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Aides previously found another batch of classified documents at his residence, and at a Washington think tank where he had an office after his time as vice president in the Obama administration. The White House has largely been on the defensive since the initial revelations that the documents had been found. The department is separately probing Trump's handling of highly sensitive classified documents that he retained at his Florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021. Sams said the White House had received a "few letters" from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee on the issue, is reviewing them and will make a determination about its response in due course. The White House reiterated on Tuesday Biden's commitment to cooperating with the Justice Department’s investigation.

☆ House Speaker says Democrats should cap spending to avoid U.S. debt default
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Sunday he believes Democrats would agree to cap government spending to avoid a U.S. debt default and he wants to discuss the idea with President Joe Biden. Republicans now in control of the House have threatened to use the debt ceiling as leverage to demand spending cuts from Biden's Democrats, who control the U.S. Senate. McCarthy pointed to the Trump-era agreement by U.S. lawmakers' in 2019 to suspend the statutory debt limit on Treasury Department borrowing until a later date as evidence that such compromise is possible. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said on Sunday he hoped debt default could be avoided but put the onus on Democrats to agree to spending cuts. Congress created the debt ceiling in 1917 to give the government greater borrowing flexibility, and must approve each increase to ensure that the United States meets its debt obligations and avoids a catastrophic default.

The White House said some material was found in a locked garage at Biden's home and an adjacent room, and pledged to cooperate. "People know I take classified documents and classified material seriously," he added. Biden's attorneys said they have found fewer than a dozen classified documents and turned over the relevant papers after finding them. Trump resisted doing so until an August FBI search turned up about 100 classified documents, raising questions about whether Trump or his staff obstructed the investigation. "People know I take classified documents, classified material seriously," Biden told reporters on Thursday.

"We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced," White House lawyer Richard Sauber said in a statement. The White House on Monday disclosed that classified documents from Biden's vice presidential days were discovered in November at a think tank in Washington. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 1 2 3 4 5"The fact that they called for special counsel for Trump's handling of classified documents, I don't see how they cannot appoint a special counsel with respect to Biden," said Representative James Comer, who will head the House Oversight Committee. Garland named a special counsel, Jack Smith, in November to oversee Justice Department investigations related to Trump, including the Republican former president's handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. "As I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents, classified material seriously.

☆ Second set of classified papers found at Biden's home, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's legal team has discovered a second set of classified documents from his time as vice president at a storage space in the garage of his home in Wilmington, Delaware, the White House said on Thursday. The discoveries have presented legal and political headaches for Biden as he prepares for an expected 2024 re-election campaign in the upcoming months. There are differences between the revelation that Biden's legal team found classified documents in his properties and the ongoing Justice Department investigation into former President Donald Trump's refusal to hand over classified documents taken from the White House. When he finally handed over 15 boxes of records in January 2022, the Archives discovered more than 100 were marked as classified. It referred the matter to the Justice Department in the spring and a special counsel has been named to oversee the investigation.

☆ Former Nebraska Governor Ricketts to become U.S. senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Nebraska's former Republican Governor Pete Ricketts is due to become a U.S. senator after being appointed on Thursday to fill the seat left vacant by Republican Senator Ben Sasse. In an anticipated move, Nebraska's Republican Governor Jim Pillen announced the appointment of his predecessor at the state Capitol on Thursday morning. Ricketts, 58, served two terms as Nebraska's governor, wrapping up his second term last week. The senator was one of seven Republican senators who voted to impeach then-president Donald Trump. Ricketts' appointment will not alter the balance of power in the Senate.

☆ Former astronaut Cunningham, member of first crewed Apollo flight, dies at age 90
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Astronaut Walter Cunningham, Apollo 7 lunar module pilot, is photographed during the Apollo 7 mission in this October 1968 NASA handout photo. NASA/Handout via Reuters/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Former astronaut Walter Cunningham, who flew to space aboard Apollo 7 in 1968, part of the first crewed Apollo mission paving the way for 12 others to land on the moon in subsequent years, died on Tuesday at age 90, NASA said. Cunningham joined crewmates Walter Schirra and Donn Eisele for the successful 11-day mission, which was conducted in low-Earth orbit as the first human test flight of the new Apollo spacecraft that would later venture to the moon. Apollo 7 marked the resumption of NASA's lunar spaceflight program 21 months after the fire that killed all three members of the Apollo 1 crew during a ground-based launch rehearsal in late January 1967. "Walt Cunningham was a fighter pilot, physicist, and an entrepreneur – but, above all, he was an explorer," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement announcing his death.

☆ Biden signs marriage equality act to tune of Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colors'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law on Tuesday at a jubilant celebration that featured U.S. singer Cyndi Lauper performing "True Colors" in front of thousands of supporters on the White House lawn. The law recognizes that everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves," Biden said. [1/8] U.S. President Joe Biden celebrates with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque 1 2 3 4 5"Well, this time, love wins," Lauper said before starting to sing. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose daughter and her wife are expecting a child, called it "a day of jubilation."

