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.
75 total articles
On Jan 31 a U.S. district judge in Minneapolis declined to pause a Department of Homeland Security-led immigration enforcement operation that state officials say has produced widespread civil-rights abuses. The Minnesota Attorney General's lawsuit sought court intervention after the deployment of thousands of federal agents to Minneapolis-St. Paul,…
A federal judge ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, after they were taken into custody during an immigration enforcement action in a Minneapolis suburb. A Texas congressman said he retrieved the pair from a detention center in Dilley, Texas and escorted them back to Minnesota. The decision and su…
A Democratic candidate, Taylor Rehmet, captured a Texas state senate seat in a special election by more than 14 percentage points, taking control from Republicans for the first time in decades. The result in a conservative district outside Dallas prompted calls from the losing Republican candidate and party officials for renewed focus ahead of the …
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has issued an executive order requiring the city police department to investigate alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents, preserve body-camera footage, identify federal supervisory officers at scenes, and file reports on any state or local laws allegedly violated. The directive comes amid broader state …
President Donald Trump criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for saying local police would not enforce federal immigration laws, calling the stance "PLAYING WITH FIRE." The comment came amid continued federal immigration enforcement under "Operation Metro Surge," a wave of confrontations between heavily armed immigration agents and protesters tha…
Journalist Don Lemon was arrested following a livestreamed disruption of a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, and faces federal charges that include allegations under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and an 1871 civil-rights statute. The case spotlights how a law primarily used against anti-abortion demonstrators is being ap…
New York Governor Kathy Hochul introduced legislation to stop local law enforcement from being deputized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to prohibit the use of state-funded personnel and resources for federal civil immigration enforcement. The proposal, announced amid nationwide protests after two fatal shootings by federal agents i…
Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has issued directives and moved to alter how federal cultural and historical institutions present U.S. history. Actions include a 2025 executive order targeting so-called 'anti-American ideology' at the Smithsonian, a review of national park signage, removal of slavery exhibits, restoration…
Dozens of religious leaders were detained inside a Senate office building in Washington as they protested President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and urged lawmakers to restrict funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Organizers said the action targeted what they described as ICE’s harmful impact on communities; law enforcement…
Senior Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence panels have asked Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to brief their committees about her presence during an FBI raid on an election office in Fulton County, Georgia. Senators and representatives expressed concern that the nation's chief intelligence official was at the scene of a do…
President Donald Trump told officials he was not asleep but merely bored during a December cabinet meeting in which he closed his eyes for extended periods. Speaking in the White House Cabinet Room, Trump said he shut his eyes to shorten the meeting and denied sleeping, repeating that he does not sleep much. The remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny o…
Senator Ron Wyden has asked the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office to explain why U.S. tariffs on imports from Switzerland were cut to 15% from 39% soon after a meeting where Swiss business executives presented lavish gifts to the U.S. president. Wyden set a February 11 deadline for answers about who set the original tariff, who recommended the cut…
U.S. President Donald Trump told officials that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to suspend strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian towns for one week. Trump said he made a personal request for the pause during a Cabinet meeting and attributed the decision to unusually severe cold in the region. He also said the outcome exceeded expectations…
Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar formally launched her bid for governor of Minnesota after filing paperwork a week earlier, tying her campaign to rising state tensions over a federal immigration enforcement operation that preceded a series of recent killings and shootings. She positioned herself against the federal approach and pledged to addr…
Federal immigration agents in Minneapolis are operating under revised internal guidance that limits engagement with protesters and focuses enforcement on immigrants with criminal records, a shift coming as senior administration messaging has been inconsistent and a federal judge sharply criticized the agency for widespread violations of court order…
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced he will not run for elective office again, saying he will concentrate on responding to a fraud crisis in the state's welfare system that has become a focal point of federal criticism and political attacks. Walz, who will complete his second term in early 2027 and had already said he will not seek a third term, …
President Donald Trump publicly admonished Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey after Frey said city authorities would not assist federal immigration agencies in enforcing immigration laws. The exchange came as federal immigration activity in Minneapolis appeared to alternate between more targeted operations and broader patrols, following two fatal shootin…
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to answer questions about the Trump administration's operation in Venezuela and its broader policy toward the country. The hearing follows a contentious period in which senators nearly passed a resolution to restrict presidential military action in Venezue…
President Trump’s hardline immigration campaign, which helped secure his 2024 victory, is showing growing signs of political cost. A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds approval of his immigration approach at its lowest point since inauguration, and intense enforcement operations in Minneapolis have provoked national controversy after two protest-related fata…
A Tazewell County judge blocked Virginia Democrats’ effort to place a constitutional amendment before voters that would allow the legislature to redraw congressional districts. The decision, citing procedural timing issues tied to last November’s election, pauses a maneuver that Democrats said could net as many as four additional U.S. House seats a…
President Donald Trump said the man fatally shot by a federal agent during an immigration enforcement action in Minneapolis should not have been carrying a firearm or fully loaded magazines, comments that drew criticism from gun rights organizations and some Republicans. The shooting, which has been captured on bystander video, prompted a White Hou…
Federal statements issued after a series of violent encounters involving U.S. immigration officers - including two fatal shootings in Minneapolis this month - were repeatedly at odds with video recordings, court filings and medical examiner findings, a Reuters review found. The discrepancies span six cases in Minneapolis, Chicago and Texas, and inc…
House Democratic leaders have issued an ultimatum to remove Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that killed two U.S. citizens with no criminal records. Democrats say they will open impeachment proceedings if Noem is not dismissed immediately, but with Republicans controlli…
Eleanor Holmes Norton, a veteran civil rights attorney who has represented Washington, D.C. in Congress as a non-voting delegate since 1990, announced she will retire next year. Norton, 88, framed her decision around a responsibility to hand leadership to a new generation amid questions about her fitness and effectiveness as the House's oldest memb…
Federal suspension of financing for a $17.2 billion Hudson River tunnel project means crews will halt work on Feb. 6 unless the Trump administration reverses its decision, a New Jersey congressman said. The tunnel, a replacement for infrastructure damaged in 2012, links New York City and New Jersey and serves a region responsible for 10% of U.S. ec…
