Politics

Speaker Nancy Pelosi never wanted to impeach President Donald Trump. But now that it’s happening, she’s doing it her own way — in four inch heels and with an iron grip. Pelosi has tightly scripted every step of the House’s march toward impeachment. All the key decisions — whether to move forward with an inquiry, who will be in charge of the probe, and whether to begin drafting impeachment articles — have been made solely by Pelosi, then conveyed afterwards to her 12-member leadership team, according to multiple lawmakers and aides who are regularly in contact with her. Even her top committee chairmen — including Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), head of the panel charged with drafting articles of impeachment against Trump — have been cast in supporting roles at times, learning details about Pelo...

On Wednesday, a conservative backbencher in the House issued an explosive request to Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham: Subpoena the phone records of House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff. On Thursday, Graham had a succinct response: “We’re not going to do that.” The demand from Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) reflects House Republicans’ eagerness to see Democrats squirm once impeachment moves to the GOP-controlled Senate and out of the “sham” process they’ve derided in the House. “I’m talking to my Senate colleagues: here are the witnesses you should call and here are the questions you should ask,” said Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah). “It’s going to cast us in a different very light. This is a chance to tell the other side of the story.” President Donald Trump has joined in as well, tweetin...

Former housing secretary and current presidential candidate Julián Castro speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party Liberty and Justice Celebration on November 1, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. | Joshua Lott/Getty Images The former housing secretary tells Vox about how he would run US foreign policy as president. Julián Castro, the former housing secretary and current 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, just gave his first major foreign policy speech after about a year of campaigning. Speaking at his alma mater Stanford University on Thursday, Castro blasted President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and offered what he described as a “progressive” way forward for the United States. “We need a new foreign policy that reflects our values, one that complements inclusive prosperity at home and sup...

Kamala Harris is having a bigger impact on the presidential primary in the two days since she dropped out than in her last three months as a candidate. After her departure, Sen. Cory Booker and Julián Castro immediately seized on Harris’ withdrawal to lament the dearth of non-white candidates in the field — a potential late opening for their own faltering campaigns. Elizabeth Warren is also seeking an edge from Harris’ exit: In paid ads, the Massachusetts senator contrasted Harris’ experience — and that of female candidates generally — with the billionaire men still running. And then there’s the scramble for Harris’ supporters, donors and staff. Despite Harris’ weak polling, she maintained a sizable well of institutional support that could prove important to the remaining candidates...

December 7, 1941 began as a perfect Sunday morning. These photos show the attack by Imperial Japan that changed history.

WATERLOO, Iowa — Joe Biden seized on the mockery of Donald Trump by foreign allies at this week’s NATO summit, making it a central feature of his campaign to portray the president as erratic, dangerous and distrusted at home and abroad. While touring Iowa earlier this week, Biden had held back from criticizing Trump because he was overseas at the NATO meeting, but the moment Air Force One touched down Wednesday night back in the United States, Biden and his campaign let loose. “The world is laughing at President Trump. They see him for what he really is: dangerously incompetent and incapable of world leadership,” Biden said, a phrase echoed in a new campaign ad, posted on Twitter when Trump landed, that appeared to show the leaders of France, Canada and the UK laughing at Trump for his con...

Attorney General Bill Barr in Washington, DC, on December 3, 2019. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images The prosecutor tapped by Attorney General Bill Barr reportedly isn’t backing up the conspiracy theory. Even the prosecutor personally selected by Attorney General Bill Barr to review the Russia probe couldn’t find evidence to back up right-wing conspiracy theories about the origins of the investigation. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Connecticut US Attorney John Durham, whom Barr tapped in May to examine the origins of the Russia inquiry, said he doesn’t have evidence to back up the allegation that the FBI planted an informant to “spy” on the Trump campaign. He reportedly told that to Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Justice Department’s independent watchdog, who is carrying out a...

NEW HAMPTON, Iowa — Joe Biden lashed at an Iowa town hall Thursday after a man suggested the former vice president helped his son get a sweetheart deal in Ukraine and was “selling access” like President Donald Trump does. The fiery exchange with the man, who only identified himself as a non-Republican Iowa farmer, ended with Biden challenging him to a contest of push-ups, running or an IQ test before he yelled at him. “Get your words straight, jack!” Biden yelled at one point in a hushed room. It was the most dramatic moment of Biden’s “No Malarkey” bus tour through Iowa and underscored the political landmines the Democratic candidate can encounter in unscripted moments on the campaign trail. Biden has largely avoided talking about his son Hunter Biden’s work for the Ukrainian gas company ...

SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI made clear what we all knew: The HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES is going to move to impeach President DONALD TRUMP. PELOSI said this morning she would ask the chairmen of jurisdiction — presumably Rep. JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.) of Judiciary with a heavy assist from Rep. ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.) of Intelligence — to begin drafting articles. THE QUOTES EVERYONE WILL USE: “The facts are uncontested. The president abused his power for his own personal political benefit at the expense of our national security, by withholding military aid and [a] crucial Oval Office meeting in exchange for an announcement of an investigation into his political rival. … “Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and a heart full of love for America, today I am a...

A handout photo provided by Dong-A Ilbo of President Donald Trump with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Observation Post Ouellette at Camp Bonifas on June 30, 2019, in Panmunjom, South Korea. | Getty Images A new book details this stunning moment from early in Trump’s presidency. Long before President Donald Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “Little Rocket Man” or met him in person, Trump had an idea to safeguard millions of South Koreans from the dictator’s wrath: Move them. Move them all. According to an excerpt from Peter Bergen’s new book Trump and His Generals: The Cost of Chaos, posted by Time on Thursday morning, the president made a startling comment during a mid-April 2017 briefing on North Korea. After seeing a satellite image showing that Seoul — South Korea’...