WASHINGTON: From a secure room in the Capitol on Jan. 6, as rioters pummeled police and vandalized the building, Vice President Mike Pence tried to assert control. In an urgent phone call to the acting defense secretary, he issued a startling demand. “Clear the Capitol,” Pence said. Elsewhere in the building, Senate Majority Leader Chuck […]
Read MoreWashington: Emboldened by their majorities in the House and Senate, Democrats are making a new push to enact the first major new gun control laws in more than two decades — starting with stricter background checks. The House passed legislation on Thursday to require background checks on all firearms sales and transfers. The chamber was also voting on, and expected to pass, […]
Read MoreWashington: With President Joe Biden on the verge of his first big legislative victory, a key moderate Democrat said Sunday he’s open to changing Senate rules that could allow for more party-line votes to push through other parts of the White House’s agenda such as voting rights. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin stressed that he wants to keep the procedural hurdle known as […]
Read MoreWashington: President Joe Biden panned a Republican alternative to his $1.9 trillion COVID rescue plan as insufficient as Senate Democrats pushed ahead, voting to launch a process that could approve his sweeping rescue package on their own, if Republicans refuse to support it. Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined the Democratic senators for a private virtual meeting Tuesday, both declaring the […]
Read MoreTokyo : Stock markets are down Wednesday as investors focus on the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting and the outlook for the economy as the coronavirus pandemic rages on. European indexes lost early gains after a mixed session in Asia. In the U.S., futures are down 0.8 per cent for both the Dow and the S&P 500. The Fed […]
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