Carney hits the road, Trump hits resistance

“He takes every chance he can to be Flavor Flav to Mark Carney’s Chuck D,” Conservative MP Jamil Jivani told the Playbook Canada podcast. It was a broadside against Ontario Premier Doug Ford that captured the tensions within both the Conservative Party and NDP following this week’s tight budget vote. Those tensions come as Mark … Read more

Vance tries to thread the affordability needle

In a Thursday fireside chat, Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the economic crush some Americans are feeling — but blamed them on Democratic policies. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday offered an explanation for the slate of political quagmires Republicans are juggling, including persistent cost of living issues and even divisions within the Republican Party … Read more

Trump calls for Democratic lawmakers to face trial for ‘seditious behavior’

“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” he wrote on Truth Social. President Donald Trump on Thursday called for six Democratic lawmakers to face arrest and trial after they made a video encouraging U.S. service members and members of the intelligence community to refrain from following orders if they broke the law. “It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT … Read more

Trump admin backs off idea to force SNAP users to reapply

Officials will rely on state standards that are already in place to ensure eligibility, despite USDA chief Brooke Rollins’ comments last week. The Trump administration’s promised overhaul of the nation’s largest food aid program will rely on existing policies rather than forcing people to reapply for benefits, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss … Read more

Mike Johnson defends Trump’s ‘sedition’ attacks on Democrats

Johnson said it was the Democrats who were acting “wildly inappropriate” by suggesting military members should disobey unlawful orders. Speaker Mike Johnson defended Donald Trump’s declaration Thursday that some congressional Democrats engaged in “sedition” after the president suggested those Democrats should be executed Thursday. Johnson said it was the Democrats who were acting “wildly inappropriate” … Read more

Appeals court halts release of hundreds of detainees from ‘Midway Blitz’

The stay restores broader arrest authority to ICE while the 7th Circuit weighs what’s next. CHICAGO — A federal appeals court on Thursday put a temporary stop to the release on bond of several hundred immigrants detained in “Operation Midway Blitz” while legal challenges proceed under a consent decree that restricts arrests made without warrants … Read more

John Thune offers to tweak controversial phone records language

The Senate majority leader offered to send any monetary court awards back to the U.S. Treasury. Senate Majority Leader John Thune offered Thursday to amend the controversial provision he slipped into last week’s government funding package that could award GOP senators hundreds of thousands of dollars for having their phone records seized without their knowledge … Read more

‘Our most important battle’: Obama privately urges freshman Dems to fight cynicism

“I get feeling worn out, tired, and embattled,” the former president said to more than 30 lawmakers. Former President Barack Obama is embracing his role as mentor-in-chief, huddling with nearly three dozen freshman House Democrats at the Capitol Hill home of Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) at a Wednesday night event hosted by former Speaker Nancy … Read more

Myanmar’s military launches raid on second major online scam center

The military said it detained 346 foreigners and confiscated nearly 10,000 mobile phones. BANGKOK — Myanmar’s military government extended its crackdown on online scam activities to a second major location, detaining hundreds of foreigners and seizing thousands of mobile phones used to carry out the fraud, state media reported Wednesday. Myanmar is notorious for hosting … Read more