CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

A new sense of uncertainty has risen over Pennsylvania’s pivotal Senate contest.

President Joe Biden is calling on Democrats “to vote to literally save democracy once again” in the midterm elections — and comparing Republican ideology to “semi-fascism” — as he leads a kickoff rally and a fundraiser in Maryland.

A far-right Maryland legislator endorsed by former President Donald Trump has won the Republican primary for governor.

The Republican race for Maryland governor in Tuesday’s primary election pits a candidate backed by outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan against a rival endorsed by Donald Trump.

Authorities say an employee opened fire at a manufacturing business in western Maryland, leaving three coworkers dead and one other critically injured before the suspect and a state trooper were wounded in a shootout.

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland says he's home again after suffering a minor stroke.

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland says he has suffered a minor stroke and is being treated at George Washington University Hospital.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is facing pushback from the White House and all corners of Washington after calling for the assassination of President Vladimir Putin by the Russian people.

As lawmakers gather for President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address, they are finding common ground in support of Ukraine.

The Supreme Court’s decision to halt efforts to create a second mostly Black congressional district in Alabama for the 2022 election has sparked fresh warnings that the court is eroding the Voting Rights Act and reviving the need for Congress to intervene.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he will not run for the U.S. Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other leading Republicans are intensifying a personal late-stage push to persuade Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to run for the Senate.

The head of a Senate panel that oversees Medicare says the Biden administration should cut back a hefty premium increase soon to hit millions of enrollees.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has told a congressional panel that failing to raise the federal debt ceiling would have “absolutely catastrophic consequences” that could bring on a financial crisis.

Ten liberal senators are urging President Joe Biden to back India and South Africa’s appeal to the World Trade Organization to temporarily relax intellectual property rules so coronavirus vaccines can be manufactured by nations that are struggling to inoculate their populations.

Andrew Cuomo announced last July that New York would spend $100 million in federal coronavirus relief to help cash-strapped tenants pay months of back rent and avert evictions. As much as $3.43 billion in federal aid was spent on rental assistance, according to National Low Income Housing Coalition. Last year, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kansas were among the states that struggled to distribute rental assistance. Pennsylvania had similar problems, spending $54 million on rental assistance and $10 million on mortgage assistance, out of nearly $175 million dedicated for the program. AdFacing the Republican-controlled Legislature's Nov. 30 deadline to spend the money, the state Housing Finance Authority returned the bulk of it.

FILE - This Nov. 29, 2011, file photo shows the signature of president Abraham Lincoln on a rare, restored copy of the 13th Amendment that ended slavery, in Chicago. As ratified, the original amendment has permitted exploitation of labor by convicted felons for over 155 years since the abolition of slavery. Constitutional amendments are rare and require approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate, as well as ratification by three-quarters of state legislatures. In Merkley’s Oregon, voters in 2002 approved the elimination of constitutional language that prohibited Black Americans from living in the state unless they were enslaved. The prevalence of prison labor has been largely accepted as a means for promoting rehabilitation, teaching trade skills and reducing idleness among prisoners.

Yet as states increasingly sort themselves along hardening partisan lines, it's complicating Democrats' drive to win the majority and keep it. Thanks to this month's elections, Democrats will own all four Senate seats from purple Arizona and increasingly blue Colorado next year. In addition, three current Senate Democrats are from states that President Donald Trump carried easily this month despite losing to Democrat Joe Biden. “The problem is a Democratic Senate majority runs through red states, and that is an inherent structural difficulty." In the 2022 elections, Democrats will defend Senate 13 seats — all from states Biden won.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden feels at home on Capitol Hill, but the place sure has changed since he left. The clubby atmosphere that Biden knew so well during his 36-year Senate career is gone, probably forever. Republicans are favored to retain control of the Senate heading into two runoff elections in Georgia in January. And some lawmakers say voters made clear in the election that governance from the middle is exactly what they want. “He has a remarkable record of shape-shifting to run his conference in a unique manner determined by the political imperative of the moment," said former Senate Democratic leadership aide Mike Spahn.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden feels at home on Capitol Hill, but the place sure has changed since he left. The clubby atmosphere that Biden knew so well during his 36-year Senate career is gone, probably forever. Republicans are favored to retain control of the Senate heading into two runoff elections in Georgia in January. And some lawmakers say voters made clear in the election that governance from the middle is exactly what they want. “He has a remarkable record of shape-shifting to run his conference in a unique manner determined by the political imperative of the moment," said former Senate Democratic leadership aide Mike Spahn.

