Kerry Picket
Articles by Kerry Picket
Bipartisan effort emerges in Senate to remove FISA spy power from year-end Pentagon bill
A bipartisan group of senators is trying to strip reauthorization of the government's chief surveillance power from the annual Pentagon policy spending bill, threatening plans to finish the must-pass bill before Congress adjourns for the year on Thursday. Published December 13, 2023
New York court orders commission to redraw state’s congressional districts
New York's highest court ordered the state's redistricting commission Tuesday to draw a new congressional map, a decision considered a victory for Democrats in their effort to recapture the House in 2024. Published December 12, 2023
House Freedom Caucus elects Bob Good as new chairman
The House Freedom Caucus has elected Rep. Bob Good of Virginia as its new chairman, putting a backer of Ron DeSantis' presidential bid in charge of the arch-conservative group that is most closely associated with former President Donald Trump. Published December 12, 2023
Speaker Johnson withdraws both House FISA bills
House Speaker Mike Johnson pulled both pieces of competing legislation to overhaul the federal government's chief spy power under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Published December 11, 2023
House showdown expected between rival bills to overhaul U.S. spy powers
The House will vote Tuesday on two competing bills to overhaul the federal government's chief spy power under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Published December 11, 2023
House Freedom Caucus vows to block NDAA over FISA extension
The House's most conservative faction has promised to derail plans to approve the annual Pentagon policy bill before Christmas if the legislation includes an extension of the government's chief spying powers. Published December 8, 2023
Fate of House Jan. 6 committee records wrapped in mystery
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, who was chairman of the now-defunct House Jan. 6 committee, won't say what happened to full transcripts and video of the committee's depositions that GOP investigators now seek. Published December 8, 2023
Rep. Jamaal Bowman to face challenge in Democratic primary for New York seat
Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a Democrat, officially launched a primary campaign Wednesday against Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York. Published December 6, 2023
House Republicans launch probe into whether Jan. 6 committee colluded with Atlanta prosecutor
Republicans launched an inquiry into whether the now-defunct January 6 Select Committee handed documents and materials to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to help build a criminal case against former President Donald Trump. Published December 5, 2023
‘Absolutely no reason to trust you’: Senator grills FBI chief over agency’s warrantless surveillance
A key Republican senator said Tuesday that lawmakers cannot trust the FBI on issues related to warrantless surveillance of Americans because the bureau will not detail its reforms or say whether it has punished violators. Published December 5, 2023
FBI’s Wray says nobody was fired for anti-Catholic memo, but some could miss out on raises
The FBI has not fired anyone involved in drafting the memo that labeled "traditional Catholics" as potential domestic terrorists because their overstep was not "intentional," FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress. Published December 5, 2023
Wray says claim of multiple field offices involved in Catholic probe is ‘garble’
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday it is a distortion for critics to claim that numerous FBI field offices beyond Richmond, Virginia, were involved in investigating whether traditional Catholics posed a terrorist threat. Published December 5, 2023
FBI director says U.S. facing high level of threats: ‘I see blinking lights everywhere’
FBI Director Christopher Wray told senators Tuesday that he has never seen the U.S. face as dire a set of threats as it does today. Published December 5, 2023
House Judiciary Committee demands warrant, other safeguards on feds’ FISA spy powers
The House Judiciary Committee released new legislation Monday to overhaul the government's main electronic spying law, proposing new limits on who can access the trove of communications and demanding the FBI get a warrant if it wants to run Americans' identities through the database. Published December 4, 2023
IG launches probe into GSA’s site selection process for FBI’s new headquarters
The Office of Inspector General for the General Services Administration plans to investigate the agency's site selection process for the FBI's new headquarters in Greenbelt, Maryland. Published November 30, 2023
Capitol Hill turf war breaks out over rewrite of government’s FISA spy powers
Lawmakers on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees are fighting over how to rewrite rules for the government's chief spying tool before it expires at year's end. Published November 30, 2023
Bill would require study of mental, academic effects of cellphone use on students in classrooms
Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have drawn up legislation requiring the U.S. Department of Education to complete a study on the effects of cellphone use in K-12 classrooms on students' mental health and academic performance. Published November 27, 2023
Poll shows record high gun ownership among U.S. voters
Gun ownership among voters in the U.S. is at a record high, according to a new poll that has asked the question since 1999. Published November 24, 2023
Univision CEO defends network’s interview with Trump after liberal backlash
TelevisaUnivision CEO Wade Davis is fending off Democrats' fierce criticism of the network's interview with former President Donald Trump. Published November 22, 2023
Trump appointee sentenced for Jan. 6 crimes refuses to turn on the former president
Some Jan. 6 defendants have recanted and said they were misled by former President Donald Trump, but not Federico Klein, who said that if there was a real victim in that chaos at the U.S. Capitol that day, it was Mr. Trump. Published November 22, 2023
