Contributing Writers

Washington, D.C., chooses its wars. And, for now, leaders in Washington have decided the U.S. has a vested interest in the war in Ukraine.After months of consternation, lawmakers eventually approved $62 billion for Ukraine to fight Russia in recent weeks, with most Democrats endorsing American assistance. But Congress only dislodged the money after a lengthy push by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas raised a question Thursday that goes to the heart of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s charges against former President Donald Trump.The high court was considering Trump’s argument that he is immune from prosecution for actions he took while president, but another issue is whether Smith and the Office of Special Counsel have the authority to bring charges at all.

Florida GOP Rep. Bill Posey announced Friday that he would not be seeking re-election, joining a slew of other GOP lawmakers also not seeking re-election. “It has been the greatest honor of Katie’s and my life to represent you in Congress. And, polls suggest that because of YOUR support, I could remain in the job forever, and we were looking forward to another spirited campaign for a final term in office,” Posey said in a statement released.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Trent Staggs, a Republican mayor seeking to replace retiring Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, in Utah’s GOP primary race for the Senate.”Trent Staggs is 100% MAGA, and is running to fill The Mitt Romney, a Total Loser, Seat as the next Senator from the Great State of Utah,” Trump wrote in a Saturday morning post on Truth Social.

President Biden faced a wave of criticism on Friday — from media outlets and commentators — for stretching the truth during a rare live interview with radio host Howard Stern.During his interview with Stern, Biden spoke about an array of subjects, including a debate with former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election and the time he “got arrested” as a teenager at a Delaware desegregation protest.

The Columbia University Senate in New York City voted in favor of a resolution calling for an investigation into the school’s leadership amid anti-Israel protests that have taken place on the campus for over a week.A source within the school’s leadership confirmed the details of the resolution, saying it was adopted by a vote of 62-14, with three senate members abstaining.

Some Missouri residents and lawmakers are calling for faster cleanup at several toxic sites in the St. Louis area.”We always felt like we’re being gaslit by these federal agencies, like the way they would answer questions, the way they were just very nonchalant,” Just Moms STL co-founder Dawn Chapman told Fox News. “They really should have gone in there before any of this was built and cleaned the creek.

Kansas will remain among the handful of states that haven’t legalized the medical use of marijuana or expanded their Medicaid programs for at least another year.Republican state senators on Friday blocked efforts to force debates on both issues before the GOP-controlled Legislature’s scheduled adjournment for the year Tuesday. Supporters of each measure fell short of the 24 of 40 votes required to pull a bill on each subject out of committee.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed into law a suite of gun safety legislation approved by lawmakers after the deadliest mass shooting in state history, expanding background checks for private sales of weapons, bolstering the state’s “yellow flag” law, criminalizing the transfer of guns to prohibited people and expanding mental health crisis care.

Tennessee teachers and staff will be allowed to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds under legislation signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee on Friday.Lee, a Republican, had announced his support for the proposal just the day before while flanked by top Republican legislative leaders who had helped shepherd the bill through the GOP-dominant General Assembly.

Several moms in suburban St. Louis have been working to get toxic sites in the area cleaned up, a major undertaking to fix widespread contamination that some government officials apparently covered up for decades.”This was the best kept secret of St. Louis. The Manhattan Project wasn’t well known here, and it’s still a pretty good secret here,” Just Moms STL co-founder Karen Nickel said. Nickel formed her group alongside her neighbor, Dawn Chapman, in 2013.

Alabama lawmakers on Thursday advanced legislation that could see librarians prosecuted under the state’s obscenity law for providing “harmful” materials to minors, the latest in a wave of bills in Republican-led states targeting library content and decisions.The Alabama House of Representatives voted 72-28 for the bill that now moves to the Alabama Senate.

Quincy, Massachusetts, City Council President Ian Cain didn’t hold back criticizing Sen. Elizabeth Warren when he officially launched his challenge against her on Wednesday, calling her a disappointment.

Smokers in Minneapolis will pay some of the highest cigarette prices in the country after the City Council voted unanimously Thursday to impose a minimum retail price of $15 per pack to promote public health.The ordinance not only sets a floor price. It prevents smokers and retailers from getting around it by prohibiting price discounts and coupons, which several tobacco companies circulate online to lure customers and reinforce brand loyalty.

Early in-person voting started on Thursday across North Carolina for next month’s runoff elections, including one congressional and two statewide primary contests.Voters are choosing this fall’s Republican nominees for lieutenant governor, state auditor and the 13th Congressional District seat.

Anti-Israel agitators staged a “sedar on the street” protest in front of the Brooklyn home of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in protest of American support for Israel.The protests came after the Senate passed a $95 billion emergency foreign aid package to Israel, Gaza and Ukraine.Organized by pro-Palestinian groups, the protest was described as a “seder on the street” for the second night of the week-long Jewish Passover.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle concerned about recent cyberattacks on water systems in drought-stricken areas of the western U.S. are seeking answers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on how hacks are going to be prevented in the future.In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Reps. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Pat Fallon, R-Texas, called for a briefing and answers regarding the January cyberattack launched against the water system in Muleshoe, Texas.

The North Carolina General Assembly begins its annual work session Wednesday with a little extra money to spend and limited pressing issues to address before key elections this fall and longtime state government leaders depart.