Legislation

FILE - In this Dec. 30, 2020, file photo Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks to the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
January 01, 2021 - 3:00 pm

In A First, Congress Overrides Trump Veto Of Defense Bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Friday overrode President Donald Trump's veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since he took office nearly four years ago, ensuring that the measure becomes law. In an extraordinary New Year's Day session, the Republican-controlled Senate easily turned...
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U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga.,talks to supporters during a campaign event Friday, Dec. 31, 2020 at McCray's Tavern in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)
January 01, 2021 - 8:29 am

Explainer: As Georgia Awaits, Gop Still Has Senate Control

ATLANTA (AP) — The consequences of Georgia’s twin Senate runoffs are well known: They’ll determine which party controls the Senate in the new Congress. Right? Long term, yes, that’s the case. But the circumstances of Georgia’s seats make the near term a bit messy. One of two Georgia races is a...
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks off of the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
December 31, 2020 - 9:25 pm

Shutdown, Impeachment, Virus: Chaotic Congress Winds Down

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is ending a chaotic session, a two-year political firestorm that started with the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, was riven by impeachment and a pandemic, and now closes with a rare rebuff by Republicans of President Donald Trump. In the few days...
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A "Now Hiring" sign hangs on the front wall of a Harbor Freight Tools store, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Manchester, N.H. The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 19,000 to a still-high 787,000, evidence that the job market remains under stress as a resurgent coronavirus continues to batter the economy. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
December 31, 2020 - 6:44 am

Jobless Claims Down 19,000, Still 4 Times Pre-Pandemic Level

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 19,000 last week to still historically high 787,000 as a resurgent coronavirus grips the U.S. economy. While at the lowest level in four weeks, the new figures released Thursday by the Labor Department are nearly four...
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks back to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Associated Press
December 30, 2020 - 9:26 pm

Trump push on $2K checks flops as GOP-led Senate won’t vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but shut the door on President Donald Trump's push for $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked another attempt by Democrats to force a vote. The GOP leader made clear Wednesday he...
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Abortion-rights activists watch live video streaming of lawmakers in session, outside Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. Congress approved a bill that legalize abortion in Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
December 30, 2020 - 2:36 pm

Bill Legalizing Abortion Passed In Pope's Native Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina on Wednesday became the largest nation in Latin America to legalize elective abortion, a triumph for a feminist movement that overcame a last-minute appeal by Pope Francis to his compatriots and could pave the way for similar actions across the socially...
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks back to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Associated Press
December 30, 2020 - 1:50 pm

Trump’s $2,000 checks stall in Senate as GOP blocks vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shut the door Wednesday on President Donald Trump's push for $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked another attempt by Democrats to force a vote. The GOP leader made clear he is...
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One of the 12 Hong Kong activists detained at sea by Chinese authorities, second from right, with his head covered, is escorted by Hong Kong police officers after being transferred by Chinese authorities at Hong Kong's Shenzhen Bay Port, a China-Hong Kong border, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced 10 pro-democracy activists who sought to flee Hong Kong by speedboat to between seven months and three years in prison, in a case with major political overtones for the territory. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
December 30, 2020 - 2:12 am

China Sentences 10 Seeking To Flee Hong Kong To Prison Terms

HONG KONG (AP) — A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced 10 pro-democracy activists and protesters who sought to flee Hong Kong by speedboat to between seven months and three years in prison, in a case with major political overtones for the territory. The Yantian District Court in the southern city...
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Abortion-rights activists rally outside Congress as lawmakers debate a bill that would legalize abortion, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
December 29, 2020 - 7:24 pm

Argentine Senate Weighs Fate Of Abortion In Pope's Homeland

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The decades-long fight by Argentine women’s groups for legal abortion was being decided by the Senate in a debate that spilled into the early hours of Wednesday before a vote that could change the outlook for the procedure across a continent where it is still largely...
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Followed by a staffer, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, leaves the Capitol for the day, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Associated Press
December 29, 2020 - 4:14 pm

Senate GOP blocks swift vote on Trump’s $2K checks

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's push for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks stalled out Tuesday in the Senate as Republicans blocked a swift vote proposed by Democrats and split within their own ranks over whether to boost spending or defy the White House. The roadblock mounted by...
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