Politics

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., at the Capitol on Wednesday. The Senate voted Friday to override President Trump's veto on the annual defense bill.

Congress Overturns Trump Veto On Defense Bill After Political Detour

2:35pm January 01, 2021

by Philip Ewing

Senate Republicans rejected their own president's veto on New Year's Day, and the National Defense Authorization Act is set to take effect despite President Trump and a feud over relief payments.

Supporters of President Trump bang on the glass and chant slogans outside the room where absentee ballots for the 2020 general election were counted at TCF Center on November 4, in Detroit, Mich.

How Misinformation Lit The Fire Under A Year Of Political Chaos In Michigan

1:54pm January 01, 2021

by Abigail Censky

From protests, to the alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer, to false claims of election fraud, here's how conspiracy theories were allowed to fester through misinformation in Michigan politics.

Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue is quarantining after possible exposure to the coronavirus ahead of one of two crucial runoff elections in the state that will determine what party controls the United States Senate.

Georgia Sen. David Perdue Quarantines After Possible Coronavirus Exposure

6:34am January 01, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

The Republican senator is quarantining just days ahead of his runoff election in Georgia that could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.

A Cambodian American Lawyer On The Importance Of Resistance

5:02am January 01, 2021

by Michael Sullivan

A Cambodian American lawyer has returned to her homeland to join the resistance to strongman Hun Sen. She says the US needs to pay attention to a country where China is the "elephant in the room."

Queue Listen Now

A polar bear with cubs in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2014.

After Decades-Long Push, It's Not Clear Who Will Bid In Arctic Refuge Oil Lease Sale

5:02am January 01, 2021

by Tegan Hanlon

There's little solid data on how much oil is under the refuge, and lawsuits and market forces could dampen industry interest. Any leases would also face opposition from a Biden administration.

President Trump speaks before signing the "Buy American, Hire American" executive order in April 2017 in Kenosha, Wis.

President Trump Extends Freeze On Many Worker Visas

7:26pm December 31, 2020

by Franco Ordoñez

The extension means hundreds of thousands of foreigners will continue to have to wait until at least the end of March before having another chance to attain coveted visas.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti visits a coronavirus vaccination site at the city's Lincoln Park on Wednesday.

Amid Health Care Worker Shortage, LA Mayor Presses For Faster Vaccine Rollout

5:48pm December 31, 2020

As the city's hospitals reach a breaking point, Mayor Eric Garcetti says Los Angeles needs more vaccine doses as soon as possible: "We can go as fast as you give us those vaccines."

Queue Listen Now

Retired Navy Rear Adm. Margaret Kibben has been appointed chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives. Kibben is the first female chaplain in either house of Congress.

Pelosi Names 1st Female Chaplain To Serve Congress

4:34pm December 31, 2020

by Dustin Jones

Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed retired Rear Adm. Margaret Grun Kibben as chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Presbyterian minister was former chief chaplain of the U.S. Navy.

A West Bloomfield, Mich., Clerk's Office employee sorts absentee ballots by the precinct and ballot number on Oct. 31.

Politics & Government

A 2020 Surprise: Fewer Absentee Ballots Rejections Than Expected

2:17pm December 31, 2020

by Pam Fessler

With many more people voting by mail this fall, election officials feared that millions of ballots would be rejected in the general election. Instead, rejection rates went down across the country.

Flowchart depicting a relay race between three cats.

COMIC: How Your State Gets Power Via The Census (And What Trump Wants To Change)

1:59pm December 31, 2020

A little-known process determines your state's representation in Congress and the Electoral College. Trump wants to try to change it by excluding unauthorized immigrants for the first time in history.