Contributing Writers

The crisis at the U.S. southern border could become “worse” should the “dysfunction” in the House of Representatives block Congress from reaching a deal to prevent a federal shutdown, Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly said Sunday. Kelly, D-Ariz., appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and blamed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for failing to get conservative Republican hardliners to agree with a conservative spending plan to keep the government funded.

President Biden announced a $325 million security assistance package for Ukraine after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday. Zelenskyy visited Washington, D.C., for the second time since the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Capping his visit, which included meetings and discussions with lawmakers and Pentagon officials, Zelenskyy met with Biden at the White House before the $325 million plan was unveiled.

President Biden committed his latest awkward gaffe Wednesday when it appeared he forgot to shake the hand of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as “Lula,” before leaving the stage after a joint event.

It’s take two for Dave McCormick in battleground Pennsylvania. McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, West Point graduate, Gulf War combat veteran and Treasury Department official in former President George W. Bush’s administration, on Thursday launched his second straight campaign for the Senate.  His announcement gives national and state Republicans a high-profile candidate with the ability to self finance.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., dressed down for an official meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Capitol, just days after the Senate dress code was altered. Zelenskyy traveled to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to meet with President Biden and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, a trip that marks his second visit to the U.S.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Gen. Eric M. Smith as Commandant of the Marine Corps in a 96-0 vote on Thursday. In July, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger relinquished his post, leaving the military branch without a confirmed leader for the first time in 164 years. Then assistant commandant of Marine Corps, Smith took over as acting Commandant. Just two months prior, President Biden nominated Smith to lead the service. Over the past 24 hours, the Senate also confirmed Air Force Gen.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina – the only major Republican presidential candidate who’s never been married – spotlighted this weekend that he’s “dating a lovely Christian girl,” as he addressed a large group of influential voters of faith in the state that leads off the GOP nominating calendar.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a scathing letter directed towards the White House after he was acquitted of state impeachment charges Saturday. Paxton, a Republican, was accused of corruption, bribery and unfitness for office by a bipartisan group of Texas state senators. All 12 Democrats in the jury voted for his impeachment, along with two Republicans: Sens. Robert Nichols and Kelly Hancock.

“I always have a plan. That doesn’t mean it happens,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said early Thursday afternoon. “I had a plan for this week. It didn’t turn out exactly as I had planned.” McCarthy’s “plan” was for the House to approve a defense spending bill stocked with all sorts of conservative priorities.

When it comes to the combustible issue of abortion, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley appears to be on a mission. “We are not going to demonize this issue anymore. We’re going to humanize it because it’s too personal of an issue,” the former ambassador and former two-term South Carolina governor said Saturday in a Fox News Digital interview minutes before she headlined a town hall in the suburbs of Iowa’s capitol city.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday revised her original public health order which would have temporarily banned individuals from carrying guns across Albuquerque and the surrounding Bernalillo County. The new revised order would temporarily ban individuals from carrying guns only in parks and playgrounds. The revised version comes after portions of her original version were struck down by a federal judge. Biden-appointed U.S.

President Joe Biden ended a Vietnam press conference on Sunday by frankly telling reporters he had to go to bed after wrapping up the 2023 Group of 20 summit. Biden was speaking in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi after two days at the G20 summit in New Delhi, India. He was answering a question about China’s relationship with the United States before announcing that he was sleepy.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday said the influx of tens of thousands of migrants will bring a “financial tsunami” as departments across the board are forced to slash budgets to accommodate the new arrivals.  The mayor’s dire warning came during an appearance on PIX 11’s “PIX on Politics” days after he predicted that the crisis “will destroy New York City.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley slammed President Biden for recently sending a handful of cabinet members to China, arguing it was “embarrassing” for the U.S.  “China has been practically preparing for war with us for years,” Haley told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. “They have killed more Americans than the Iraq … Afghanistan and Vietnam wars combined with their sending fentanyl over.

California Governor Gavin Newsom dodged responsibility for allowing the film industry to reopen while keeping churches closed in his state during the COVID-19 pandemic, instead blaming the collective “we” for such decisions. Newsom was confronted Sunday by “Meet the Press” anchor Chuck Todd about his lockdown-heavy approach to the pandemic that faced so much criticism that it sparked a recall election against him.

The George W. Bush Institute executive who organized a joint statement by 13 presidential libraries pledging to unify to preserve democracy was previously revealed as the person who leaked the infamous Steele dossier to BuzzFeed after the 2016 election. David Kramer, the executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, spearheaded a statement Thursday signed by 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover.

Former President Donald Trump has picked up another big-name endorsement in his bid to win back the White House from President Biden next year. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem threw the weight of her growing national recognition behind Trump, saying he has her “full and complete endorsement for President of the United States of America.” “I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country,” Noem said.

The Biden administration “ran afoul” of the First Amendment by trying to pressure social media platforms over controversial COVID-19 content, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled Friday.  In its 75-page ruling, the appeals court, made up of two George W. Bush nominees and one Trump nominee, said that President Biden, the U.S.

Is 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers, four-time NFL MVP, now of the New York Jets, past his prime? By the looks of it in the Jets final preseason game, no. The veteran QB threw for 47 yards in a brief outing and fired a touchdown pass which was vintage Rodgers. Thirty-six-year-old Lionel Messi, now of Inter Miami of Major League Soccer, certainly isn’t done. He scored Argentina’s lone goal in a 1-0 win over Ecuador in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.

A GOP state lawmaker who was arrested twice for domestic violence cases announced his plans to step down next month. Ohio State Representative Bob Young formally submitted his letter of resignation Friday to Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens. “I am officially giving you my resignation as State Representative for district 32 effective as of October 2, 2023. This will allow time to engage a qualified Summit Co. Republican for my replacement.