Rep. Hice on the GOP asking the president not to sign a massive spending bill

House Republicans urge Trump to veto any big spending bill; Rep. Jody Hice with insight.

Latest Stories

  • Rebuilding trust in the Justice Department starts — but doesn't end — with Biden's choice of attorney general

    Department of Justice veterans say the agency became too political under Attorney General William Barr. Revitalizing the department will depend on President-elect Joe Biden’s willingness to entrust it to an independent attorney general.

  • AOC calls Amazon jobs a 'scam' because more than 4,000 of its employees are on food stamps

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said many Amazon logistics roles provide no financial security because thousands of workers are on food stamps.

  • Pentagon officials reportedly 'stunned' as acting Defense secretary halts Biden transition briefings

    Pentagon officials have been left "stunned" after acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller ordered a "Pentagon-wide halt to cooperation" with President-elect Joe Biden's transition, Axios reports.Miller, according to the report, on Thursday night ordered officials to cancel transition meetings that had previously been scheduled, "which stunned officials throughout the Pentagon." Officials reportedly were not clear on what led to the decision, and Axios says a top Biden official wasn't aware of the order.A senior Defense Department official told Axios this was a "simple delay of the last few scheduled meetings until after the new year," saying they had "fewer than two dozen remaining meetings on the schedule today and next week" and staff was "overwhelmed by the number of meetings." The official added, "With the holidays we are taking a knee for two weeks. We are still committed to a productive transition."But Axios writes that officials "across the Defense Department" were shocked by the move, which comes after President Trump delayed the official beginning of Biden's transition while refusing to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. Read more at Axios. More stories from theweek.com 5 insanely funny cartoons about Trump's election-fraud failure Trump reportedly nearly blew up delicate COVID-19 relief talks with demand for $2,000 direct checks 17 things you've already forgotten happened in 2020

  • A New Book Explorers the Architectural Power of Memorials

    From the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the 9/11 Memorial, these designs have shaped culture and consciousness to become indelible parts of their locationsOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Pakistan starts legal process for ex-PM Sharif's extradition

    Pakistan’s information minister said Friday that Islamabad has started the legal process to reach an extradition treaty with Britain that would pave the way for the U.K. to hand over former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The development comes after a top Pakistani court earlier this month declared Sharif, who lives in self-imposed exile in London, a fugitive from justice for failing to return home to face additional corruption charges. Information Minister Shibli Faraz told The Associated Press that it's the responsibility of British authorities not to allow “convicted criminals like Sharif” to remain there.

  • Pfizer irked after Belgian politician publishes COVID-19 vaccine prices

    U.S. drugmaker Pfizer complained of a breach of confidentiality after a politician in Belgium published on Thursday the price per dose of COVID-19 vaccines ordered by the country, according to a Belgian newspaper. Belgian secretary of state Eva De Bleeker tweeted a table with the number of doses and price per dose of each vaccine, after a 30-hour debate on the Belgian budget in parliament. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, whose COVID-19 vaccine is the first to have been approved by Western regulators, is among suppliers to the European Union, including Belgium.

  • Secretary of State Pompeo says hack was 'pretty clearly' Russian

    "This was a very significant effort, and I think it's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity," he said.

  • Biden tells Colbert he's fine with most GOP snubs, but Lindsey Graham has 'been a personal disappointment'

    Stephen Colbert traveled to Delaware to interview President-elect Joe Biden and incoming first lady Dr. Jill Biden for Thursday's Late Show, and he started by asking what President Biden is "going to put into the world?" Biden noted that America is sharply divided, but said "I think the nation -- and I don't think I'm kidding myself, I got criticized from the beginning for saying this -- I think the nation's looking for us to be united, much more united. We don't have to have this. Politics has become so, sort of, dirty and vicious and personal and mean and clenched fist instead of an open hand. And I think people are looking for us to come together."Colbert asked Biden if he takes it personally that so many Republicans "haven't acknowledged your win," and Biden said no. "Look, they're in a tough spot," he said. "A number of them sent messages to me four weeks ago: 'Give me time, Joe. Give me some time.' It's fine by me, it's fine by me. We won! We won Georgia three times."Colbert pointed to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who, he noted, has said some really nice things about Biden. "Do you think you guys can patch it up and work together?" he asked. "Lindsey's been a personal disappointment, because I was a personal friend of his." Biden said. "But look, I think I can work with Republican leadership in the House and the Senate. I think we can get things done. And I think once this president is no longer in office, I think you're going to see his impact on the body politic fade, and a lot of these Republicans are going to feel they've got much more room to run and cooperate.""Is there anything about your predecessor, the current president, that you could thank him for sincerely?" Colbert asked. Biden found one thing.Colbert showed a clip of his first sit-down with Biden, from The Colbert Report, in the opening segment. But the most famous interview he did with Biden was in 2015, when they bonded over loss and grief. Biden brought that up when Colbert asked him about the role a president can play in helping the U.S. process and mourn the loss of 300,000-plus people to COVID-19. Watch that, plus Biden talking about his congratulatory phone call from Pope Francis and being the second Catholic president, below. More stories from theweek.com 5 insanely funny cartoons about Trump's election-fraud failure Trump reportedly nearly blew up delicate COVID-19 relief talks with demand for $2,000 direct checks 17 things you've already forgotten happened in 2020

