INSIDER
Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
Read full article: Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islandsOfficials are blaming illegal firearms for an increase or a record number of killings in a growing number of Caribbean islands this year.
Biden says he doesn't know whether Israel is holding up peace deal to influence 2024 US election
Read full article: Biden says he doesn't know whether Israel is holding up peace deal to influence 2024 US electionPresident Joe Biden has offered some terse words for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he doesn't know whether the Israeli leader is holding up a peace deal in order to influence the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
House unanimously votes to boost Trump security as Congress scrambles to ensure candidate safety
Read full article: House unanimously votes to boost Trump security as Congress scrambles to ensure candidate safetyLawmakers are scrambling to ensure that the U.S. Secret Service has enough money and resources to keep the nation’s presidential candidates safe amid repeated threats of violence.
US cites Egypt's help in Gaza as Washington sends full military aid despite human rights concerns
Read full article: US cites Egypt's help in Gaza as Washington sends full military aid despite human rights concernsThe Biden administration is sending Egypt its full $1.3 billion allocation of military aid.
Connecticut Republicans tap restaurant owner Matt Corey to challenge Sen. Chris Murphy in a rematch
Read full article: Connecticut Republicans tap restaurant owner Matt Corey to challenge Sen. Chris Murphy in a rematchMatt Corey, a Connecticut entrepreneur who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House and Senate in the past, has won the Republican nomination to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy again.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Connecticut's state primaries
Read full article: AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Connecticut's state primariesConnecticut Republicans will pick nominees in state primaries on Tuesday to challenge two longtime Democratic lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.
Democratic senators push bill focusing on local detainment of immigrants linked to violent crime
Read full article: Democratic senators push bill focusing on local detainment of immigrants linked to violent crimeRepublicans are dismissing an immigration-related bill pushed by Democratic senators and allied independents as an election year ploy.
Spending bill would ease access to guns for some veterans declared mentally incapable
Read full article: Spending bill would ease access to guns for some veterans declared mentally incapableVeterans whom the government declares incapable of managing their own affairs would have easier access to firearms under spending legislation expected to be signed by President Joe Biden in the coming days.
Abandoned by his colleagues after negotiating a border compromise, GOP senator faces backlash alone
Read full article: Abandoned by his colleagues after negotiating a border compromise, GOP senator faces backlash aloneA former youth minister in the Baptist church, Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford is known as one of the most sincere and well-liked members of the Senate.
Senators reach a deal on border policy bill. Now it faces an uphill fight to passage
Read full article: Senators reach a deal on border policy bill. Now it faces an uphill fight to passageSenate negotiators have reached a deal on a proposal to overhaul the asylum system at the U.S. border with Mexico.
Speaker Johnson demands hard-line policies during a border visit as Ukraine aid hangs in the balance
Read full article: Speaker Johnson demands hard-line policies during a border visit as Ukraine aid hangs in the balanceU.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has led about 60 fellow Republicans in Congress on a visit to the Mexican border.
Biden's push for Ukraine aid stalls in Senate as negotiations over border restrictions drag on
Read full article: Biden's push for Ukraine aid stalls in Senate as negotiations over border restrictions drag onPresident Joe Biden’s push to have Congress replenish wartime aid for Ukraine as part of a deal on border and immigration policy changes will almost certainly drag into next year.
US Coast Guard service members don't feel safe, new review says. Officials are promising changes
Read full article: US Coast Guard service members don't feel safe, new review says. Officials are promising changesU.S. Coast Guard officials are promising reforms after an internal review found a “permissive environment” for sexual assault and harassment in the service.
Senate Republicans outline border security measures they want as a condition for aiding Ukraine
Read full article: Senate Republicans outline border security measures they want as a condition for aiding UkraineSenate Republicans have released a sweeping set of U.S. border security proposals as a condition for sending more aid to Ukraine, laying out a draft plan to resume construction on parts of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, curtail humanitarian parole for people who cross into the United States and make it more difficult for migrants to qualify for asylum.