Republican candidate for Senate Sen. David Perdue speaks during a campaign stop at Peachtree Dekalb Airport Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, in Atlanta. But if the Democratic challenger wins, the ambitions of a Biden presidency could well come down to Georgia. But if the Democratic challenger wins, the ambitions of a Biden presidency could well come down to Georgia. That was cemented Friday evening when Democrat Jon Ossoff and Georgia Sen. David Perdue narrowly advanced to a second round after three days of vote counting. Otherwise, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, could wield the power to block Biden.

The lack of tracking was highlighted this week when a GOP lawmaker, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, found out he had contracted the virus. Fearing Gohmert's frequent refusal to wear a mask could have caused other members and staff to become infected, Pelosi and Capitol officials quickly issued broad new mask requirements for the House. The dilemma for Congress is similar to the one facing workplaces and schools as they struggle to reopen. Pelosi and McConnell cited those front-line workers when they rejected Trump's offer earlier this year to send rapid tests for lawmakers to the Capitol. Let's expand access to rapid testing on Capitol Hill, but also throughout the country, Van Hollen said.

Riot police stand guard after pushing back protesters demonstrating against the new security law during the anniversary of the Hong Kong handover from Britain, Wednesday, July. 1, 2020, in Hong Kong. Hong Kong police have made their first arrests under a new national security law imposed by mainland China. The House bill is similar to a measure approved last week in the Senate, but makes some minor changes. China has said it will impose visa restrictions on Americans it sees as interfering over Hong Kong.

Police detain a protester after spraying pepper spray during a protest in Causeway Bay before the annual handover march in Hong Kong, Wednesday, July. Hong Kong marked the 23rd anniversary of its handover to China in 1997, and just one day after China enacted a national security law that cracks down on protests in the territory. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)WASHINGTON Congress has approved a bill rebuking China over its crackdown in Hong Kong amid protests against a strict national security law that outlaws so-called subversive or terrorist acts, as well as collusion with foreign forces intervening in the citys affairs. The White House declined to comment, but in a television interview Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence called the new Hong Kong security law a betrayal of the international agreement China signed. ___Associated Press writer Zen Soo in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON Seven U.S. senators, including two strong allies of President Donald Trump, harshly criticized Trump's new chief of U.S.-funded global media on Wednesday for firing the heads of several international broadcasters without consulting Congress. Wednesday's letter was notable in that it was signed by the two powerful Trump allies who are particularly close to the president. The director and deputy director of VOA resigned just days before the firings, which also included the dismissal of each of their governing boards. Conservatives have in particular assailed the firings of former Rubio staffer Jamie Fly as head of RFE/RL and former U.S. diplomat Alberto Fernandez as head of MBN. "We urge you to respect the unique independence that enable USAGM's outlets and grantees to help cultivate a free and open world," the wrote.

They demand to abolish the national security law and defend human rights and freedom in Hong Kong. The bill targets police units that have cracked down on Hong Kong protesters, as well as Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for imposing a strict national security law on Hong Kong. Today, the Senate stood up to the communist regime in Beijing and stood with the people of Hong Kong, Toomey said. The legislation "sends a strong, bipartisan message that the United States stands with the people of Hong Kong,'' he added. We must stand up to Chinas continued imperialism and respond strongly to any crackdown in Hong Kong, including reconsideration of China's special trade status with the U.S., Hawley said.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON Senate Republicans could vote as soon as next week on proposed policing changes, an abrupt shift of GOP priorities in an election year as the party rushes to respond to nationwide protests over the deaths of black Americans in interactions with law enforcement. The emerging legislative package, along with President Donald Trump's executive actions announced Tuesday, are perhaps the most ambitious law enforcement changes considered by Republicans in decades. A Republican familiar with the planning but unauthorized to discuss it said voting could happen as soon as next week. We are at the point in the United States where we are at a crossroads, Booker said during a floor speech. Scott's proposal, set to be released Wednesday, shifts money into police training and sets up an officer accreditation system and database of conduct.