Latest Mitch McConnell News

The Latest: Matt Gaetz resigns from Congress, ending ethics probe after attorney general nomination

Nov. 13, 2024 19:41 PM EST

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress Wednesday, ending an ethics probe into allegations of sex trafficking, sexual misconduct and drug use after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for attorney general. Gaetz's nomination was one of several picks unveiled by Trump, including Sen....

Prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies

Nov. 13, 2024 18:56 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, who served two Republican presidents as one of the country’s best known conservative lawyers and successfully argued on behalf of same-sex marriage, died Wednesday. He was 84. The law firm Gibson Dunn, where Olson...

Judge sets date for 9/11 defendants to enter pleas, deepening battle over court's independence

Nov. 13, 2024 18:16 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military judge at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has scheduled hearings in early January for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants to enter guilty pleas in exchange for life sentences despite Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's effort to scuttle the...

Republican John Thune of South Dakota is elected the next Senate majority leader

Nov. 13, 2024 15:32 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have elected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as the next Senate majority leader, completing a momentous shift in their leadership that elevates a top deputy of Mitch McConnell into a key position as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. ...

Senate Republicans settle on a new party leader after seizing the majority on Election Day

Nov. 13, 2024 12:56 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was the first seriously contested Senate Republican leadership election in decades. Three senators were competing to succeed longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, when he steps down from the post at the beginning of next year and Republicans take...

Trump pressures candidates for Senate GOP leader to fill his Cabinet right away

Nov. 10, 2024 19:07 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before Senate Republicans pick their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring the candidates to change the rules and empower him to appoint some nominees without a Senate vote. Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas...

Army says the US will restart domestic TNT production at plant to be built in Kentucky

Nov. 08, 2024 19:04 PM EST

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Army awarded a $435 million contract on Friday to build a TNT production plant in western Kentucky that will become the first domestic source for the explosive material in decades, officials said. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a key player...

GOP picks up more key House seats while Democrats insist they still have a path to a majority

Nov. 07, 2024 20:01 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders projected confidence Thursday that they will keep control of the U.S. House as more races were decided in their favor, while Democrats insisted they still see a path toward the majority and sought assurances every vote will be counted. The GOP...

Republicans take Senate majority and eye unified power with Trump

Nov. 06, 2024 15:19 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have taken control of the U.S. Senate and are fighting to keep their majority in the U.S. House, which would produce a full sweep of GOP power in Congress alongside President-elect Donald Trump in the White House. A unified Republican grip on...

Florida Republican Rick Scott wins a second term in the U.S. Senate

Nov. 05, 2024 21:13 PM EST

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott easily defeated former Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell to win a second term Tuesday, and he will now look toward running for Senate leadership. Scott hopes to succeed U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is...