NCAA President Charlie Baker to testify during Senate hearing on college sports next week
Read full article: NCAA President Charlie Baker to testify during Senate hearing on college sports next weekNCAA President Charlie Baker is expected to testify in front of a Senate committee next week during the 10th hearing on Capitol Hill over the last three years on college sports.
The US says Egypt's human rights picture hasn't improved, but it's withholding less aid regardless
Read full article: The US says Egypt's human rights picture hasn't improved, but it's withholding less aid regardlessThe Biden administration will withhold less military aid from Egypt over its human rights abuses this year.
Florida Gov. DeSantis picks up backing from 15 South Carolina lawmakers as he makes a campaign swing
Read full article: Florida Gov. DeSantis picks up backing from 15 South Carolina lawmakers as he makes a campaign swingFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis is rolling out endorsements from 15 South Carolina lawmakers.
US senator hopes Serbia adopts Russia sanctions as Serb spy chief travels to Moscow
Read full article: US senator hopes Serbia adopts Russia sanctions as Serb spy chief travels to MoscowA U.S. senator says he hopes Serbia adopts Western sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, telling the Balkan country that “there is no future” in an alliance with Moscow.
Ban social media for kids? Fed-up parents in Senate say yes
Read full article: Ban social media for kids? Fed-up parents in Senate say yesLegislation introduced by four senators aims to prohibit all children under the age of 13 from using social media and would give parents more control over what teenagers under the age of 18 can access.
Senate won for Democrats, 'It's the year of Chuck Schumer'
Read full article: Senate won for Democrats, 'It's the year of Chuck Schumer'The midterm elections were a vindication for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has racked up a series of unexpected legislative victories this year as he has navigated Democrats’ slim 50-50 majority.
In new gun law, a quiet breakthrough for victims of abuse
Read full article: In new gun law, a quiet breakthrough for victims of abuseVictims of abuse and their families saw a quiet breakthrough this summer when a new bipartisan gun safety law made it more difficult for intimate partners convicted of domestic abuse to obtain firearms.
Senate and House gun reform talks on display
Read full article: Senate and House gun reform talks on displaySunday a bipartisan group of Senators passed an agreement towards reducing the gun violence in the U.S. just days after what's being called one of the most restrictive gun control measures in years.
Former Rep. Giffords tells Congress 'be bold' on gun reform
Read full article: Former Rep. Giffords tells Congress 'be bold' on gun reformEleven years after her own life was massively altered by gun violence, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords stood in front of the Washington monument and once again lobbied for stricter gun laws after yet another string of mass shootings in America.
GOP's Cornyn tapped to lead as Senate talks gun law changes
Read full article: GOP's Cornyn tapped to lead as Senate talks gun law changesLess than 48 hours after a gunman stormed an elementary school and killed 19 children and two teachers in his home state of Texas, Sen. John Cornyn was tapped to lead gun policy negotiations in the Senate.
Energy secretary: US offshore wind jobs should be union jobs
Read full article: Energy secretary: US offshore wind jobs should be union jobsThe U.S. energy secretary and Danish wind developer Orsted say they want American union workers to build offshore wind farms to dot the U.S. coastlines — the building trades workers who could otherwise be left out of a transition to renewable resources.
Gun safety activists decry inaction as US shootings surge
Read full article: Gun safety activists decry inaction as US shootings surgeDemocrats have spent years pledging to address the gun violence that plagues communities across the U.S. But a surge of mass shootings over the weekend served as a reminder of how little has been accomplished.
Key Dem senator presses Biden for 'more urgency' on guns
Read full article: Key Dem senator presses Biden for 'more urgency' on gunsA leading Democratic senator is calling out President Joe Biden to show “more urgency” to address gun violence by executive action, as the prospects of legislation on Capitol Hill to pass gun control reforms remain slim.
US halts Egypt military aid over rights after huge arms sale
Read full article: US halts Egypt military aid over rights after huge arms saleThe Biden administration says it has cancelled $130 million in military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns just three days after greenlighting a massive $2.5 billion arms sale to the country.
