Bannon's trial over defying Jan. 6 committee set to begin
Steve Bannon, ex-President Trump’s former White House strategist and campaign CEO, is headed to trial this week on two contempt of Congress charges, the first to result from a refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The trial, which begins Monday morning with jury selection, falls amid the select panel’s series of public hearings, which have featured damning testimony and evidence about Trump and his inner circle during the riot and in the weeks leading up to it. Bannon, who had vowed to
Read MoreCracks form in Biden’s Senate Democratic base
Cracks are beginning to form in President Biden’s support among Senate Democrats who are becoming less bullish about him running for re-election in 2024 after recent polling shows that most Democratic voters want a different nominee in two years. Senate Democrats say Biden’s unpopularity is one of their biggest challenges heading into the midterm election and are worried about data showing that young Democratic voters, whom they need to turn out in large numbers to win, are especially unenthusiastic about the 79-year-old president. The relatively cautious a
Read MoreEx-Trump counsel gears up for starring appearance in Jan. 6 hearing
Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel who fiercely defended Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial, is gearing up to be the star witness against the former president as the Jan. 6 committee winds down its public hearings with a detailed look at Trump’s three hours of inaction as the riot unfolded. Cipollone has been a reluctant participant in the investigation, rebuffing initial requests for an under-oath interview with the House select committee, which was able to secure his 11th-hour cooperation only via subpoena. His marathon deposition on July 8, however, has p
Read MoreJuan Williams: McConnell teeters on the high wire
How long can Mitch McConnell stay up on that high wire? On his right, the Senate Minority Leader is juggling the prospect of another Trump campaign and a party bent on intensifying divisive social issues. To his left, he is trying to get a grip on center-right suburban voters to regain his balance. But the suburbanites are running away, repulsed by the culture wars that excite his party’s base. McConnell described his predicament earlier this month by saying, “It’s no secret that we’ve lost ground i
Read MoreThis week: Jan. 6 panel returns to primetime, House takes up contraceptives bill
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol is taking its case back to primetime this week, holding what could be its final hearing of the summer, focusing on then-President Trump’s inaction during the riot. The hearing, scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m., is the panel’s eighth presentation since it began laying out its argument to the public last month that Trump was at the center of a conspiracy to keep himself in power. It is the second time the committee has made its case in primetime. House lawmakers this week are also slated to vot
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