A bipartisan group of President Donald Trump’s critics is launching a new organization, dubbed the Cost Coalition, to highlight Trump’s struggle to control rising costs in the early months of his new presidency.

A president’s inaugural address is a time-honored spectacle: A makeshift grandstand is erected next to the Capitol and hundreds of thousands people line the National Mall.

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, taking charge as Republicans claim unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.

Barely six months into the job, House Speaker Mike Johnson is at risk of the same conservative revolt that took down his predecessor.

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he plans to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress, a show of support from Republicans amid growing Democratic criticism of Netanyahu’s leadership.

Republicans and Israeli officials were quick to express outrage after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer lashed out at Prime Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza and called for Israel to hold new elections.

New House Speaker Mike Johnson has inherited many of the same problems that bedeviled Republican leaders with far more experience.

Evangelical Christian conservatives have long had allies in top Republican leadership in Congress.

There will be no further votes for House speaker on Wednesday after Republicans reached an impasse on how to move forward.

Rep. Jim Jordan becoming House speaker would help cement the far right’s takeover of the Republican Party and trigger conflict with Democrats over the size and scope of government.

Republican colleagues call Steve Scalise a fighter, but the nominee for House speaker may be in for a brawl.

Some members of the GOP are wondering if anyone can take Kevin McCarthy's place as a fundraising dynamo and party builder.

One of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's harshest critics is making good on his threat to try to remove the California Republican from his leadership post.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy has turned to a strategy that so far has preserved his tenuous hold on House leadership, but also marked his tenure by chaos.

Housing advocates are raising the alarm about House Republicans’ plan to dramatically cut the federal deficit to raise the debt ceiling.

This year’s debt ceiling debate has a different feel to it for some lawmakers.

Mike Pence and Bernie Sanders are hardly political allies.

Lawmakers no longer have to walk through metal detectors before gaining access to the House floor.

Republican Kevin McCarthy is the new House speaker, but it took days and days, and 15 roll call votes, ending early Saturday.

Republican Kevin McCarthy has been elected House speaker on a historic post-midnight 15th ballot, overcoming holdouts from his own ranks.

The House stalemate over choosing a new speaker has held firm through a long, excruciating third day and evening of voting with no conclusion.

The Republicans opposing Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become the next House speaker generally have made their mark as part of the GOP’s ultra conservative wing.

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy says there’s no scenario in which he’ll drop his bid to become House speaker despite failing to win multiple rounds of voting Tuesday.

The House will convene Tuesday to elect a speaker for the new Congress.

Outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s portrait was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol, a traditional honor bestowed on a tradition-breaking leader.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is in the fight of his political life as he seeks enough GOP backing to become the next speaker of the House.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has cleared the first major step toward becoming House speaker.

With Republicans just one win away from gaining control of the House, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is maneuvering to lock up support to become the next House speaker.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is rolling out his party's Trump-like midterm election agenda.

How has Congress changed in the last four decades.

President Joe Biden has congratulated Democratic U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown of Ohio for her primary victory over former state Sen. Nina Turner.

The next House speaker could very well hail from California, but if Republicans take control, that leader won't come from the part of the state represented by the current speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco.

Republican lawmakers gathered at a retreat in Florida this week to plot out strategy for this year's midterm elections.

Presidents and former colleagues are lauding longtime Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who died Tuesday.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has died.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is being remembered by Democrats as well as Republicans as a skilled dealmaker who was both strong and compassionate.

The grind of legislating is treacherous for some, a sport for others, and rarely successful in the slow-moving Congress.

President Joe Biden’s sister, confidante and longtime political strategist, Valerie Biden Owens, has a book deal.

Republican Kevin McCarthy is leading his party to an inflection point.

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz and Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are presenting top House Republicans with a test of how to handle a new breed of Trump-era, social media-savvy firebrands.

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz and Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are presenting top House Republicans with a test of how to handle a new breed of Trump-era, social media-savvy firebrands.