NCAA could seek once-radical solutions after high court loss
Read full article: NCAA could seek once-radical solutions after high court lossSupreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s scathing rebuke of the NCAA and its rules this week included suggestions on how college sports can be reformed to avoid being sued into oblivion.
Dems set voting bill showdown as GOP rejects Manchin plan
Read full article: Dems set voting bill showdown as GOP rejects Manchin planThe Senate will take a key vote next week on a sweeping rewrite of voting and election law, setting up a dramatic test of Democratic unity on a top priority that Republicans are vowing to block.
Biden embraces a Trump policy in backing Arab-Israeli deals
Read full article: Biden embraces a Trump policy in backing Arab-Israeli dealsThe Biden administration is laying the groundwork for a renewed push to encourage more Arab countries to sign accords with Israel, and working to strengthen existing deals.
Biden embraces a Trump policy in backing Arab-Israeli deals
Read full article: Biden embraces a Trump policy in backing Arab-Israeli dealsThe Biden administration is laying the groundwork for a renewed push to encourage more Arab countries to sign accords with Israel, and working to strengthen existing deals.
NRA's gun rights message not slowed by legal, money troubles
Read full article: NRA's gun rights message not slowed by legal, money troublesThe National Rifle Association has been embroiled in a legal and financial battle that liberals have cheered as the potential downfall of the powerful gun rights lobby, opening up a wide path for reform.
Democrats push bill allowing college athletes to organize
Read full article: Democrats push bill allowing college athletes to organizeCollege athletes would have the right to organize and collectively bargain with schools and conferences under a bill introduced Thursday by Democrats in the House and Senate.
Violence tests Biden's pullback from Middle East hotspots
Read full article: Violence tests Biden's pullback from Middle East hotspotsSurges in violence and scenes of civilian suffering are testing President Joe Biden’s resolve to wrench America’s foreign policy focus and troops away from the hotspots of the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Hour-by-hour: Biden's behind-the-scenes push for cease-fire
Read full article: Hour-by-hour: Biden's behind-the-scenes push for cease-firePresident Joe Biden spoke with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu six times over nine days as the U.S. pressed a flurry of diplomatic efforts to try to quell the furious fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Biden raises cease-fire, civilian toll in call to Netanyahu
Read full article: Biden raises cease-fire, civilian toll in call to NetanyahuThe White House says President Joe Biden has expressed support for a cease-fire in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden's appeals for action on guns, policing face reality
Read full article: Biden's appeals for action on guns, policing face realityPresident Joe Biden is calling for action as the nation struggles with yet another mass shooting and faces a reckoning over the deaths of Black men at the hands of police.
Biden's appeals for action on guns, policing face reality
Read full article: Biden's appeals for action on guns, policing face realityPresident Joe Biden is calling for action as the nation struggles with yet another mass shooting and faces a reckoning over the deaths of Black men at the hands of police.
Senators to Biden: Waive vaccine intellectual property rules
Read full article: Senators to Biden: Waive vaccine intellectual property rulesTen liberal senators are urging President Joe Biden to back India and South Africa’s appeal to the World Trade Organization to temporarily relax intellectual property rules so coronavirus vaccines can be manufactured by nations that are struggling to inoculate their populations.
President Biden tightens some gun controls, says much more needed
Read full article: President Biden tightens some gun controls, says much more neededPresident Joe Biden is ordering a half-dozen executive actions aimed at addressing what he calls an “epidemic and an international embarrassment” of gun violence in America.
AP survey: ADs fear sharing revenue with college athletes
Read full article: AP survey: ADs fear sharing revenue with college athletesNCAA basketball administrators apologized to the womens basketball players and coaches after inequities between the mens and womens tournament went viral on social media. “How does that even work?” Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft said. Permitting college athletes to earn money off their name, image and likeness once seemed like a radical idea, but that will soon be a reality. The NCAA is already looking for help from federal lawmakers to set national standards for NIL compensation for college athletes. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Democrats vow vote on gun bills; Biden says 'we have to act'
Read full article: Democrats vow vote on gun bills; Biden says 'we have to act'They are not even united themselves, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Tuesday that he opposes the House legislation on background checks. The gun debate also highlights a larger difficulty for Senate Democrats as they try to move forward on gun legislation and other policy priorities of the Biden White House. Schumer has not said when he will bring the House legislation up for a vote. Democrats say they feel the environment around gun legislation has evolved, especially since that last major push in 2013. Many in the GOP base are still strongly opposed to gun control of any kind.
