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Seth McLaughlin

smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com

Seth McLaughlin, a reporter on the Politics Desk, can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SethMcLaughlin1

Articles by Seth McLaughlin

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., tells reporters that Republicans are jeopardizing health care for Americans with their policies and their strategy to fund the government before the deadline at the end of the month, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Jeffries hits back at Van Hollen over ‘spineless’ comment for not endorsing Mamdani yet

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries clapped back at fellow Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen over the Maryland lawmaker's criticism of the New Yorker's reluctance to endorse New York City Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

September 16, 2025

Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., presides over a House Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.) ** FILE **

GOP-led DOGE panel warns of risks of weather manipulation

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sounded the alarm Tuesday on weather-tampering efforts aimed at counteracting climate change and promoting rainfall, warning the left wants to take away Americans' "God-given rights over the Earth in order to satisfy their godless climate cult beliefs."

September 16, 2025

Protesters carry a sign referring to Russia during a "No Kings" protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Trump team eyes a crackdown on left-wing groups blamed for the spread of political violence

The Trump administration vowed to root out left-wing organizations that foment political violence, pivoting from the successful manhunt for a suspect to a broader response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

September 15, 2025

New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at a rally with Hotel & Gaming Trades Council workers, in New York, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Hochul’s endorsement of socialist Mamdani for N.Y. mayor puts other top Democrats on the spot

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's endorsement of Zohran Mamdani's mayoral bid is putting a spotlight on the other top Democrats in New York City who are dragging their feet.

September 15, 2025

Vice President JD Vance hosts an episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" at the White House, following the assassination of the show's namesake, Monday, Sept., 15, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

White House vows government will crush left-wing ‘terrorist’ networks after Kirk slaying

White House senior adviser Stephen Miller vowed Monday that the Trump administration will do everything in its power to root out the left-wing organizations that have fomented political violence, following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

September 15, 2025

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a news conference, Feb. 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Trump pans Gov. Kathy Hochul’s endorsement of Zohran Mamdani in New York City mayoral race

President Trump on Monday panned New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for endorsing Zohran Mamdani's New York City mayoral bid, suggesting the state's federal funding could face more scrutiny.

September 15, 2025

Visitors pay their respects at a memorial for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Kirk assassination unleashes global groundswell of support, Erika Kirk vows to carry on legacy

The breadth and depth of support for Charlie Kirk was on full display over the weekend as political leaders, activists and mourners around the globe attended rallies, memorials and vigils honoring the assassinated 31-year-old conservative.

September 14, 2025

Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization and son of United States President Donald Trump, speaks during the Bitcoin Asia 2025, at the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong, on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Daniel Ceng)

Eric Trump: Charlie Kirk’s death has ‘awoken a sleeping giant’

Eric Trump says the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has awoken a "sleeping giant" that spans generations and could prove to be the "greatest mistake" ever made by the "intolerant left."

September 14, 2025

FILE - Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during a VoteVets Town Hall, May 13, 2025, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Cliff Jette, File)

Ex-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says Biden ‘should not have run’ for reelection

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's opinion on whether his former boss, President Joseph R. Biden, should have run for re-election has shifted from "maybe" to an outright no.

September 14, 2025

FILE - President Donald Trump is joined on stage with Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk as he finishes speaking at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, July 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Sen. Lindsey Graham says Trump sees Charlie Kirk’s slaying as an attack on MAGA movement

Sen. Lindsey Graham says President Trump sees the shooting death of Charlie Kirk as a direct attack against his Make America Great Again movement.

September 14, 2025

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at a news conference, as FBI Director Kash Patel looks on, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah, (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says shooting suspect’s boyfriend ‘transitioning from male to female’

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday that Charlie Kirk's alleged killer comes from a conservative family but held different political views and lived with a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female.

September 14, 2025

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to reporters on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and funding for the government as Congress begins its workweek, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Speaker Michael Johnson vows to defend Charlie Kirk’s legacy and carry forward his message

House Speaker Michael Johnson vowed Sunday to carry Charlie Kirk's message forward and defend his memory against the individuals who have celebrated his assassination and mischaracterized his legacy.

September 14, 2025

In this file photo, demonstrators hold a rainbow pride flag outside the Supreme Court as justices deliberate Obergefell vs. Hodges, the case that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, in Washington on April 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) ** FILE **

Traditional marriage advocates sharpen message as Supreme Court eyes challenge to same-sex marriage

Suppose you think same-sex couples are the victims in the legal battle over marriage. In that case, Kate Faust says you are wrong: It is the children.

September 5, 2025

New York mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa rides the subway as he campaigns in the New York City system on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) **FILE**

Sliwa says Trump team isn’t pressuring him to exit NYC mayor’s race

Republican Curtis Sliwa on Thursday dismissed speculation that the Trump administration is pressing him to bow out of the New York mayoral race.

September 4, 2025

FILE - Right-wing activist Laura Loomer speaks in front of the courthouse where the hush-money trial of Donald Trump is underway, April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Sen. Warner blames ‘conspiracy theorist’ Laura Loomer for undermining national security

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee says the Trump administration is undermining national security by taking marching orders from right-wing political influencer Laura Loomer.

September 3, 2025

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., speaks before Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio at Center Courts during a campaign rally, Oct. 29, 2024, in Saginaw, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Florida’s Byron Donalds reminds gubernatorial challengers: Trump has my back

Rep. Byron Donalds is wearing President Trump's endorsement like a bulletproof vest in the Florida governor's race.

September 3, 2025

Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a rally at the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council headquarters in New York, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) ** FILE **

Mamdani to headline Sen. Sanders’ ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ event

Sen. Bernard Sanders, the Godfather of the modern liberal movement, is headed to New York this weekend to join forces with Zohran Mamdani, the front-runner to become the city's next mayor.

September 3, 2025

Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, during a news conference in New York on July 2, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) ** FILE **

WATCH: House releases 34,000 pages of Epstein files

A House committee on Tuesday began uploading 34,000 pages of government documents on the investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, making them available to the public following months of debate over the material.

September 2, 2025

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill Monday, Aug 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) ** FILE **

House plans to make Epstein files public

A top House Republican said Tuesday his committee plans to upload 34,000 pages of government documents on the investigation into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and make them available to the public.

September 2, 2025

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears speaks with a reporter at her office in Richmond, Va., on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Earle-Sears targets Spanberger’s record on trans issues in Virginia governor’s race

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is fighting to define former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the Virginia gubernatorial race as a far-left liberal by highlighting stances she has taken on transgender issues that have hurt Democrats at the ballot box.

September 2, 2025