The House has rejected an attempt to boot a Democrat from the House intelligence committee. Democrats scuttled a Republican effort to remove Swalwell from the intelligence panel. Democrats scuttled the effort from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, 218-200, after he forced a vote. After the briefing, which was also attended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, McCarthy said he thought Swalwell should be removed. The Republican resolution comes as the once-bipartisan intelligence panel deals with the raw feelings left by the investigations into former President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.

But the North Carolina Republican’s vote to convict former President Donald Trump should not have come as a shock. AdWith Burr retiring at the end of his term in 2022, it’s a vote that could end up defining his career. Exactly a year later, as the Russia investigation was wrapping up, Burr’s time leading the committee came to an abrupt end. He sided with most Republicans in a vote to dismiss the trial, creating an expectation he’d also vote to acquit. AdSo when Burr stood up to vote for Trump's conviction, many in the chamber wondered if there would be other surprises.

They bolstered their case with accounts from the rioters themselves, some of whom said they were acting on Trump's orders. The former president's defense team insists Trump's speech near the White House was protected under the First Amendment. And they argue he shouldn't be on trial in the Senate because he is no longer in office — an argument Democrats reject. To underscore their point, Democrats showed videos using rioters own words. Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said he expects the defense will wrap up in less than a day.

Now Biden’s central political identity faces the ultimate trial. Biden's answer follows two tracks: defending the fabric of society and institutions of government that Trump’s tenure has stressed and calling for sweeping legislative action. The outcome will determine the reach of Biden’s presidency and further test the lifetime politician’s ability to evolve and meet events. Biden’s longtime friend, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, is the House speaker, but presides over a diminished Democratic majority and slim margin for error. “They believe in his compassion and they believe in, quite frankly, his leadership skills.”Anzalone loosely compared Biden's appeal to Ronald Reagan's.

With the Washington Monument in the background, people attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. The announcement comes after thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol last week as legislators were meeting to vote to certify Biden’s electoral win. The State Department is investigating what appears to be a “prank” after its website suggested President Donald Trump’s term would end Monday evening. It comes days after thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the congressional certification of Biden’s victory. The National Park Service is shutting down public access to the Washington Monument until Jan. 24, citing threats surrounding Joe Biden’s inauguration.

For President-elect Joe Biden, his most defining congressional election is coming before he takes office. Both Georgia Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock must win Tuesday to split the Senate 50-50. To be sure, even a closely divided Democratic Senate wouldn’t give Biden everything he wants. While progressives say they've lowered their expectations of what's possible — even under a Democratic Senate — they still intend to push Biden. Besides misrepresenting Biden’s and most Democratic senators’ policy preferences, that characterization ignores the reality of the Senate’s roster.

He said Monday’s Electoral College vote “was significant.”Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said barring further legal challenges it appears Biden will be president. Some GOP lawmakers have vowed to carry the fight to Jan. 6 when Congress votes to accept or reject the Electoral College results. Others have said Trump's legal battles should continue toward resolution by inauguration day, Jan. 20. "Once the Electoral College has voted, most people are going to recognize Joe Biden as the president-elect." "Although I supported President Trump, the Electoral College vote today makes clear that Joe Biden is now President-Elect,” said Sen.

He said Monday’s Electoral College vote “was significant.”Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said barring further legal challenges it appears Biden will be president. Others have said Trump's legal battles should continue toward resolution by inauguration day, Jan. 20. "Once the Electoral College has voted, most people are going to recognize Joe Biden as the president-elect." "Although I supported President Trump, the Electoral College vote today makes clear that Joe Biden is now President-Elect,” said Sen. Many Republicans are unwilling to declare Biden the winner for the same reasons they avoided standing up to Trump during his presidency.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks about House Republicans and the election, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. House Republicans are “the most united and energized” he's ever seen after their “historic political upset." McCarthy and his team are now among the remaining leaders from the tea party era, when House Republicans last controlled Congress. In the Trump era, House Republicans’ role receded as the White House often dominated the discussion and Republicans held the majority in the Senate. The House Republicans had to seek a waiver from the District of Columbia, which has restrictions on large gatherings.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks about House Republicans and the election, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. House Republicans are “the most united and energized” he's ever seen after their “historic political upset." McCarthy and his team are now among the remaining leaders from the tea party era, when House Republicans last controlled Congress. In the Trump era, House Republicans’ role receded as the White House often dominated the discussion and Republicans held the majority in the Senate. The House Republicans had to seek a waiver from the District of Columbia, which has restrictions on large gatherings.

