Governing

Congress Has A Rich History Of Legislating In Secrecy

4:44pm June 20, 2017

by Kelly McEvers

A small group of Senate Republicans is drafting a major healthcare bill in complete secrecy. Critics are calling for more transparency but it turns out Congress has a history of legislating in secret.

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A History Of The Changes In Press Briefings

4:44pm June 20, 2017

The Trump White House has upended yet another tradition — the on-camera press briefing. NPR's Audie Cornish talks with NPR Senior Editor and Correspondent Ron Elving about changes in press briefings.

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Who Are The Lawyers Investigating Russia's Meddling In U.S. Elections?

4:44pm June 20, 2017

by Tamara Keith

President Trump has brought on a team of outside lawyers to help him navigate congressional investigations and the one being led by special counsel Robert Mueller. We look at who is on the team.

Some of President Trump's sources of revenue from hotel-related companies.

Politics & Government

Trump's Business Empire: An Update On His Sources Of Revenue

3:53pm June 20, 2017

by Peter Overby

As a presidential candidate last year, Trump had to disclose his sources of revenues. Now in office, the president has voluntarily updated the information about the Trump Organization's businesses.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y. speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill.

Democrats Tie Up The Senate To Protest GOP Health Care Push

7:42pm June 19, 2017

by Geoff Bennett

Without the votes to block a Republican bill, Senate Democrats are trying to draw attention to the GOP's closed-door process for drafting health care legislation.

The Metropolitan Detention Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, where the plaintiffs were detained for months following the September 11 attacks.

National

Supreme Court Rules Former Detainees Cannot Sue Bush Administration Officials

6:42pm June 19, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

The six men, all of Arab or South Asian descent, were in the U.S. illegally when they were detained. They say they were held under harsh conditions after the September 11 attacks.

Unlike most presidents, who keep the public at arm's-length, President Trump appears to let us into his head with his constant tweeting.

President Donald Trump, Unreliable Narrator

8:03am June 19, 2017

by Danielle Kurtzleben

Why can't we stop reading Trump's Twitter feed? The same reason we can't put down The Catcher In The Rye or Pale Fire.

Russians Believed To Have Used Spear-Phishing In Election Hacking

5:01pm June 18, 2017

Hearings in the House and Senate this week will deal with Russian hacking attempts on the U.S. presidential election last fall including targeting e-mail accounts with malware attachments.

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NPR's Ron Elving explains "reconciliation" in this episode of Ron's Office Hours

Politics & Government

Why Time Is Already Running Out For Trump And His Congress

7:00am June 18, 2017

by Ron Elving

Will they get their to-do list done? Capitol Hill's calendar is filled with recesses and holidays — and September is devoted to spending bills that keep the government up and running.

Places are reserved for journalists in the hearing room ahead of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election in the Hart Senate Office Building on Tue

Next Week, Will The Russia Story Actually Be About Russia?

11:02am June 17, 2017

by Philip Ewing

Members of Congress have more big hearings planned at which current and former U.S. officials are set to talk about Russian interference and the integrity of state election systems.