Politics and Government News

Stay updated with the latest political and government news. MPR News covers local, state and national politics, providing in-depth analysis and updates on policies, elections and governmental actions.

January 20, 2020 3:50 PM

Fact check: Distortions in Trump's legal defense

President Trump through his lawyers assails Democrats for trying to upend the results of an election, which is precisely the point of impeachment in the Constitution. The case asserts Trump committed no crime, a benchmark for impeachment that the Constitution's authors avoided adopting in a well-documented debate.

by The Associated Press

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January 20, 2020 3:17 PM

Klobuchar could see boost in momentum, fundraising after NY Times endorsement

“It's going to give her more attention, particularly when you get past Iowa where her name won't be as recognizable,” says one political science professor. “And if people say, 'Oh, who is this? Let's take a closer look,' that'll give her perhaps a little bit of momentum, particularly if she does well in the Iowa caucuses."

by Mark Zdechlik

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January 20, 2020 11:09 AM

McConnell proposes swift impeachment trial for president

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday proposed a condensed, two-day calendar for each side to give opening arguments in President Trump's impeachment trial, ground rules that are raising objections from Democrats on the eve of the landmark proceedings.

by The Associated Press

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January 20, 2020 10:38 AM

Thousands of gun owners converge on Virginia Capitol on MLK Day

"This is about losing one of the base freedoms that we have," a gun rights backer says in Richmond. The city is under a state of emergency, and some streets have been barricaded to prevent violence.

by Bill Chappell

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January 20, 2020 10:00 AM

Eric Holder and John Lewis keynote addresses on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Two keynote addresses from the annual Martin Luther King Jr. holiday breakfast in Minneapolis: former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in 2020 and Rep. John Lewis in 2006.

by MPR News Staff

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January 20, 2020 7:29 AM

NY Times endorses Klobuchar, Warren in Democratic contest

The paper said Sunday it had chosen the two most effective candidates from the moderate and progressive sides of the party — without stating a preference for either approach. It praised Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as "a gifted story teller" and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar as "the very definition" of Midwestern charisma and grit.

by The Associated Press

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January 19, 2020 5:30 PM

Trump defenders push 'no crime' as Democrats seek removal

President Trump’s lawyers on Sunday previewed their impeachment defense with the assertion that the charges against him are invalid, adopting a position rejected by Democrats as “nonsense” as both sides sharpened their arguments for trial.

by The Associated Press

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January 19, 2020 5:24 PM

Schiff accuses NSA, CIA of withholding documents on Ukraine

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is accusing U.S. intelligence agencies of withholding documents from Congress on Ukraine that could be significant to President Trump’s impeachment trial.

by The Associated Press

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January 19, 2020 4:55 PM

Rep. John Lewis' fight for civil rights began with a letter to Martin Luther King Jr.

As a teenager growing up in Alabama, Lewis wrote a letter to Martin Luther King Jr. during the budding civil rights movement. In a letter back, King invited the 18-year-old to join the cause.

by Emma Bowman, Aisha Turner and Kerrie Hillman

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January 19, 2020 1:00 PM

On the edge of America, census begins in a tiny Alaska town

The decennial U.S. census has started in rural Alaska, out of tradition and necessity, ever since the U.S. purchased the territory from Russia in 1867.

by The Associated Press

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