Politics

WATCH: ‘Do your damn job,’ federal worker union leaders tell Congress mired in shutdown

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Top union leaders representing federal employees, along with allied labor groups, on Wednesday pressured both parties to reach a solution to end the shutdown. Watch the news conference in the video player above. “No American should ever have to choose between serving their country and feeding their family,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. WATCH LIVE: Senate meets as lawmakers remain in shutdown deadlock Union leaders criticized both parties in Congress but also targeted Trump, accusing him of using federal workers as “political pawns” after warnings Tuesday that back pay is not guaranteed. “He intends…

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WATCH: Federal workers ‘should’ get back pay after shutdown, Johnson affirms

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House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that furloughed federal workers “should be” paid back once the U.S. government reopens. Watch the clip in the video player above. “It has always been the case, that is tradition and I think it is statutory law, that federal employees be paid. And that’s my position. I think they should be,” Johnson told PBS News Hour’s Lisa Desjardins in a news conference. “They should not be subjected to harm and financial dire straits because Chuck Schumer wants to play political games.” WATCH: ‘Do your damn job,’ federal worker union leaders tell Congress mired in…

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Who is the judge overseeing the Trump administration’s case against James Comey?

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Michael Nachmanoff has built a quiet reputation in the federal courthouse in northern Virginia — a onetime public defender turned judge known for methodical preparation and a cool temperament. On Wednesday, he finds himself at the center of a political storm: presiding over the Justice Department’s prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey. READ MORE: Comey pleads not guilty to Trump Justice Department case accusing him of lying to Congress Nominated to the bench by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in 2021, Nachmanoff was randomly assigned to the case after a Virginia grand jury indicted Comey…

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WATCH LIVE: Department of Justice officials hold news briefing on arrest made in Palisades fire disaster

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities have made an arrest in connection with the deadly January wildfire that destroyed the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. A briefing on the arrest is scheduled to begin at noon. Watch in the player above. That’s according to a law enforcement official not authorized to publicly discuss the case. Federal officials and Los Angeles police said earlier Wednesday that they are about to announce a “significant development” related to the criminal investigation into the fire. The blaze, which erupted on Jan. 7, killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and buildings in…

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Trump threatens no back pay for furloughed federal workers after shutdown ends

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As the government shutdown hits the one-week mark with no end in sight, President Trump issued a new threat, saying that furloughed federal workers may not be reimbursed with back pay once the government reopens. It reverses what's been a long-standing policy and possibly goes against a 2019 law that ensures back pay for federal workers. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports. Geoff Bennett: As the government shutdown hits the one-week mark with no end in sight, President Trump today issued a new threat, saying that furloughed federal workers may not be reimbursed with back pay once the government reopens.Donald…

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3 takeaways from Bondi’s combative DOJ oversight hearing

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For more politics coverage and analysis, sign up for Here’s the Deal, our weekly politics newsletter, here. Democratic senators had questions. Attorney General Pam Bondi wasn’t answering them. Appearing Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first time since her confirmation hearing, Bondi was light on direct answers as Democrats pressed her on the ways President Donald Trump might be using the Justice Department to prosecute perceived political foes. On her terms, she championed the direction of the department as the nation’s top law enforcement officer, deflected questions about legal justifications and ethics, and went on the offense against…

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Bondi dodges Democrats’ questions on weaponizing DOJ in Senate hearing

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Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee today underscored the deep partisan divide over the state of justice in America. In tense exchanges, Bondi and committee members clashed repeatedly, with each side accusing the other of politicizing and weaponizing the Justice Department. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins has this report. Geoff Bennett: Attorney General Pam Bondi's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee today underscored the deep partisan divide over the state of justice in America.In tense exchanges, Bondi and committee members clashed repeatedly, each side accusing the other of politicizing and weaponizing the DOJ.Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins has…

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News Wrap: Texas National Guard troops arrive at training center near Chicago

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In our news wrap Tuesday, National Guard troops from Texas arrived at an Army training center near Chicago ahead of an expected deployment, President Trump hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House, three U.S.-based scientists won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in quantum mechanics and a medical helicopter crashed onto a highway in Sacramento. Geoff Bennett: And we start today's other headlines outside Chicago, where National Guard troops from Texas arrived today at an Army training center ahead of an expected deployment.Uniformed personnel were seen today at Elwood U.S. Army Reserve Center southwest of…

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WATCH LIVE: Senate meets as Democrats demand extension of health care subsidies to end shutdown

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats believe health care is an issue that resonates with a majority of Americans as they demand an extension of subsidies in exchange for their votes to reopen the shuttered U.S. government. But it is also one of the most intractable issues in Congress — and a real compromise amid the government shutdown will not likely be easy, or quick. The Senate is scheduled to convene at 10 a.m. ET. Watch in the player above. There are some Republicans in Congress who want to extend the higher subsidies, which were first put in place in 2021 amid…

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Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on the political impact of the government shutdown

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Geoff Bennett: Well, it is day six of the federal government shutdown and there are no signs of the stalemate ending.To discuss that and more, we're joined now by our Politics Monday duo. That's Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.So, as I said, it doesn't seem like anything is going to change soon. The House is out again this week. The Senate is expected to vote again today. That vote is expected to fail.So, Tam, what could break this logjam? Tamara Keith, National Public Radio: Probably the most likely thing to…

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