Political developments with market and economic implications.
Coverage of political events, elections, legislation, and regulatory changes that influence markets and economic policy. Focuses on political risk, fiscal decisions, and policy uncertainty relevant to investors.
909 total articles
A Department of Homeland Security intelligence assessment dated April 27 found that the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran may have played a role in motivating Cole Allen, the suspect accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and senior administration officials at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25. The preliminary report …
A new nationally representative poll by KFF finds that reducing health care costs is the preeminent concern for voters who identify with the Make America Healthy Again movement, and a leading priority across the broader electorate. Rising living costs tied to international tensions and drops in consumer spending on restaurants are cited as factors …
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the closure of the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, saying Congress removed funding for the unit. The office, which investigated alleged abuse and misconduct in federal immigration detention, has been archived on DHS's website. Advocates and rights groups have criticized detention practice…
Former Senator Sherrod Brown is the clear favorite in Ohio’s Democratic primary, a development that Democrats view as central to their plan to flip the U.S. Senate in November. Brown’s bid to return to the upper chamber after his 2024 defeat frames a broader effort by Democrats to capitalize on voter discontent with rising prices, the U.S. war with…
The United Kingdom announced sanctions against 35 individuals and entities it says are linked to the supply of components and labour for Russian drone production and to trafficking vulnerable migrants into combat or factory roles. The move also marks the first use of the UK’s Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons sanctions regime to…
President Donald Trump has initiated a series of high-profile construction and refurbishment projects across Washington, D.C., including a planned 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, a proposed 250-foot Independence Arch, renovations to the Kennedy Center and the Reflecting Pool, and significant alterations to the Oval Office and White House g…
On May 4 the U.S. Supreme Court permitted a recent decision that invalidated a portion of the Voting Rights Act to take effect sooner than normal. The procedural move follows a request from a group of Louisiana voters described in filings as "non-African American" and removes a procedural obstacle to the state's Republican leadership as it seeks to…
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he will push New York state to consider redrawing congressional districts following a recent Supreme Court decision, joining a broader wave of partisan redistricting moves by both parties ahead of the November elections. The effort in New York would require voter and legislative approval and would not ta…
The U.S. Justice Department has sued the state of Minnesota, alleging that state officials are attempting to regulate global greenhouse gas emissions by pursuing lawsuits against energy companies in state court. The action is the latest in a series of federal moves involving Minnesota, which include searches tied to a social-welfare fraud probe and…
Attorneys for Cole Tomas Allen have asked a federal judge to remove suicide-prevention restrictions imposed while he is held in a Washington jail after the April 25 shooting outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Counsel argue the measures amount to punishment and restrict his ability to communicate with family; a jail nurse recommended en…
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 81, has been admitted to a hospital and is in "critical but stable condition," his spokesperson Ted Goodman said on May 3. Goodman offered no further details on the nature of Giuliani's illness or the expected length of his stay. The statement asked for public prayers and recalled Giuliani's reputation foll…
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch voiced concern about leaks of internal court deliberations, saying justices require private space for candid discussion. His remarks followed publication of leaked memos concerning a 2016 action blocking the Clean Power Plan and come amid heightened attention to the court's use of its emergency - or shadow - docke…
A recent Supreme Court decision, combined with intensified partisan redistricting efforts, has reduced the number of genuinely competitive U.S. House districts heading into the midterm elections. Independent forecasters now count only 32 competitive seats out of 435, a historic low that means control of the House may effectively be decided by a sma…
Attorneys for Cole Tomas Allen have asked a federal judge to end suicide-prevention restrictions imposed while he is in custody in Washington. Allen, accused of firing a shotgun outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, was initially placed in a padded "safe cell" and later placed on "suicide precautions" that his lawyers say amou…
Two senior Republican lawmakers who lead congressional defense panels voiced strong concern after the Pentagon announced plans to withdraw roughly 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany. They urged consultation with Congress and NATO partners, warning that a premature reduction of forces could weaken conventional deterrence and send an adverse signal to Ru…
Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that found certain congressional maps unconstitutional and weakened protections under the Voting Rights Act, Republican governors in Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana have taken swift steps to seek new district maps. Alabama and South Carolina governors signaled plans to pursue revised maps and potential …
ActBlue sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in federal court in Boston seeking to stop a Texas lawsuit and investigations it calls unlawful retribution aimed at chilling its political speech and activities. The Texas action seeks penalties and a ban on certain payment methods, and follows Republican-led probes that were spurred by a presidential…
On May 1, a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily enjoined a federal regulation that had allowed the abortion medication mifepristone to be delivered by mail. The decision, which stems from a challenge brought by the state of Louisiana, curtails access to the drug across the United States and is especially consequential in stat…
The FBI said Chinese government hiring of hackers has grown unmanageable and that individuals believed to have conducted state-directed operations lose protective cover once they leave China. The comments followed the extradition of Xu Zewei, 34, from Italy to the United States on charges tied to alleged involvement in hacking campaigns in 2020 and…
President Donald Trump on Friday told reporters he had spoken by phone on Thursday with Iraq’s prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi and expressed robust support for his candidacy. The Coordination Framework, an alliance of Shi’ite political blocs, named Zaidi as its nominee earlier in the week. Washington says it seeks to maintain close relations …
BCA Research says the Iran conflict is likely to flare up again within 12 months, assigning a 70% probability of escalation even if maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz partially resumes. The firm points to Iran's strategy of extending the strait closure to keep oil prices elevated and identifies the nuclear dispute as the central impedime…
President Donald Trump will make his first public outing since an alleged assassination attempt, traveling to The Villages retirement community on Friday to promote new senior tax deductions and Social Security accessibility upgrades. The trip comes as his approval rating hits a political low and economic pressures - including rising gasoline price…
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed a multiyear election reform bill, arguing the package would impose substantial operational burdens and contains legal uncertainties. The measure would have introduced ballot tracking for absentee and other voters, broadened acceptable ID, altered voter roll maintenance, adjusted absentee ballot timelines and est…
Congress approved a 45-day extension of a contested Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provision that permits warrantless searches of data collected by U.S. intelligence agencies. The stopgap measure, passed in the Senate by unanimous consent and in the House by a 261-111 vote, delays a final resolution as reform advocates continue to pus…
Republican Governor Jeff Landry suspended Louisiana's May 16 congressional primary two days before early voting, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that invalidated the state's six-district map and removed a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The pause, issued by executive order, delays House nominating contests until at least July 15 or …
