Schiff: Impeachment inquiry report to be delivered ‘soon’ after Thanksgiving recess

Schiff: Impeachment inquiry report to be delivered ‘soon’ after Thanksgiving recess-rollcall: House Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff says his committee, along with the Oversight and Foreign Affairs panels, will transmit a report on the evidence gathered so far in the impeachment inquiry “soon after Congress returns from the Thanksgiving recess,” but he didn’t discount the possibility of more depositions or hearings.

Bloomberg officially announces he's entering presidential race

Bloomberg officially announces he's entering presidential race-thehill: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Sunday officially announced his entrance into the Democratic presidential primary field. "We cannot afford four more years of President Trump’s reckless and unethical actions," Bloomberg said in a statement. "He represents an existential threat to our country and our values. If he wins another term in office, we may never recover from the damage." Bloomberg's statement said he will focus on creating jobs, providing health care, ending gun violence, combating climate change, adjusting the immigration system and increasing taxes on the wealthy "like me."

Trump signs stopgap bill, fending off shutdown for now

Trump signs stopgap bill, fending off shutdown for now-rollcall: President Donald Trump signed a monthlong spending bill Thursday, hours before government funding had been set to expire at midnight. The continuing resolution funds the government through Dec. 20, giving appropriators more time to hash out numerous divides over policy riders and programmatic spending levels. It’s the second time Congress has needed to pass a temporary spending bill since fiscal 2020 began Oct. 1.

Wasserman Schultz enters race for top Democrat on Appropriations

Wasserman Schultz enters race for top Democrat on Appropriations-rollcall: The race to become the next top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee widened into a three-way contest Thursday. Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz declared her intention to run for the job that will be left vacant when Appropriations Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey of New York retires at the end of her current term. Lowey, 82, announced last month she would step down after 31 years in Congress. Wasserman Schultz, who chairs the Military Construction-VA Appropriations Subcommittee, will challenge two more senior appropriators for the top job: Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, the Energy-Water Subcommittee chairwoman, and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, who heads the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee. At 53, Wasserman Schultz is the youngest of the three candidates, a fact she sought to use to her advantage in her announcement letter to Democratic colleagues.

Five takeaways from the Democratic debate

Five takeaways from the Democratic debate-thehill: Ten Democrats took the stage here Wednesday night with less than three months to go before the Iowa caucuses, and after a day of high political drama at the impeachment hearings back in Washington.

Maloney wins House Oversight gavel

Maloney wins House Oversight gavel-thehill: Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) formally won the gavel of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to chair the powerful panel that is at the forefront of investigations into the Trump administration. House Democrats had hoped to avoid a messy fight over the chairmanship amid their impeachment inquiry and ultimately deferred to seniority to fill the critical post. She won 133-86, according to a source familiar.

House passes spending stopgap measure ahead of shutdown deadline

House passes spending stopgap measure ahead of shutdown deadline-thehill: The House passed a month-long continuing resolution (CR) in a 231-192 vote, pushing off a government shutdown fight until December 20, even as more comprehensive spending negotiations stalled. “This CR will allow additional time to negotiate and enact responsible, long-term funding for priorities that make our country safer and stronger and give working families a better chance at a better life,” House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) said.

Congress strikes stopgap funding deal, postpones border wall fight

Congress strikes stopgap funding deal, postpones border wall fight-politico: House and Senate leaders secured a deal on Monday afternoon that would extend government funding for four more weeks and sidestep a debilitating government-wide shutdown. The continuing resolution unveiled by House Democrats would last until Dec. 20, leaving out any restrictions on border barrier spending, which President Donald Trump demanded in exchange for his signature. The current stopgap expires Thursday night.

The left smells a rat in Bloomberg, Patrick bids

The left smells a rat in Bloomberg, Patrick bids-politico: Democratic donors say they want Michael Bloomberg and Deval Patrick to run for president because they’re petrified that a left-wing candidate can’t defeat President Donald Trump. But progressives see a more sinister effort afoot. Aides and allies to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, among other liberals, perceive the eleventh-hour campaign launched last week by Patrick, and the prospect of an impending Bloomberg 2020 bid, as an attempt to crush an ascendant left wing that would expand government more than any other Democratic president in decades.