  • Senate investigators fault FAA over Boeing jet, safety

    Boeing improperly influenced a test designed to see how quickly pilots could respond to malfunctions on the Boeing 737 Max, and Federal Aviation Administration officials may have obstructed a review of two deadly crashes involving the plane, Senate investigators say. In a report released Friday, the Senate Commerce Committee also said the FAA continues to retaliate against whistleblowers. The FAA's parent agency, the Transportation Department, has also hindered investigators by failing to turn over documents, it said.

  • Donald Trump plans to shut two remaining US consulates in Russia

    The Trump administration has notified Congress that it intends to shut the last two remaining US consulates in Russia. The State Department told lawmakers last week that it would permanently close the consulate in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok and temporarily suspend operations at the consulate in Yekaterinburg, just east of the Ural Mountains. The notice was sent to Congress on December 10 but received little attention at the time. That was three days before it was made public that Russian was suspected of a hack into US government and private computer systems that has raised grave cybersecurity fears. It comes as Mr Trump has been urged to condemn Russia's apparent involvement in the massive cyberattack, which is believed to have gone undetected for nine months. Last night, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, said: “The news of the significant and far-reaching cyber-attacks targeting United States government agencies and corporations is further disturbing evidence that malign actors, including Russia, remain intent on undermining our national security and democracy. “Sadly and alarmingly, the Trump Administration has for four years turned a blind eye to Putin’s attacks on our American democracy, including his ongoing efforts to attack our election systems and undermine faith in our democratic institutions. “The era of impunity for our adversaries’ assault on our democracy is over.”

  • Ex-governor of cartel-ravaged Mexican state gunned down in beach resort

    MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -The former governor of the Mexican state of Jalisco was shot dead early on Friday in a restaurant bathroom in the beach town of Puerto Vallarta, one of the most high profile political killings since Mexico embarked on its "War on Drugs" in 2006. Jalisco state officials said Aristoteles Sandoval was shot in the back by an unidentified assailant while his security detail were outside. A shootout erupted as his bodyguards began moving Sandoval to hospital.

  • How do you know if your store-bought mask really works? Yahoo News Explains

    Protective masks have become a fact of life for millions of Americans in the face of COVID-19 — and with the pandemic spreading at a rapid pace, they’re more important than ever. There are thousands of options available to purchase, including medical-grade N95s reserved for frontline workers, Chinese KN95s and their Korean counterparts KF94s, nonmedical surgical masks, and factory or homemade cloth masks. They often come with claims quantifying how well they filter the air — but they aren’t all the same, and many don’t work as well as advertised. So, how do you know your mask actually works? Aaron Collins, a mechanical engineer specializing in aerosol science, explains.

  • ‘I am not ashamed of what I did’: Proud Boys leader admits burning church’s Black Lives Matter sign

    Enrique Tarrio says he was behind the act being investigated as potential hate crime

  • Pfizer says 'millions' of vaccine doses are waiting to be shipped — but the government hasn't told them where to go

    It's no secret that there aren't enough Pfizer vaccine doses for every American who wants one. But there are at least a few million more sitting in a warehouse, waiting for the government to decide where they're headed, Pfizer said.After receiving emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration last week, Pfizer said Thursday that it has since shipped out the 2.9 million vaccine doses the U.S. government told the company to distribute. But Pfizer "has millions more doses sitting in warehouses awaiting instructions for where to ship" Bloomberg reports. Pfizer also denied it was the cause of shipping delays some states complained about, saying it's the federal government causing the holdup.The vast majority of Americans have said they'll get the coronavirus vaccine, with many ready to take it as soon as possible. So far, there are only enough doses available to start vaccinating people in nursing homes and frontline health care workers, whom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed to prioritize.The U.S. bought 100 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine over the summer. But the Trump administration reportedly turned down Pfizer's offer to sell the U.S. more doses a few months later, meaning Pfizer may not be able to get another shipment to Americans until summer 2021. The U.S. did buy another another 100 million Moderna vaccine doses last week.More stories from theweek.com 5 insanely funny cartoons about Trump's election-fraud failure Trump reportedly nearly blew up delicate COVID-19 relief talks with demand for $2,000 direct checks 17 things you've already forgotten happened in 2020

  • Biden adviser Cedric Richmond tests positive for coronavirus

    One of President-elect Joe Biden’s closest advisers tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, according to his transition team. Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, who is set to resign from Congress to join the incoming Biden administration as a senior adviser, tested positive two days after traveling to Atlanta to attend a campaign rally that Biden headlined for Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Biden transition spokesperson Kate Bedingfield said in a statement.

