More politics news
Pentagon grappling with new vaccine orders; timing uncertain
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is vowing he “won’t let grass grow under our feet” as the department begins to implement the new vaccine and testing directives. But Pentagon officials on Friday were scrambling to figure out how to enact and enforce the changes across the vast military population and determine which National Guard and Reserve troops would be affected by the orders.
Trump urged Justice officials to declare election ‘corrupt’
President Donald Trump urged senior Justice Department officials to declare the 2020 election results “corrupt” in a December phone call, according to handwritten notes from one of the participants in the conversation.
Senate Votes to Advance Infrastructure Package in Rare Friday Session
The Senate overwhelmingly voted to continue to advance a $1 trillion infrastructure package in a rare Friday session, as Senate Democrats race to pass both that bipartisan bill and a party-line $3.5 trillion budget blueprint before leaving for the scheduled August recess.
First evacuation flight brings 221 Afghans, many kids, to US
The launch of the evacuation flights, bringing out former interpreters and others who fear retaliation from Afghanistan’s Taliban for having worked with American troops and civilians, highlights American uncertainty about how Afghanistan’s government and military will fare after the last US combat forces leave that country in the coming weeks.
Trump pressed Justice Dept. to declare election results corrupt, notes show
The demands were an extraordinary instance of a president interfering with an agency that is typically more independent from the White House to advance his personal agenda. They are also the latest example of Trump’s wide-ranging campaign during his final weeks in office to delegitimize the election results.
Justice says IRS must give Trump tax returns to Congress
The Justice Department, in a reversal, says the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, apparently ending a long legal showdown over the records.
South Dakota’s Noem doesn’t plan to ratchet up vaccine push
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says she has no plans to ratchet up her messaging to urge people to get a COVID-19 vaccine, even as Republican leaders across the country try to persuade vaccine skeptics to roll up their sleeves and take the shots in response to a new, more contagious variant that has sent caseloads soaring in some parts of the country.
‘Welcome home’: Evacuation flight brings 200 Afghans to US
The first flight evacuating Afghans who worked alongside Americans in Afghanistan brought more than 200 people, including scores of children and babies in arms, to resettlement in the United States on Friday, and President Joe Biden welcomed them home.