By retaining the House, Democrats will control the chamber for four consecutive years for only the second time since 1995, when Republicans ended 40 years of Democratic dominance. As the bad news sunk in, Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., who led House Democrats' campaign committee, announced Monday she wouldn't seek another term leading that organization. Republicans have been heartened by the House results, which many believe position them for a strong run for the majority in the 2022 elections. Illustrating that, the Blue Dog Coalition of the most conservative House Democrats, whose membership has dwindled in recent years, lost at least six of its roughly two dozen members. On the Republican side, the conservative House Freedom Caucus was hoping to grow from its roughly 30 members.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump stood before a crowd in a state that had once been firmly in his grasp. That moment Wednesday in Iowa, a state Trump won comfortably four years ago but is now seen as competitive, underscored a fundamental challenge facing his reelection campaign: It’s not 2016. The president’s attempts to recycle attacks he used on Hillary Clinton that year have so far failed to effectively damage Democrat Joe Biden. “The president’s message is clear: he has accomplished more for America in 47 months than Joe Biden has in 47 years,” said Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh. “This boils down to a choice between a political outsider who has shaken up Washington and a failed career politician.”The Trump campaign believes it has a viable, if narrow path to victory.

In the Republican-leaning California 48th Congressional District in Orange County, Republican challenger Michelle Steel has talked about taxes, while Rouda has focused on health care and prescription drug costs. The pattern is similar outside Philadelphia, where GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick accuses Democratic challenger Christina Finelo of supporting police defunding. Wagner has voted for bills that would have ended the coverage that former President Barack Obama’s health care law guarantees people with preexisting conditions. Freitas has said he thinks government intrusion into health care doesn't help. Democrats have run health care themed ads against Republicans in numerous states including Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska and Texas.

Now as President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Meadows is an unorthodox pick for the White House role, trying to negotiate a coronavirus relief package on Capitol Hill. With talks stalemated, Trump has resorted to bypassing Congress, issuing the executive actions that Meadows warned would come if the White House failed to reach a deal. Meadows, with his Freedom Caucus roots, gives conservative Republicans who oppose such big spending some comfort that the White House won't yield too much to Democrats. Once Trump became the party's nominee, Meadows quickly set in motion to become a Trump confidant. In some ways, Meadows arrival at the White House can seem like he never really left Congress.

The Democratic leader has been here before, negotiating a deal with the White House to save the U.S. economy, and lessons from the Great Recession are now punctuating the coronavirus talks. Monday brought no new talks between Trump's team and negotiators on Capitol Hill as the president tries a go-it-alone strategy. Over the weekend, he launched a series of executive actions that give the appearance of a White House taking charge but may end up providing little help for ordinary Americans. Anytime they want to meet and theyre wiling to negotiate and have a new proposal were more than happy to meet, Mnuchin said later at the White House. Now, facing a far greater crisis the raging virus and economic shutdown Pelosi is standing firm.

Still, its not like Washington politicians to leave so much money on the table. Trump is eager for an agreement, much of the country expects one, and its not too difficult to sketch one out on paper. And Trumps team ultimately may have to make more concessions than they think since Republicans are split. Meadows has been understaffed during the talks, which can slow down the complicated horse-trading such a sweeping bill requires. Its clear that Pelosi recognizes shell have to go far lower than the $900-plus billion aid package that she built into the Democrats bill.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON For a moment, Congress had a chance to act on policing reform, mobilized by a national trauma and overwhelming public support. There are other high-profile examples where public support has been unable to overcome hyper-partisanship in Congress most notably on gun control. The parties have also failed to make progress in overhauling the nations fractured immigration laws, despite broad public support. Murray said in an interview that there was little attempt to do that kind of behind-the-scenes work on policing reform. The feeling that you want to accomplish something, that you want to get something done ... is a very different feeling than we saw with policing reform."