Seth McLaughlin
Articles by Seth McLaughlin
Donald Trump woos his former opponents in bid to repeal and replace Obamacare
President Trump's campaign enemies are looming large as he tries to win passage of a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare and finds himself needing to woo many of the very same people he ran against — and defeated — for the Republican nomination last year. Published March 16, 2017
Nancy Pelosi says, with Hillary Clinton victory, she would have retired from Congress
Nancy Pelosi says President Trump is the reason she's sticking around. She'd be "gone by now" if Hillary Clinton had won in November, the House minority leader told reporters last week. Published March 14, 2017
Republicans on campaign trail shun Obamacare replacement
The Republican Obamacare replacement bill is proving to be absolute poison on the campaign trail, where party candidates range from noncommittal to downright hostile. Published March 12, 2017
Nancy Pelosi: House Democrats unified in opposition to GOP health care bill
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Friday she does not envision a single House Democrat breaking ranks to vote in favor of the Obamacare replacement bill that GOP leaders are pushing on Capitol Hill. Published March 10, 2017
Donald Trump’s coattails: Special elections to reflect affirmation or backlash
President Trump's coattails will be put to the test in a string of special elections this year, where Republicans clamor for his support and Democrats seek to turn anti-Trump energy into upsets on red territory. Published March 9, 2017
Liberal groups sponsor ‘resistance training’ against Donald Trump
Hoping to convert liberals' despair at President Trump into action, progressive groups are beginning to host resistance training seminars, saying the anger the president's opponents feel can be channeled into a concrete movement. Published March 8, 2017
Charles Schumer calls on DOJ watchdog to investigate Trump-Russia probe
The top Democrat in the Senate is calling on the Department of Justice's watchdog to launch a review of whether the Trump administration has tried to block the probe into its ties to Russia. Published March 6, 2017
House GOP rolls out $577.9 billion defense spending bill
The House Appropriations Committee dropped a defense spending bill Thursday that aims to keep the military running through September, the end of the current fiscal year. Published March 2, 2017
Ben Carson confirmed by Senate as HUD secretary
The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Ben Carson as head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he will oversee federal public housing programs. Published March 2, 2017
Mac Thornberry says Trump military budget proposal falls short
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday President Trump's budget proposal for rebuilding the military falls short, joining a growing number of lawmakers who have panned the plan. Published March 1, 2017
Joe Manchin, West Virginia, content as rogue Democrat, warming up to Donald Trump
Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia is signaling that he is more interested in cozying up to President Trump than he is in catering to the progressive base of the Democratic Party that is demanding all-out resistance to the commander in chief. Published March 1, 2017
Melissa Mark-Viverito, NYC council speaker, raises prospect of sanctuary city summit
The speaker of the New York City Council said Tuesday she is hoping to bring together leaders of sanctuary cities to discuss ways to combat President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Published February 28, 2017
DNC launches ‘Faces of Trump’s Mass Deportation’ initiative
The Democratic National Committee launched a program Tuesday that intends to shift the debate over President Trump's immigration policy to the harm it is doing to communities and families. Published February 28, 2017
Claire McCaskill promises to hold town hall meetings
Sen. Claire McCaskill is vowing to hold town hall meetings, saying she has never run away from the forums, which have become go-to venues for roasting elected leaders. Published February 28, 2017
Bernie Sanders under rising pressure to form third party
Democratic Party insiders say efforts to draft Sen. Bernard Sanders to launch a political party are foolish, doomed to fail and could do more to hurt than help the progressive cause. Published February 27, 2017
Tom Perez, new DNC chairman, promises to mend fractured Democratic party
Newly installed Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez promised this weekend to find consensus in a party fractured over its own ideology, saying Democrats can all agree on the need to obstruct President Trump. Published February 26, 2017
Tom Perez wins hard-fought DNC race to become Democrats’ first Latino chairman
Tom Perez was elected Saturday as the first Latino chair of the Democratic National Committee, overcoming stiff opposition from the Bernie Sanders wing of the party and delivering a win for former President Barack Obama, who recruited him for the job. In his first act as chairman he immediately moved to unify Democrats by tapping Rep. Keith Ellison, the preferred pick of progressives, as his deputy chair. Published February 25, 2017
Tom Perez, former Obama Labor secretary, falls one vote short on first DNC ballot
The first round of voting for Democratic National Committee chair ended in a stalemate, with former Labor Secretary Tom Perez falling a single vote shy of winning the spot and becoming the first Latino leader of the party. Published February 25, 2017
Progressives raise transparency concerns over paper ballots in DNC chairman vote
A progressive group charged Saturday that the Democratic National Committee's reliance on paper ballots in the race for DNC chair raises questions of transparency, tainting the process. Published February 25, 2017
Pete Buttigieg, Indiana mayor, drops out of DNC chair race
Peter Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., stunned his supporters Saturday by announcing he was ending his campaign for chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Published February 25, 2017