Democrat Voter News

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed billionaire investor Scott Bessent on Monday to serve as President Donald Trump’s treasury secretary, giving him the delicate balancing act of cutting taxes and curbing deficits while putting forward a plan on tariffs that doesn’t jeopardize growth. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] He was confirmed on a 68-to-29 vote, with 16 Democrats…

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Monday that it had fired more than a dozen employees who worked on criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump, moving rapidly to pursue retribution against lawyers involved in the investigations and signaling an early willingness to take action favorable to the President’s personal interests. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The abrupt termination…

NEW YORK — U.S. public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, John Nkengasong, sent a memo to senior leaders at the agency on Sunday night telling them that all staff who work with the WHO must immediately…

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a raft of executive orders, including one proclaiming that the United States will only recognize “two sexes, male and female”—a move that could have significant practical and psychological implications for trans and nonbinary people. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The order accuses “ideologues” of denying “the biological reality…

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Visa appointments at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia were canceled Monday following a dispute over deportation flights from the U.S. that nearly turned into a costly trade war between the two countries. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Dozens of Colombians showed up outside the U.S. Embassy in Bogota and were handed letters by local staff…

This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Mitch McConnell’s Unburdened Era has begun. The Kentucky Republican, who stepped down from his role as longest-serving party leader in history this month, has been signaling that he would be neither a…

BOGOTA, Colombia — The White House claimed victory in a showdown with Colombia over accepting flights of deported migrants from the U.S. on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on imports and other sanctions on the longtime U.S. partner. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Long close partners in anti-narcotics efforts, the U.S. and Colombia clashed…

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Donald Trump said he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate. During a…

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Florida man has been arrested on charges of making online threats against President Donald Trump, police said Saturday. A tip to the FBI threat center led to the arrest Friday night of Shannon Depararra Atkins, 46, West Palm Beach police said in a news release. He is charged with…

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary on Saturday, putting the South Dakota governor in charge of a sprawling agency that is essential to national security and President Donald Trump’s plans to clamp down on illegal immigration. Republicans kept the Senate working Saturday to install the latest member of Trump’s national…