"If all goes well, we should be able to finish an omnibus appropriations package by Dec. 23," Shelby said in a statement. The full-year "omnibus" bill is also expected to contain new emergency funds to aid Ukraine in its battle against Russian forces. It also is expected to fold in an unrelated bill reforming the way Congress certifies U.S. presidential elections. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had said his Republicans want work on the omnibus bill wrapped up by Dec. 22. Any negotiations on the funding bill would get more complicated next year, when Republicans take majority control of the House.

☆ Yellen: U.S. can avoid recession, on 'right track' to lower inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The United States can avoid a recession, given that there is no wage-price spiral and supply chain bottlenecks are starting to ease, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday. "Recession is not inevitable," Yellen told reporters after speaking at an event in Fort Worth, Texas, adding that rent prices had also peaked and were starting to come down. Yellen said the heat was starting to come off the labor market as well. "I believe we're on the right track in terms of lowering inflation and that recession is not inevitable," she said. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Writing by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The special counsel overseeing two federal investigations related to Donald Trump has issued grand jury subpoenas to local election officials in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin as part of an inquiry into efforts to overturn the Republican former president's loss in the 2020 U.S. election. The subpoenas also sought communications involving a list of Trump's attorneys during the 2020 campaign including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Justin Clark, Jenna Ellis and Cleta Mitchell. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Nov. 18, three days after Trump announced his 2024 presidential run, appointed Smith to take over the two Justice Department investigations. A spokesperson for Arizona's Maricopa County confirmed receiving a subpoena and said officials will comply, but declined to give further details. The subpoenas sent to officials in Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan resemble the ones previously sent to other witnesses including Republican Party leaders and state elected officials in key states from the 2020 election.

☆ Biden commits to protect Nevada's Spirit Mountain
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday pledged to protect Nevada's Spirit Mountain and the surrounding wilderness area. "I'm committed to protecting this sacred place that is central to the creation story of so many tribes that are here today," Biden announced during remarks at the two-day Tribal Nations summit in Washington. Reporting by Jeff Mason and Valerie Volcovici; Writing by Katharine JacksonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Senate eyes tightened restrictions on Chinese semiconductors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The Democratic leader of the U.S. Senate urged lawmakers on Monday to back his proposal to bar the U.S. government from doing business with companies that use semiconductors made by producers the Pentagon considers Chinese military contractors. "We need our government and our economy to rely on chips made right here in America." The proposal from Schumer and Cornyn would broaden an existing ban on government use of Chinese chips. "We need to stay tough on the Chinese government and its actions," Schumer said. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Colorado Springs shooting suspect allegedly issued bomb threat in 2021
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Kevin Mohatt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Jey Swisher embraces fellow mourners as they react after a mass shooting at the Club Q gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., November 20, 2022. Aldrich was known to law enforcement before the nightclub shooting. Leslie Bowman, 41, an account manager in Colorado Springs who rented out the room where Aldrich's mother was living at the time of the 2021 bomb threat incident, said those charges against Aldrich had not been pursued. Club Q, a long-standing venue in a modest strip mall, was described by many as a safe haven for the LGBTQ community. Colorado Springs suffered a mass shooting in 2015 when an anti-abortion gunman killed three people and injured nine at a Planned Parenthood facility.

☆ U.S. Treasury's Yellen says crypto markets need better oversight
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday that crypto markets need more robust oversight, days after cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapsed. "The recent failure of a major cryptocurrency exchange and the unfortunate impact that has resulted for holders and investors of crypto assets demonstrate the need for more effective oversight of cryptocurrency markets," Yellen said in a statement, without directly naming FTX. Treasury and other regulators had identified risks in crypto markets over the past year including "comingling of customer assets, lack of transparency, and conflicts of interest," which were "at the center of the crypto market stresses observed over the past week," Yellen said. Consumer protections should be rigorously enforced in crypto markets and the federal government and Congress need to move quickly to fill any regulatory gaps, Yellen said. While the damage has mostly been contained within crypto markets, its links to the traditional financial system "could raise broader financial stability concerns," she said.