Biden says 'we have to act' after Colorado mass shooting
Read full article: Biden says 'we have to act' after Colorado mass shootingWASHINGTON – Democrats say they are pushing toward a vote on expanded gun control measures as the nation reels from its second mass shooting in a week. They are not even united themselves, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Tuesday that he opposes the House legislation on background checks. It is unclear whether any of the bills up for consideration — most of them involving more restrictive background checks — would have made a difference in that case. Republicans have argued that background checks would not stop most mass shootings and would prevent some lawful gun owners from purchasing firearms. A second bill would extend a review period for background checks from three to 10 days.
Photos of migrant detention highlight Biden's border secrecy
Read full article: Photos of migrant detention highlight Biden's border secrecyThe photos were released by Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat from the border city of Laredo. The photos from Donna show some of the same detention areas as in the images released by Cuellar. The following year, hundreds of families and children detained at one West Texas border station went days without adequate food, water or soap. The AP has also petitioned Psaki to open border facilities. The newly published photos released by Cuellar’s office show groups of children crowded together inside the partitions.
Photos of migrant detention highlight Biden's border secrecy
Read full article: Photos of migrant detention highlight Biden's border secrecyPresident Joe Biden's administration faces mounting criticism for refusing to allow outside observers into facilities where it is detaining thousands of immigrant children. Cuellar said he released the photos in part because the administration has refused media access to the Donna tent. The following year, hundreds of families and children detained at one West Texas border station went days without adequate food, water, or soap. The AP has also petitioned Psaki to open border facilities. But lawyers who have interviewed children detained at Donna say some can go days without being allowed outside.
Advocates seek Biden push on gun bills, but prospects iffy
Read full article: Advocates seek Biden push on gun bills, but prospects iffyThe House recently passed legislation that would require background checks for gun purchases, a signature Democratic issue for decades. The two bills that passed the House last week would expand background checks on gun purchases, the first significant movement on gun control since Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. That leaves gun-control advocates hoping that the politics of gun control have shifted enough that more Republicans may be open to legislation that advocates argue is widely popular with the American public. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a moderate, have worked together for years to find compromise on background checks. John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, pointed in particular to Democratic wins in the 2018 midterms while running openly for gun control as evidence the politics are changing.
With NIL reform in limbo, NCAA heading toward busy June
Read full article: With NIL reform in limbo, NCAA heading toward busy JuneDespite the current gridlock, Emmert said he is still hopeful the NCAA will have uniform national NIL rules in place before the start of next football season. The ruling did not include NIL compensation. Meanwhile, the NCAA is facing pressure from dozens of states that have bills in the works related to NIL compensation for college athletes. But lawmakers in Washington have other priorities right now and aren't likely to move on any of those bills until the Supreme Court weighs in. Currently, NCAA rules require Division I football, basketball, baseball and hockey players to sit out a season after transferring to another DI school.
Biden's $1.9T rescue signed, and now things get tougher
Read full article: Biden's $1.9T rescue signed, and now things get tougherScott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Tough as it was for Democrats, passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package into law was the easy part. Biden’s signing of the American Rescue Plan on Thursday marks a milestone for his administration and for Democrats who have command of the House, Senate and White House for the first time in a decade. If Senate Republicans start blocking the legislation, Democrats are prepared to force them into long days and nights of dramatic floor filibusters, like the movie version in “Mr. The filibuster gives the minority enormous ability to halt action, and Senate Democrats used it plenty of times when they were out of power. Still, Biden's infrastructure package may be one bill that could win over Republican support.
