Politics

Biden opposes federal gas tax hike to pay for infrastructure plan

President Joe Biden walks to board Marine One on the Ellipse near the White House grounds, Friday, June 18, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

EPA chief reinstates key science advisory board he reset in March

In this May 12, 2021, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

In move backed by Biden, House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization

In this May 13, 2021, file photo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Summit meeting: Biden, Putin agree to negotiations of nuclear pact

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

‘Miracle on the Hudson’ pilot among 9 nominated by Biden to high-profile ambassador postings

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Military defends Capitol riot response as Pelosi says House will move forward with investigations

Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will move forward with investigations of the Jan. 6 insurrection now that legislation to create an independent commission has stalled in the Senate, saying “we can't wait any longer" to probe the attack. Pelosi's comments came as the House heard testimony Tuesday from military officials and FBI Director Christopher Wray about what went wrong that day, when hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump breached the Capitol and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden's win. Pelosi met with several committee chairs before the hearing and said afterward that the final form of the investigations is “to be determined." She said she will make an announcement soon. “Whether we have a commission today, tomorrow or the next day over in the Senate, or not, the work of the committees will be very important in what we're seeking for the American people — the truth,” Pelosi said. One option under consideration is a select committee on the Jan. 6 attack, a setup that would put majority Democrats in charge. More than three dozen Republicans in the House and seven Senate Republicans wanted to avoid such a partisan probe and supported the legislation to create an independent, bipartisan commission outside Congress. But those numbers weren't strong enough to overcome GOP opposition in the Senate, where support from 1O Republicans is needed to pass most bills. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has said he may hold a second vote after the legislation failed to advance last month, but there's no indication that Democrats can win the necessary support from three additional Republicans. “We can't wait any longer,” Pelosi said. “We will proceed." Meanwhile, most Republicans are making clear that they want to move on from the Jan. 6 attack, brushing aside the many unanswered questions about the insurrection, including how the government and law enforcement missed intelligence leading up to the rioting and the role of Trump before and during the attack. The hearing Tuesday in the House Oversight and Reform Committee was to examine “unexplained delays and unanswered questions” about the siege, with public testimony from Wray, Gen. Charles E. Flynn and Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, the director of Army staff. All three men were involved that day as the Capitol Police begged for backup. The National Guard did not arrive for several hours as the police were overwhelmed and brutally beaten by the rioters. Echoing previous testimony from Defense Department leaders, Flynn and Piatt said the military needed time to develop plans for the National Guard response. Piatt insisted that he did not deny or have the authority to deny Guard help during a call with former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the New York Democrat who chairs the committee, criticized Wray for not providing documents her staff had requested and asked him if he believed the FBI should be blamed for the law enforcement failures on Jan. 6. “Our goal is to bat 1.000 and any time there’s an attack, much less an attack as horrific and spectacular as what happened on Jan. 6, we consider that to be unacceptable," Wray replied. Seven people died during and after the rioting, including a Trump supporter who was shot and killed as she tried to break into the House chamber and two police officers who died by suicide in the days that followed. A third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after engaging with the protesters, but a medical examiner determined he died of natural causes.

Emails reveal how Trump, allies pressured DOJ to challenge 2020 election results

In this June 1, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump walks past police in Lafayette Park after visiting outside St. John's Church across from the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Biden maintains Putin skepticism ahead of Wednesday meeting

In this March 10, 2011 file photo, then U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Sen. Wilk discusses Gov. Newsom’s decision to keep California under state of emergency while reopening economy

California AG discusses what’s next in state’s appeal of assault weapons ruling

Newsom recall rival Kevin Faulconer discusses his gubernatorial campaign, tax plan

House lawmakers unveil sweeping legislation that could force Big Tech breakups

In this July 29, 2020, file photo Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks via video conference during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on antitrust on Capitol Hill in Washington. A group of House lawmakers put forward a sweeping legislative package Friday that could curb the market power of Big Tech companies and force Facebook, Google, Amazon or Apple to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP, File)

California Dems move to cover $215 million cost for Newsom recall election, hold contest at earlier date

Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a news conference after he toured the newly reopened Ruby Bridges Elementary School on March 16, 2021 in Alameda. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Biden admin to buy 500 million Pfizer vaccines to share globally, source says

In this Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 file photo, frozen vials of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are taken out to thaw, at the MontLegia CHC hospital in Liege, Belgium. The U.S. will buy 500 million more doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to share through the COVAX alliance for donation to 92 lower income countries and the African Union over the next year, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. President Joe Biden was set to make the announcement Thursday in a speech before the start of Group of Seven summit. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

President Biden arrives in U.K., opens 1st overseas trip declaring ‘United States is back’

President Joe Biden speaks to American service members at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, Wednesday, June 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)