Mary McCue Bell

Texas congressman under ethics investigation over alleged affair with staffer who killed herself

A congressional ethics watchdog is investigating Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales over his reported affair with a staffer who later died after setting herself on fire.

February 20, 2026

Melania Trump’s iconic black-and-white inaugural gown joins Smithsonian’s First Ladies Collection

First lady Melania Trump presented her 2025 inaugural gown to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on Friday -- the first first lady to have two inaugural gowns exhibited in the museum.

February 20, 2026

Mike Pence cheers Supreme Court ruling against Trump’s tariffs

Former Vice President Mike Pence praised the Supreme Court's ruling against President Trump's global tariffs, welcoming the ruling as a "sigh of relief" for American families and businesses.

February 20, 2026

FBI chief Kash Patel jets off to Italy on a government plane in time to watch Olympic hockey games

FBI Director Kash Patel took a Justice Department plane to Italy, where he is expected to attend a Winter Olympics hockey event.

February 20, 2026

Despite public backlash, Trump’s ballroom plan wins praise from design experts and public officials

Architects are lauding President Trump's plans for a big, beautiful ballroom, even as the president's opponents and the pubic heap criticism on the project.

February 19, 2026

Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales says he is being ‘blackmailed’ over reported affair with former staffer

Rep. Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican, said he is being "blackmailed" by the husband of a now-deceased staffer after the lawmaker allegedly had an affair with her.

February 19, 2026

Trump’s directive to increase glyphosate production faces MAHA backlash

President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to spur the domestic production of phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides by invoking the Defense Production Act, infuriating Make America Healthy Again advocates.

February 19, 2026

Trump’s White House ballroom project wins approval from federal architecture commission

President Trump's proposal to construct a ballroom at the White House was approved by the Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday.

February 19, 2026

Maryland governor sidesteps questions on run for president

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore took on the issue of whether he has presidential ambitions by saying at the National Governors Association winter summit, "I don't answer to the Democratic Party."

February 19, 2026

NIH chief to become CDC acting director

Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, has been tapped as acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following Jim O'Neill's removal last week, according to multiple reports.

February 18, 2026

Hakeem Jeffries meets with Maryland Democrats, amping up pressure to redistrict

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took a day trip to meet with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other state Democrats on Wednesday to continue the push for mid-decade redistricting.

February 18, 2026

Environmental, health groups sue EPA over repealing endangerment finding

A coalition of environmental and public health organizations filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Environmental Protection Agency to stop it from repealing its endangerment finding that underpins the agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

February 18, 2026

Texas’ Talarico raises $2.5 million after canned late-night interview

Texas state Rep. James Talarico announced that his campaign raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours following his canceled Tuesday appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," marking the Senate hopeful's largest single-day fundraising period of his campaign.

February 18, 2026

J.D. Vance sticks to job at hand — winning midterms, immigration, Iran — when pressed about 2028

Vice President J.D. Vance on Tuesday dodged questions about his ambition to become the GOP presidential nominee in 2028, saying there is still a lot to do before finishing President Trump's term.

February 17, 2026

‘I support all three’: Trump declines to endorse one Texas GOP Senate candidate

President Trump has not decided which GOP candidate to endorse ahead of the contentious Republican Senate primary in Texas, instead opting to favor all hopefuls in the three-way race.

February 17, 2026

Tricia McLaughlin stepping down as DHS spokesperson

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, tendered her resignation Tuesday and is expected to leave the department at the end of next week.

February 17, 2026

Gov. Wes Moore signs law banning Maryland partnerships with federal immigration authorities

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday signed two bills into law that ended partnerships between Maryland law enforcement agencies and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

February 17, 2026

Owner of North Texas warehouse rejects selling property to turn into ICE detention center

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to use a Dallas County million-square-foot warehouse as a detention center, but the owner said Monday the property would not be leased or sold to the federal government.

February 17, 2026

Pentagon allegedly used Claude AI in raid to capture Nicolas Maduro

The U.S. military reportedly used Anthropic's AI tool Claude in its operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

February 14, 2026

Russia killed opposition leader with frog poison, 5 European countries say

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was "highly likely" killed in 2024 by a toxin found in poison dart frogs, five European nations said in a statement Saturday.

February 14, 2026