, pushing them back with shields emblazoned “MILITARY POLICE.”At various junctures, the startling sound of...…WARZONEDemonstrators were peacefully protesting near the White House when police unleashed tear gas on the crowd. was scheduled to take the against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death, police officers near the North Lawn of the White House charged at peaceful protesters, throwing tear gas as they aggressively attempted to disperse the crowd.Dozens of people in the crowd were yelling, some with both hands above their heads, as police continued to infiltrate the scene, pushing them back with shields emblazoned “MILITARY POLICE.”At various junctures, the startling sound of...WW…

The chaos consuming the country came back to Donald Trump’s doorstep Sunday. A building near the White House grounds, the headquarters of the AFL-CIO, and an historic church were all set on fire as the nation’s capital was once again after a day of largely peaceful protests against police brutality.Earlier in the week, protesters tried repeatedly to breach barricades keeping them away from the White House, where reportedly hunkered down in a bunker on Friday night. On Saturday, protesters pushed back from the area splintered off into downtown streets where storefronts were smashed in,...…The chaos consuming the country came back to Donald Trump’s doorstep Sunday. A building near the White House grounds, the headquarters of the AFL-CIO, and an historic church were all set on fire as the nation’s capital was once again after a day of largely peaceful protests against police brutality.Earlier in the week, protesters tried repeatedly to breach barricades keeping them away from the White House, where reportedly hunkered down in a bunker on Friday night. On Saturday, protesters pushed back from the area splintered off into downtown streets where storefronts were smashed in,...WW…

Like many Republicans in office today, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) came to power in the Barack Obama era by running against the president’s signature health-care law. Today, those Republicans are confronting a difficult political environment in which their dogged efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act may have, in fact, made it more popular. And many are trying to whitewash their prior opposition. Tillis is taking it a bit farther. The North Carolina Republican, who is facing a competitive re-election this fall, is now bragging that a health-care bill he wrote “literally” cribs...…Like many Republicans in office today, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) came to power in the Barack Obama era by running against the president’s signature health-care law. Today, those Republicans are confronting a difficult political environment in which their dogged efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act may have, in fact, made it more popular. And many are trying to whitewash their prior opposition. Tillis is taking it a bit farther. The North Carolina Republican, who is facing a competitive re-election this fall, is now bragging that a health-care bill he wrote “literally” cribs...WW…

The Democratic Party’s left and moderate wings continue to reach tentative compromises on a number of issues that once fiercely divided them. But there’s one perennial political sticking point that’s proving immune to the party’s kumbaya moment: Israel. In recent years, a vocal and influential chorus of progressives have disagreed privately, and at times , with the party’s conventional wisdom on Israel. Led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), these progressives have challenged the Democratic establishment consensus view on Israel, vocally criticizing the government there, especially its...…The Democratic Party’s left and moderate wings continue to reach tentative compromises on a number of issues that once fiercely divided them. But there’s one perennial political sticking point that’s proving immune to the party’s kumbaya moment: Israel. In recent years, a vocal and influential chorus of progressives have disagreed privately, and at times , with the party’s conventional wisdom on Israel. Led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), these progressives have challenged the Democratic establishment consensus view on Israel, vocally criticizing the government there, especially its...WW…

As word spread on Wednesday that another lawmaker had contracted COVID-19, initial concern for his well-being was quickly overwhelmed with a tide of anger and frustration. Because it wasn’t just any lawmaker who contracted the disease. It was Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX).The conservative firebrand has steadfastly refused to wear a face mask while conducting his Capitol Hill business—including while greeting Attorney General William Barr before testimony in the Judiciary Committee just this Tuesday. Gohmert even took pains to force his COVID denialism on his aides, with one staffer that those...…As word spread on Wednesday that another lawmaker had contracted COVID-19, initial concern for his well-being was quickly overwhelmed with a tide of anger and frustration. Because it wasn’t just any lawmaker who contracted the disease. It was Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX).The conservative firebrand has steadfastly refused to wear a face mask while conducting his Capitol Hill business—including while greeting Attorney General William Barr before testimony in the Judiciary Committee just this Tuesday. Gohmert even took pains to force his COVID denialism on his aides, with one staffer that those...WW…