Biden's $1.9T rescue signed, agenda now a slog in Congress
Read full article: Biden's $1.9T rescue signed, agenda now a slog in CongressScott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Tough as it was for Democrats, passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package into law was the easy part. If Senate Republicans start blocking the legislation, Democrats are prepared to force them into long days and nights of dramatic floor filibusters, like the movie version in “Mr. The filibuster gives the minority enormous ability to halt action, and Senate Democrats used it plenty of times when they were out of power. Still, Biden's infrastructure package may be one bill that could win over Republican support. Doubting bipartisanship will emerge, there is growing support among Democratic senators to do away with the filibuster if Republicans use it to block Biden's bills.
House passes bill to expand background checks for gun sales
Read full article: House passes bill to expand background checks for gun salesThe House passed two bills Thursday to require background checks on all firearms sales and transfers and to allow an expanded 10-day review for gun purchases. While enhanced background checks are generally popular with the American public, even with some conservatives, Congress has so far not been able to find compromise on the issue. “These solutions will save lives.”President Joe Biden has called for Congress to strengthen gun laws, including requiring the background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons. AdThe second bill, which passed 219-210, would extend the review period for background checks from three to 10 days. While the House bills have Republican cosponsors and won a handful of GOP votes, most Republicans voted against them.
Impeachment over, Congress shifts focus to security failures
Read full article: Impeachment over, Congress shifts focus to security failuresTwo Senate committees have summoned top security officials to testify, the beginning of a comprehensive look at what went wrong. In her letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the House will also put forth supplemental spending to boost security at the Capitol. The hearing will begin a broad examination of the security failures that led to the breach. The security breakdown on Jan. 6, as the House and Senate met for a joint session to count electoral votes, was severe. With the diminished security presence, the rioters not only breached the Capitol but entered the Senate chamber minutes after senators had fled.
Biden revokes terrorist designation for Yemen's Houthis
Read full article: Biden revokes terrorist designation for Yemen's HouthisWASHINGTON – President Joe Biden's administration is moving to revoke the designation of Yemen's Houthis as a terrorist group, citing the need to mitigate one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. The official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the removal changed nothing about the Biden administration's views of the Houthis, who have targeted civilians and kidnapped Americans. AdThe move comes a day after Biden announced an end to offensive support to Saudi Arabia's campaign against the Houthis. The U.S. says the Saudi-led campaign has entrenched Iran’s role in the conflict, on the side of the Houthis. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut praised the Biden administration's move, saying, “The designation did not impact the Houthis in any practical way, but it stopped food and other critical aid from being delivered inside Yemen and would have prevented effective political negotiation."
Pariah with benefits: US aiding Saudi defense despite chill
Read full article: Pariah with benefits: US aiding Saudi defense despite chill(AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden laid out a tougher line on Saudi Arabia than any U.S. president in decades. He said he would make the kingdom “pay the price” for human rights abuses and “make them in fact the pariah that they are.”But if Biden is making Saudi Arabia a pariah now, it's a pariah with benefits. U.S. leaders also see Saudi Arabia as a regional counterweight to Iran. The administration already had said it was pausing the Trump administration's sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia. AdInternational criticism of Saudi Arabia has mounted since 2015, under King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Latest bill would bar NCAA limits on athlete NIL rights
Read full article: Latest bill would bar NCAA limits on athlete NIL rightsThe College Athlete Economic Freedom Act is the third piece of legislation related to name, image and likeness compensation for college athletes introduced in Congress since December and second sponsored by Democrats. Iowa became the latest state to get in the game, with lawmakers introducing a bill Wednesday they hope will go into effect July 1. The bill would give college athletes unfettered access to the free market, allow them to organize and make group licensing deals, and hand oversight to the Federal Trade Commission. ), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, put forth an NIL bill that is narrowly focused like Murphy's, but with numerous restrictions that critics consider too NCAA-friendly. Wicker's bill would provide antitrust protections to the NCAA, shielding the association from legal challenges to its NIL rules, and allow the association to limit the types of financial agreements for athletes.