policy

One thing governments show us over and over again is their promises are almost always broken. This should concern us greatly since the “war” on COVID-19 will bring many promises from Congress that will never be realized but will cost us a lot of money anyway. Our federal government promised to balance the budget every …

Florida on Friday ordered all bars to close as cases of the coronavirus in the state continue to spike. “Effective immediately, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is suspending on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide,” Secretary Halsey Beshears of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation announced on Twitter. Florida reported a record daily …

President Donald Trump is preparing to direct the federal government to overhaul its hiring to prioritize a job applicant’s skills over a college degree, administration and industry officials say. Trump is set to sign an executive order Friday outlining a new direction for the nation’s largest employer during a meeting of the board that advises …

The Trump administration filed a brief with the Supreme Court on Thursday night to request the repeal of the Affordable Care Act of 2017. The brief argues that because the Republican-controlled Congress of 2017 struck down the law’s individual mandate, which imposes a tax on those who do not purchase insurance, the rest of the …

The Senate passed a bill on Thursday that places sanctions on individuals, entities, and banks that help facilitate greater Chinese control over Hong Kong. Senator Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.), a co-sponsor of the legislation, blocked the bill’s passage last week at the request of the White House. The bill was amended with minor “technical” changes …

Governor Greg Abbott warned Monday that the coronavirus is now spreading in Texas at an “unacceptable rate” and pleaded with residents to wear masks in public and continue practicing social distancing. “To state the obvious, COVID-19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas, and it must be corralled,” Abbott said at a news …

Four more Chinese media outlets with operations in the U.S. are being labeled as “foreign missions” to highlight their close ties to the Chinese Communist Party, the U.S. State Department announced Monday. China Central Television, China News Service, People’s Daily, and the Global Times are all joining the list of designated foreign actors, State Department …

President Trump will extend visa restrictions on some foreign workers until the end of this year, Politico reported on Monday. Trump implemented a 60-day “pause” on applications for permanent residencies in April, but with broad exemptions for workers applying for temporary residencies, including 85,000 workers on H1-B visas. That order will now be expanded somewhat to …

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin apologized to Senator Tim Scott, the Senate’s only black Republican, after he dismissed Scott’s police reform bill as “a token, half-hearted approach.” “The minute Sen. Durbin heard that he had offended Sen. Scott, he sought him out on the floor and apologized,” Durbin’s communications director, Emily Hampsten, said in a statement. …

Virginia governor Ralph Northam said Tuesday that he would christen Juneteenth — celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. — an official state holiday, making Virginia the second state in the country to adopt such a measure. “It’s time we elevate this,” Northam announced. “Not just a celebration by …