Latest Ron Wyden News

FILE - In this April 22, 2020, file photo medical workers bring a patient to the Northbridge Health Care Center in Bridgeport, Conn. A report from Senate Democrats finds that the Trump administration was slow to comprehend the scale of COVID-19's impact on nursing homes and a disjointed federal response only compounded the devastating toll. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Dems: Government's 'deadly delay' devastated nursing homes

Jul. 1, 2020 3:10 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration was slow to comprehend the scale of COVID-19's impact on nursing homes and a disjointed federal response has only compounded the devastating toll, according to a report from Senate Democrats. Wednesday's report finds a lack of coordination among government...

FILE - This April 13, 2016 file photo shows the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. President Donald Trump's nominee to be the CIA's chief watchdog is pledging independence, saying he will perform his role “in an unbiased and impartial manner, free of undue or inappropriate influences” by Trump or anyone else. Peter Thomson, a New Orleans attorney and former federal prosecutor, faced skepticism about his ability to ward off presidential interference at a nomination hearing Wednesday. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Nominee to be CIA watchdog says he'll stand up to Trump

Jun. 24, 2020 3:20 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's nominee to be the CIA's chief watchdog is pledging independence, saying he will perform his role “in an unbiased and impartial manner, free of undue or inappropriate influences” by Trump or anyone else. Peter Thomson, a New Orleans attorney and...

Protesters wear face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus as they gather in Lafayette Square, Saturday, June 13, 2020, near the White House in Washington, while demonstrating against the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Watchdog eyes violent routing of protesters near White House

Jun. 22, 2020 2:10 PM EDT

An Interior Department watchdog office will investigate law enforcement and security forces’ violent clearing of protesters from a square in front of the White House earlier this month. The Interior Department’s U.S. Park Police and other forces released chemical agents and at times punched and...

In this courtroom sketch Joshua Schulte, center, is seated at the defense table flanked by his attorneys during jury deliberations, Wednesday March 4, 2020, in New York. A federal jury in Manhattan has heard closing arguments in the espionage trial of Schulte, a former CIA software engineer charged in the largest leak of classified information in the agency's history. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

CIA unit that crafts hacking tools didn't protect itself

Jun. 16, 2020 11:44 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A specialized CIA unit that developed sophisticated hacking tools and cyber weapons didn’t do enough to protect its own operations and wasn't prepared to adequately respond when the secrets were stolen, according to an internal report prepared after the worst data loss in the...

FILE - In this Monday, June 1, 2020, file photo police clear the area around Lafayette Park and the White House in Washington, as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers last month. The violent clearing of demonstrators from the nation's premier protest space in front of the White House is spotlighting a tiny federal watch force created by George Washington. Democratic lawmakers want answers about the clubbing, punching and other force deployed by some Park Police in routing protesters from the front of the White House on Monday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Officials back off removing temporary fencing at White House

Jun. 9, 2020 8:22 PM EDT

The Trump administration appears to be retreating from its commitment to quickly remove most of a new fence blocking demonstrators and other members of the public from in front of the White House. Instead, National Park Service spokeswoman Katie Liming says only that her agency is in “continuing...

Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia testifies during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on

Trump admin opposes extending enhanced unemployment benefit

Jun. 9, 2020 6:30 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration opposes a Democratic proposal to extend a $600 per week federal unemployment benefit approved in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said Tuesday. The $600 payment, which is in addition to normal unemployment benefits, "was the...

FILE- In this April 23, 2020, file photo a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak is shown in San Antonio. Compounding the hardships of coronavirus, some nursing homes have demanded that low-income residents turn over their $1,200 economic stimulus checks. On Tuesday, June 9, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the Health and Human Services inspector general's office to issue a warning to nursing homes and assisted living facilities that such practices are “improper and unlawful.” (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Outcry as some nursing homes try to grab stimulus checks

Jun. 9, 2020 6:02 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Compounding the hardships of the coronavirus, some nursing homes have demanded that low-income residents turn over their $1,200 economic stimulus checks, a cash grab lawmakers want to halt. On Tuesday, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the Health and Human...

FILE - In this May 3, 2020, file photo, light shines from inside the U.S. Capitol dome at dusk on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Congress confronts dual crises of protests, virus outbreak

Jun. 1, 2020 10:28 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress convened Monday with protests outside its door and across the nation, the Capitol already struck by the COVID-19 outbreak now confronting a deepening crisis over the treatment of black people in the United States. The civil unrest over the death of George Floyd at the hands...

President Donald Trump holds up a copy of the New York Post as speaks before signing an executive order aimed at curbing protections for social media giants, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump escalates war on Twitter, social media protections

May. 28, 2020 6:59 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump escalated his war on Twitter and other social media companies Thursday, signing an executive order challenging the lawsuit protections that have served as a bedrock for unfettered speech on the internet. Announced with fanfare, the president's action yet appeared to...

FILE- In this March 23, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump talks during a briefing about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, Monday, March 23, 2020, in Washington, as Attorney General William Barr looks on. Legislation to extend surveillance authorities that the FBI sees as vital in fighting terrorism was thrown in doubt Wednesday as President Donald Trump, the Justice Department and congressional Republicans all came out in opposition. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Democrats pull surveillance bill after Trump veto threat

May. 28, 2020 3:20 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on Thursday pulled legislation from the House floor to extend FBI surveillance authorities after President Donald Trump and Republicans turned against the measure and ensured its defeat. The House later voted 284-122 to officially start those negotiations. House Speaker Nancy...

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