Warren Shines in First Democratic Debate

Warren Shines in First Democratic Debate-thehill: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) delivered a standout performance in the first 2020 Democratic presidential debate, making the most of her time onstage as the lone top contender on Wednesday night. Heading into the debate, there were questions about whether Warren, who has been climbing in the polls, would be hurt by not appearing on the second night alongside other top-tier candidates such as former Vice President Joe Biden, who is the front-runner, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D).

GOP lays debate trap for 2020 Democrats

GOP lays debate trap for 2020 Democrats-thehill: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is giving 2020 hopefuls a choice: Show up in the Senate to vote or hit the presidential campaign trail. The Senate is moving forward with a mammoth defense bill and potentially a heated fight over President Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran, even as several Democratic senators are expected to be rotating out to go down to Miami this week for the first Democratic presidential primary debate.

Ghosts of 2016 primary haunt Democrats

Ghosts of 2016 primary haunt Democrats-thehill: Democrats are feeling a sense of déjà vu as infighting among presidential candidates intensifies. And with less than a week until the first 2020 primary debate, the sniping is expected to worsen. Democrats are concerned they will have another 2016 on their hands, when the primary grew so bitter that some supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) intentionally sat on the sidelines instead of supporting the party’s eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton.

GOP lawmakers want Mulvaney sidelined in budget talks

GOP lawmakers want Mulvaney sidelined in budget talks-thehill: Senate Republicans, eager to avert a government shutdown or automatic spending cuts, want acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney pushed to the sidelines in budget negotiations with Democrats. GOP lawmakers would prefer Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin take the lead in representing the White House, as they see him being more amenable to a two-year spending deal that would also raise the debt limit.

GOP hopes dim on reclaiming House

GOP hopes dim on reclaiming House-thehill: The 2020 election is more than a year away, but some Republican lawmakers are pessimistic about their chances of winning back the House. President Trump’s approval ratings in key swing states are under water. Infighting on the GOP leadership team and a notable retirement have raised questions about the party’s campaign strategy.

Trump's health care focus puts GOP on edge

Trump's health care focus puts GOP on edge-thehill: President Trump has put the issue of health care back on the political front burner, providing ammunition to Democrats and worrying Republicans who think a new battle over ObamaCare will hurt their party in next year’s elections. Senate Republicans, defending 22 seats next year, thought they had put ObamaCare repeal behind them when they told Trump earlier this year that they have no intention of acting on a health care overhaul before the election.

Trump and Congress race to avoid fiscal time bomb

Trump and Congress race to avoid fiscal time bomb-politico: Congressional leaders in both parties are confident they can reach a deal to stave off a funding fiasco this fall, if only President Donald Trump would stay out of the way. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top lawmakers will huddle with White House budget negotiators Wednesday. It’s the first time in nearly a month Democrats and Republicans will meet, after Trump detonated the discussions over a dispute with Pelosi.

White House, congressional leaders will try again to reach spending deal

White House, congressional leaders will try again to reach spending deal-politico: Top congressional leaders from both parties will meet with senior White House officials this week as the Trump administration and Congress try once again to reach a deal to avoid tens of billions of dollars in automatic spending cuts this fall, according to congressional and administration officials. Yet both sides acknowledge they're not close to an agreement at this point, with even Senate Republicans and the White House unable to fully hash out a common position among themselves.

Five takeaways from first Democratic debate lineup

Five takeaways from first Democratic debate lineup-thehill: The lineup for the first Democratic presidential debate is set. After much speculation, NBC announced on Friday that former Vice President Joe Biden will share the stage with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) on June 27. Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) will find herself separated from the other top-tier candidates when she takes the stage on June 26.

Republicans dodge nasty Senate primary in North Carolina

Republicans dodge nasty Senate primary in North Carolina-politico: Rep. Mark Walker has decided not to launch a primary challenge against Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina, in a relief to senior Republicans who feared a scorched-earth battle in a key state. Walker has been seriously considering a run for Senate but was eager to first secure President Donald Trump’s blessing. He met with Trump at the White House last month to discuss the race and was trying to lock down a second meeting this week as he weighed a bid.

Manchin eyes Senate exit

Manchin eyes Senate exit-thehill: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is eyeing a possible exit from the Senate, and his decision could be a significant factor in which party controls the majority in 2021. In moments of frustration, the centrist senator has gone so far as to tell colleagues he may leave the upper chamber before the end of this Congress, or after the 2020 elections.

Trump budget negotiators get Republican brushback

Trump budget negotiators get Republican brushback-politico: Republican leaders sat down recently with President Donald Trump and his top aides about avoiding a budget debacle this fall. Not everyone was on the same page. GOP senators are not thrilled the president has deputized hard-liners like Mick Mulvaney and Russ Vought to reach a deal with Congress.

Democrats hope some presidential candidates drop out and run for Senate

Democrats hope some presidential candidates drop out and run for Senate-thehill: Democrats facing a steep uphill climb to win back the Senate want Beto O’Rourke to reconsider his long-shot bid for president and take another look at running for the Senate in Texas, especially if his White House bid fails to pick up momentum. They feel the same way about two other White House hopefuls who are polling at around 1 percent or lower: former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.

2020 Democrats jockey for position as reckoning looms

2020 Democrats jockey for position as reckoning looms-thehill: Democratic presidential candidates are ramping up their media appearances, pumping out policy proposals and sharpening attacks on their rivals as two critical moments loom. The first debates of this election cycle will take place on June 26 and 27 in Miami. And the end of the month will bring the second quarter of fundraising to a close, with totals to be released days afterward. Together, those two tests will give the clearest picture yet of who is a serious candidate and who will be an also-ran.

Democrats set to use McConnell's legislative graveyard against him

Democrats set to use McConnell's legislative graveyard against him-thehill: House Democrats are hoping to use Sen. Mitch McConnell's “legislative graveyard” as a messaging tool to topple GOP candidates in 2020. McConnell (R-KY), the Senate majority leader, is embracing his role as a roadblock to the Democrats' legislative agenda, casting himself as the “Grim Reaper” poised to kill the Democrats’ top policy priorities. The barrier has frustrated Democrats as they fight to advance legislation they promised voters in 2018, but they also see it as a political gift heading into next year's elections.

Swing-state Democrats see trouble in proposed pay hike

Swing-state Democrats see trouble in proposed pay hike-thehill: House Democrats hailing from swing districts are split over leadership’s decision to move forward with a spending package that would allow members of Congress to get a pay bump for the first time in a decade. The House is slated to vote next week on a nearly $1 trillion spending package that would allow a cost-of-living increase for lawmakers and staff to go into effect.

House panel sets Medicare for all hearing for next week

House panel sets Medicare for all hearing for next week-thehill: The House Ways & Means Committee will hold a hearing next week on "Medicare for all," the proposal that would shift the U.S. to a single-payer health care system. The June 12 hearing will mark the first time the proposal is considered by a committee that has jurisdiction over health care issues.

Are women making Congress more polite?

Are women making Congress more polite?-rollcall: Last November, a record-breaking number of women were elected to the House and Senate, resulting in the most diverse Congress in history: 25 percent of senators and 23 percent of representatives are women. According to a new study by Pamela Ban, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, the influx of women could make a definitive difference in committee dynamics, a crucial step in the legislative process.