Deval Patrick takes swipes at rivals as he busts into presidential primary

Deval Patrick takes swipes at rivals as he busts into presidential primary-politico: Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick made his presidential campaign official on Thursday, acknowledging the challenges of his late entry into a crowded field while also subtly knocking rivals for running on "nostalgia" or taking an "our way" or "no way" approach to governance. Patrick made the comments during an interview with CBS News, where he had analyzed the Democratic presidential field as a contributor until jumping into the race himself.

Democrats confront prospect of long primary

Democrats confront prospect of long primary-thehill: There is no true front-runner in the Democratic presidential race, and that opens up the specter of a long and divisive nomination fight within a party desperate to beat President Trump in 2020. At a time when some Democrats hoped that the field was being winnowed down, speculation is instead focused on possible late entrants to the field. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick are both said to be moving toward bids. Their maneuvering has attracted plenty of skepticism, but it is also evidence of the unsettled nature of the race.

Appropriators agree to Dec. 20 funding deadline

Appropriators agree to Dec. 20 funding deadline-thehill: Congress is expected to postpone a shutdown deadline from Nov. 21 until Dec. 20, the top two Congressional appropriators said after a Tuesday evening meeting. The decision to push the funding deadline by just one month through a stopgap measure conveyed a sense of optimism that the two sides would be able to work through contentious issues, primarily related to President Trump's border wall.

Road ahead: Public impeachment hearings begin

Road ahead: Public impeachment hearings begin-rollcall: The public phase of the House impeachment inquiry begins this week, with three witnesses set to air concerns Wednesday and Friday that President Donald Trump attempted to tie Ukrainian military aid to an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential Democratic rival in 2020. Much of the attention on Capitol Hill will be focused on the House Intelligence Committee as it opens up to televised questioning and testimony an investigation that so far had been conducted in a secure closed-door facility in the basement of the Capitol.

Longtime GOP Rep. Peter King won't seek reelection in New York

Longtime GOP Rep. Peter King won't seek reelection in New York-thehill: Longtime Rep. Peter King (R-NY) announced Monday that he will not seek reelection next year. King said in a statement on Facebook that “after 28 years of spending 4 days a week in Washington, D.C., it is time to end the weekly commute and be home in Seaford." A wave of House GOP retirements is creating headaches for party leaders and suggesting Republicans see little chance of winning back the chamber in 2020.

Bloomberg makes preparations for 2020 run

Bloomberg makes preparations for 2020 run-politico: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is preparing to file paperwork to qualify for the Democratic presidential primary in Alabama, ahead of a Friday deadline. The move would be a first step toward a national campaign, though Bloomberg has not made a final decision to run.

Republicans warn election results are 'wake-up call' for Trump

Republicans warn election results are 'wake-up call' for Trump-thehill: Senate Republicans are warning that this week’s Democratic victories in Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania should serve as a “wake-up call” for President Trump and the rest of the GOP heading into 2020. While some Republican lawmakers have tried to minimize Tuesday’s election results, chalking the apparent loss in Kentucky’s gubernatorial race to the unpopularity of Matt Bevin, the GOP incumbent, others say it’s time for a course correction.

Democrats score suburban wins in warning sign for GOP

Democrats score suburban wins in warning sign for GOP-thehill: Democrats appeared to score two substantial wins Tuesday night in elections that showed the party continues to gain ground in key suburban areas, a warning sign to Republicans a little less than a year before President Trump faces reelection.

Trump bets on Washington outsider to lead FDA amid political battles

Trump bets on Washington outsider to lead FDA amid political battles-politico: President Donald Trump is betting on a Washington outsider to navigate a series of hot-button health care issues at the center of his 2020 campaign: a vaping crisis, an ambitious plan to import drugs and a raging opioid epidemic. Stephen Hahn, a longtime cancer researcher and Trump’s new pick to lead the FDA, would be thrust into the middle of high-profile debates that have plagued the administration and stoked outrage on Capitol Hill if he is confirmed. The political stakes are high for Trump, who’s sought to claim health care as a top reelection issue.

O'Rourke ends presidential bid

O'Rourke ends presidential bid-thehill: Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) announced Friday that he would drop out of the presidential race, ending what was once thought to be a potential leading 2020 Democratic bid that failed to garner the same enthusiasm that surrounded his Senate campaign last year.

What happens if a Senate seat opens during an impeachment trial?

What happens if a Senate seat opens during an impeachment trial-rollcall: With the announced early retirement of Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson, it is a possibility. What happens if a newly chosen senator gets thrown into the middle of an impeachment trial?