With America’s 250th anniversary approaching this Saturday, just 14 percent of Democrats described themselves as “extremely proud” to be an American, according to a new Gallup poll, as national pride hits a new low. After the Sept. 11 attacks, national pride was at a high. Through 2004, 65 to 70 percent of poll respondents felt […]
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was spotted at the Capitol on Monday — and no one knows exactly why.This comes after a blockbuster day of Supreme Court opinions that included upholding current state mail ballot counting systems and a massive transformation of the administrative state in President Donald Trump's favor; it also comes as the court is set to deliver its final opinions of the term, including a landmark decision about whether Trump can abolish birthright citizenship.According to at least one reporter on Capitol Hill, Republicans believe the 78-year-old far-right jurist was there for medical reasons."Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was just in the Capitol," wrote Politico's Meredith Lee Hill. "He declined to answer questions about why he was here as he left the House side. He did not meet with House GOP leadership and Rs believe he was here for the House physician office, per sources."MS NOW reporter Mychael Schnell could not ascertain this, but confirmed the secretive nature of Thomas' presence on the Hill."Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas just walked through the House side of the Capitol," she said. "He didn’t say why he was here. But told me he was meeting with 'nobody.' I said tomorrow will be a big day at the court. 'I guess so,' he responded. Would he give a sneak peak of decisions? 'Nope,' he told me with a chuckle."The whole situation raised eyebrows among political observers, with former President Barack Obama spokesperson TJ Adams Falconer posting a GIF of "Veep" protagonist Selina Meyer saying, "Well, that's (expletive) ... not good."Thomas, who has served on the Supreme Court since 1991 and is currently its most senior justice, has thus far rebuffed all calls from Republican legal strategists to step down and allow Trump to replace him with someone younger.
The insurgent left just shook New York. Colorado Democrats increasingly think they could be next.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL)'s ethics complaint against a Democratic senator collapsed Monday after the Senate Ethics Committee found no evidence to support it.Luna filed the complaint in April against Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), accusing him of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations. The committee, led by Chair Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and Vice Chair Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), investigated and cleared him."We are writing to inform you that the Select Committee on Ethics…dismissed a complaint filed against you by Representative Anna Paulina Luna," the letter read."Based on the investigation of the Committee, the Committee did not find evidence that your actions violated Federal law, Senate Rules, or related standards of conduct."Luna's complaint grew out of the scandal surrounding then-Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Gallego's close friend, who resigned from Congress in April after four women accused him of sexual assault, harassment, and rape — all of which Swalwell has denied.Luna wrote on X on April 23: "I have now heard of 4 women who have had multiple and uncomfortable/inappropriate advances/comments/touching, etc. from Senator Gallego. This is not made up and the Senate is being awfully quiet about it."The committee told NBC News it also reviewed Federal Election Commission reports, Senate and House expenditure reports, and privately sponsored travel records."In response to your request for an investigation, the Committee referred these allegations to you and requested additional information on April 17 and May 15, 2026," the letter stated."The Committee also noted your prompt contact with the Committee following media reports of the allegations and appreciated your full cooperation with the Committee throughout the investigation."Gallego reacted to the dismissal on Monday."Today's dismissal reaffirms what I have said about these accusations from the beginning: they were right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists like Anna Paulina Luna, the White House, and their allies," the senator said in a statement."I look forward to an apology from Rep. Luna for weaponizing the ethics process while refusing to investigate historic corruption that's making life harder for families," he added.Gallego, who set up a legal defense fund to cover legal fees, has denied knowledge of Swalwell's alleged conduct, saying he was "lied to.""As always, the Committee retains the authority to revisit this matter should additional facts become known," the committee added.
The ruling marked one of the few cases in which the justices did not divide along the court's usual 6-3 ideological lines.
The state excise tax will increase by 2.2 cents per gallon, bringing the total gas tax to 63.4 cents per gallon
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is deepening the state’s embrace of artificial intelligence by signing a deal with San Francisco-based Anthropic that will make Claude the first generative AI platform available across state agencies and local governments. The deal comes at a politically charged moment. While the Trump administration has moved to restrict the rollout of […]