The White House told House Democrats on Monday that their requests for testimony from two key members of the administration’s COVID-19 task force would be denied, a move that adds to the list of officials who have been blocked from speaking under oath about the federal response to the pandemic.The House Energy and Commerce Committee had asked the administration for testimony from Alex Azar, the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, and Seema Verma, the director of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Two sources, including a Democratic spokesperson for the...…The White House told House Democrats on Monday that their requests for testimony from two key members of the administration’s COVID-19 task force would be denied, a move that adds to the list of officials who have been blocked from speaking under oath about the federal response to the pandemic.The House Energy and Commerce Committee had asked the administration for testimony from Alex Azar, the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, and Seema Verma, the director of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Two sources, including a Democratic spokesperson for the...WW…

During her presentation at the White House COVID-19 briefing on Saturday, Dr. Deborah Birx was cruising along until she waded into one of . As Birx, the White House’s coronavirus coordinator, explained a slide showing COVID-19 deaths per capita for various countries, China’s was marked with an asterisk at the very bottom.Trump, standing on the sidelines, . “Excuse me, does anybody really believe this number?” he said, interrupting an apparently startled Birx—who then wheeled around, smiled, and coolly explained she put China’s number on the chart to demonstrate “how unrealistic this could...…During her presentation at the White House COVID-19 briefing on Saturday, Dr. Deborah Birx was cruising along until she waded into one of . As Birx, the White House’s coronavirus coordinator, explained a slide showing COVID-19 deaths per capita for various countries, China’s was marked with an asterisk at the very bottom.Trump, standing on the sidelines, . “Excuse me, does anybody really believe this number?” he said, interrupting an apparently startled Birx—who then wheeled around, smiled, and coolly explained she put China’s number on the chart to demonstrate “how unrealistic this could...WW…

As Congress negotiates a sweeping bill to respond to the devastating economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak, a nearly 100-member bloc of House progressives is laying down a policy marker for what they want to see in the legislation, from big cash payments for all to broadly expanded sick leave provisions.In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reviewed by The Daily Beast, the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Mark Pocan (D-WI), outline a dozen “top priorities” that the group has for the stimulus bill. At the top of their list...…As Congress negotiates a sweeping bill to respond to the devastating economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak, a nearly 100-member bloc of House progressives is laying down a policy marker for what they want to see in the legislation, from big cash payments for all to broadly expanded sick leave provisions.In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reviewed by The Daily Beast, the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Mark Pocan (D-WI), outline a dozen “top priorities” that the group has for the stimulus bill. At the top of their list...WW…

For weeks, Rep. Andy Kim has been pushing the federal government to open up a site in his district for coronavirus testing. The freshman Democrat represents a portion of south and central New Jersey, one of the states hardest-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, and federal officials have been warning that the nearest big city, Philadelphia, could become a major hotspot for the disease.There is no COVID-19 testing site in this part of the state—both facilities are closer to—and state and local officials are concerned about what could happen when the disease spreads. The Federal Emergency...…For weeks, Rep. Andy Kim has been pushing the federal government to open up a site in his district for coronavirus testing. The freshman Democrat represents a portion of south and central New Jersey, one of the states hardest-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, and federal officials have been warning that the nearest big city, Philadelphia, could become a major hotspot for the disease.There is no COVID-19 testing site in this part of the state—both facilities are closer to—and state and local officials are concerned about what could happen when the disease spreads. The Federal Emergency...WW…

When the Trump administration began implementing a to bail out struggling employers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a central concern was that the president would use the program to .It turns out that Trump’s pals weren’t the ones catching the windfall so much as Washington, D.C.’s . Among the entities cashing six to seven-figure checks from the in recent months were a fiscal responsibility advocacy organization run by anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, a high-powered consulting firm run by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the nonprofit headed by former Trump campaign official...…When the Trump administration began implementing a to bail out struggling employers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a central concern was that the president would use the program to .It turns out that Trump’s pals weren’t the ones catching the windfall so much as Washington, D.C.’s . Among the entities cashing six to seven-figure checks from the in recent months were a fiscal responsibility advocacy organization run by anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, a high-powered consulting firm run by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the nonprofit headed by former Trump campaign official...WW…