☆ U.S. Treasury's Yellen: more effective oversight needed for crypto markets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The recent failure of a major cryptocurrency exchange and its impact on holders and investors of crypto assets demonstrate the need for more effective oversight of crypto markets, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday. Treasury and othe regulators identified risks in crypto markets over the past year and some of them were "at the center of the crypto market stresses observed over the past week," Yellen said in a statement, without directly naming collapsed crypto exchange FTX. "The federal government, including Congress, also needs to move quickly to fill the regulatory gaps the Biden administration has identified," Yellen added. Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Caitlin WebberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Senate Republicans vote to keep McConnell as leader, spokesperson says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans, who failed to win control of the chamber in last week's midterm elections, on Wednesday voted to keep Mitch McConnell as their caucus leader, a spokesperson said. McConnell fended off a challenge by Senator Rick Scott, who had run the Republicans' election organization. Reporting by Gram Slattery David Morgan; writing by Katharine Jackson; editing by Paul GrantOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S., EU, others affirm need to accelerate clean energy transitions -statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The United States, the European Union and other governments said they were committed to taking action to address climate and energy crises and affirmed the need to accelerate global transitions to clean energy, according to a joint statement released on Friday. The governments, which also included Japan, Canada, Norway, Singapore and the United Kingdom, said they recognize "reliance on unabated fossil fuels leaves us vulnerable to market volatility and geopolitical challenges," the statement said. They reaffirmed their call to action under the Global Methane Pledge to reduce collective anthropogenic methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, the statement said. Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Katharine JacksonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. revokes Russia's market economy status
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The United States will no longer treat Russia as a market economy country, the Commerce Department said on Thursday, revoking the status granted two decades ago that limited the calculation of anti-dumping duties on Russian goods. The Commerce Department said its analysis found "extensive" government involvement in the Russian economy had led to distorted prices and costs, which it said did not accurately reflect whether Russian companies were fairly pricing imports into the United States. Washington granted Russia market economy status in 2002, an essential step for Russia's admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2012. Last year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia said that Moscow would be able to challenge any U.S. decision to strip Russia of its market economy status at the WTO. Reporting by Katharine Jackson in Washington and Ismail Shakil in Ottawa, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Who could run in the 2024 U.S. presidential election?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Katharine Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

His potential candidacy was buoyed by better-than-expected results for his fellow Democrats in Tuesday's midterm elections, which White House officials deemed a vindication of his administration's policies. FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMPRepublican former President Donald Trump has hinted seemingly endlessly that he will launch a 2024 White House run soon, most recently pointing to next Tuesday as the date for a possible announcement. VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRISShould Biden decide not to run, Vice President Kamala Harris could step in. FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCERepublican former Vice President Mike Pence served as a loyal, prim No. The 63-year-old former Indiana governor is widely considered to be mulling a White House run.

☆ Republicans pick up U.S. House seats previously held by Democrats, Edison Research projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Voters cast their ballots at Northern High School in the midterm election, in Detroit, Michigan, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Republicans have picked up a net three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that had previously been held by Democrats with 371 of 435 races not yet called, Edison Research projected on Tuesday. For House races, Edison Research is tracking the net number of seats that flip from one party to another, as opposed to the net gain or loss of overall seats by either party. So far, Republicans have won 45 seats in the 435-seat House and Democrats have won 19 seats, Edison projected. Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Dan BurnsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Republicans pick up U.S. House seats from Democrats, Edison Research projects; two-thirds of races now called
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Republicans have picked up a net six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that had previously been held by Democrats with 161 of 435 races not yet called, Edison Research projected on Tuesday. For House races, Edison Research is tracking the net number of seats that flip from one party to another, as opposed to the net gain or loss of overall seats by either party. So far, Republicans have won 169 seats in the 435-seat House and Democrats have won 105 seats, Edison projected. Edison projected that there had been no net gain or loss in Senate seats for either party with 23 of 35 races called. Republicans would need to pick up one Senate seat to capture control of the chamber.

☆ Factbox: Inflation, abortion top issues for U.S. voters casting midterm ballots, exit poll finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Inflation and abortion topped the list of issues motivating U.S. voters in Tuesday's midterm elections, followed by crime, immigration and gun policy, an exit poll conducted by Edison Research showed. * About three out of 10 voters said inflation was their top concern in deciding how to vote. * About three out of 10 voters said abortion was their top concern in deciding how to vote. * About one out of 10 voters said gun policy was their top concern in deciding how to vote. * About six out of 10 voters said abortion should be legal vs four of 10 who said it should be illegal.

☆ U.S. imposes sanctions on oil smuggling network backing Iran's Quds Force, Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday issued sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran's Quds Force, targeting dozens of people, companies and tankers as Washington sought to mount pressure on Tehran. The latest U.S. move against Iranian oil smuggling comes as efforts to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal have stalled and ties between the Islamic Republic and the West are increasingly strained as Iranians keep up anti-government protests. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The move targeted a Gulf-based network that the Treasury said as of mid-2022 were blending and exporting Iranian oil. The 2015 agreement limited Iran's uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear arms in return for lifting international sanctions.

☆ U.S. is not in recession, White House not preparing for one - officials
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view shows the exterior of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 6, 2022. REUTERS/Al DragoWASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The United States is not in a recession, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said on Thursday, adding that economic data showed the nation's economy was solid. "We are not in a recession," U.S. President Joe Biden's top aide told MSNBC in an interview following the release of weekly U.S. jobless data earlier on Thursday. The global economy is approaching a recession, a Reuters poll of economists shows, and some U.S. CEOs, including Goldman Sachs', have recently expressed concerns the U.S. could tip into recession next year. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told MSNBC earlier Friday "We are not -- there are no meetings or anything happening like that in preparing for a recession because...look, what we're seeing right now is a strong labor market."

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