Politics

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy speaks during a House Oversight Committee hearing about the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday.

Politics & Government

Under Pressure, Postmaster General Calls For Changes To Mail Delivery

6:49pm February 24, 2021

by Brian Naylor

Louis DeJoy testified about shortfalls at the U.S. Postal Service. Despite calls for his resignation, DeJoy said he plans to follow through on an overhaul plan. "Get used to me," he said.

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The cost of repairing or replacing historical items damaged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot "will be considerable," Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton told lawmakers Wednesday. Other costs include maintaining a security fence topped with razor wire that

Architect Of The Capitol Outlines $30 Million In Damages From Pro-Trump Riot

5:50pm February 24, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The congressional official also says most of his staff have not yet been vaccinated, despite their continuing work at the Capitol campus to repair damage from the insurrection.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott On Why He Opposes Biden's COVID-19 Relief Package

4:57pm February 24, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., about his role as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and his opposition to President Biden's COVID-19 relief package.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, seen here on Feb. 23, has called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's proposal for a commission to study the events of Jan. 6 "a "bizarre, partisan concept."

Politics & Government

McConnell Blasts Pelosi's Proposed Jan. 6 Commission As 'Partisan'

4:05pm February 24, 2021

by Barbara Sprunt

Republican lawmakers want equal party representation on the panel to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

President Biden holds up a semiconductor chip during a meeting with lawmakers to discuss U.S. supply chain shortages.

Biden To Sign Order Seeking Homegrown Fixes For Shortfalls Of Foreign-Made Items

3:48pm February 24, 2021

by Franco Ordoñez

During the pandemic, the U.S. couldn't import enough gloves. Recently, car makers ran out of semiconductors. So the White House wants to find ways to make more critical items in the United States.

Xavier Becerra, President Biden's nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, contended with critics of abortion rights on the first day of his confirmation hearings Tuesday.

'It's a Minefield': Biden's Pick For Health Secretary Faces Abortion Politics

2:32pm February 24, 2021

As California's attorney general, Xavier Becerra fought Trump-era restrictions on reproductive health. If confirmed, he'll navigate an even more difficult legal and political landscape.

Protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington where the Court on Oct. 8, 2019, as the court heard arguments in the first case of LGBT rights since the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

House To Vote On Equality Act: Here's What The Law Would Do

11:40am February 24, 2021

by Danielle Kurtzleben

The House is set to vote on the Equality Act, which would add and expand protections for LGBTQ people in the Civil Rights Act. Here's what it would do and why it's controversial.

Protesters gather outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., some with signs and symbols of Christianity. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol that day after mass demonstrations in the nation's capital.

Evangelical Leaders Condemn 'Radicalized Christian Nationalism'

11:28am February 24, 2021

by Sarah McCammon

In response to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, more than 100 evangelical leaders have published a statement calling on other church heads to speak out against Christian nationalism in their ranks.

Children attend online classes at the Crenshaw Family YMCA in Los Angeles. Schools are having a hard time covering the costs required for in-person and online learning during the pandemic.

Politics & Government

Not All COVID-19 Aid Is Spent. But Schools, Cities And States Say They Need More

11:18am February 24, 2021

Republicans in Congress question whether schools, cities and states really need as much relief as President Biden and Democrats want to give them. At the local level, people say they're desperate.

A U.S. federal courtroom sits empty in 2017 in Honolulu. A new study finds that judges with backgrounds as prosecutors or corporate lawyers are more likely to rule in favor of employers.

Politics & Government

Corporate Lawyers Who Become Judges Less Likely To Side With Workers, Study Says

10:31am February 24, 2021

by Carrie Johnson

A new study of diversity on the bench reports that judges who worked as prosecutors and corporate attorneys are significantly more likely to rule in favor of employers in workplace disputes.