  • Afghanistan: Blast kills 15 children in eastern province

    It is unclear if the explosion was a deliberate attack or unexploded ordnance going off.

  • China says tailed U.S. warship in Taiwan Strait

    China's military tailed a U.S. warship as it passed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Saturday, the Chinese military said, denouncing such missions as sending "flirtatious glances" to supporters of Taiwan independence. China, which claims democratically-run Taiwan as its own territory, has been angered by stepped-up U.S. support for the island, including arms sales and sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait, further souring Beijing-Washington relations. The U.S. Navy said the guided missile destroyer USS Mustin had conducted "a routine Taiwan Strait transit (on) Dec. 19 in accordance with international law".

  • Ghislaine Maxwell was in process of divorcing husband, prosecution claims as it slams fresh bail bid

    Ghislaine Maxwell was in the process of divorcing her husband at the time she was arrested by the FBI, the US government claimed on Friday in response to the socialite’s bail plea. Ms Maxwell, 58, filed a fresh appeal to a New York judge on Monday in an attempt to be freed from prison before Christmas. Her husband, understood by The Telegraph to be tech CEO Scott Borgerson, put up more than $22 million in security, saying in a letter to the judge that she was a “wonderful and loving person.” Ms Maxwell claimed she was not a flight risk, as the government has claimed, because she has strong ties to the US and a family life with Mr Borgerson, 44. However, the prosecution responded by revealing that the couple was actually divorcing, which “undermines her assertion that her marriage is a tie that would keep her in the United States.” “Although the defendant now claims her marriage would keep her in the United States, her motion does not address the plainly inconsistent statements she made to Pretrial Services at the time of her arrest, when the defendant said she was 'in the process of divorcing her husband.” In the defence’s appeal for bail, lawyers suggested that Ms Maxwell could stay with a friend in New York City under 24-hour surveillance while awaiting her July trial if she was released on bail, notably not with her spouse. Ms Maxwell’s application will now be considered by US District Judge Alison Nathan, who rejected a $5 million bail package for Ms Maxwell in July, agreeing with the government she was an “extreme flight risk”. The heiress has been living in a Brooklyn jail since July, when she pleaded not guilty to helping associate Jeffrey Epstein recruit and groom underage girls for sex in the mid-1990s.

  • Supreme Court denies Kentucky religious school's challenge to COVID-19 restrictions, for now

    The Supreme Court said Thursday it won't order Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) to lift COVID-19 restrictions on in-school classes at Danville Christian Academy or other religious schools, but the justices gave the Christian school the chance to refile its case after the Christmas break. Beshear's order shifted all K-12 schools, public and private, to remote learning until Jan. 4, but schools start their winter break on Friday. "Under all of the circumstances, especially the timing and the impending expiration of the order, we deny the application without prejudice," the unsigned opinion said.Danville Christian Academy, joined by Kentucky's Republican attorney general and several dozen congressional Republicans, argued that while Beshear's order applies to all schools, the judges should compare religious schools not to their public counterparts but to secular businesses like movie theaters and stores that have been allowed to remain open at limited capacity. In that light, they argued, Beshear's order is a violation of their First Amendment religious liberties. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito agreed. "I would not leave in place yet another potentially unconstitutional decree, even for the next few weeks," Gorsuch wrote in a dissent.The Supreme Court has been adjudicating COVID-19 policies affecting religious services, imprisonment, shopping, and election administration since March, USA Today notes, but in recent weeks — since Justice Amy Coney Barrett replaced the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the court — "the court's conservatives freed churches, synagogues, and mosques from strict attendance limits imposed by Democratic governors in New York and, by extension, California, Colorado, and New Jersey."More stories from theweek.com 5 insanely funny cartoons about Trump's election-fraud failure Trump reportedly nearly blew up delicate COVID-19 relief talks with demand for $2,000 direct checks 17 things you've already forgotten happened in 2020

  • Irritated by loss, Trump hunkers down at the White House and avoids conversation of future

    Sources say as {President Trump’s time at the White House dwindles down, he stays cooped up in the “presidential man cave” of the Oval Office, avoiding talks about the future.