6 Takeaways as House Republicans Accuse Homeland Security Chief of ‘Intentional’ Border Crisis

House Republicans pressed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for answers Thursday as every sign appeared to point to a rising surge of illegal immigrants trying to cross the southern border.  According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents last month logged over 221,000 “encounters” with illegal aliens along the border, a 33% jump from February.     In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Mayorkas argued that the situation at the border is under “operational control,” as the law requires. Republicans on the committee repeatedly rejected this claim, pointing to the huge…

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Zelenskyy: Austin, Blinken to visit Kyiv Sunday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Kyiv on Sunday. Mr. Zelenskyy announced the planned visit during a Saturday press conference in Kyiv. “I don’t think this is a secret that people from the US are coming to us tomorrow, State Secretary Mr. Blinken and the Defense Secretary who are coming to us,” he said. The White House and State Department did not immediately confirm the officials’ travel. A spokesperson from the Pentagon declined to…

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Members of Congress want State Dept to go to bat for LGBTQ diplomats

<p><em>To listen to the Federal Newscast on your phone or mobile device, subscribe in <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-newstalk?showAllEpisodes=true”>PodcastOne</a> or <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-newscast/id1053077930?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a>. The best listening experience on desktop can be found using Chrome, Firefox or Safari.</em></p> <ul> <li>Many political appointees, along with the vice president, can expect a freeze on their salaries to continue through at least the end of 2022. The <a href=”https://www.chcoc.gov/content/continued-pay-freeze-certain-senior-political-officials-6″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Office of Personnel Management</a> released details that the impacted groups are paid at or above the level for Executive Schedule IV. That includes employees serving in Executive Schedule positions and…

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From Football Field to Supreme Court: Meet the Coach Who’s Fighting for Freedom to Pray

BREMERTON, Washington—It’s the final play of coach Joe Kennedy’s seven-year legal battle.  The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in Kennedy’s case, and ultimately decide whether a public school employee is allowed to participate in silent prayer in view of students while on the clock.  “The only thing I’m asking the Supreme Court is that I get to be a coach, and I get to thank God afterwards,” Kennedy says.  In 2015, Kennedy lost his job as an assistant football coach at a high school in Washington state after…

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Bidens will attend the White House Correspondents dinner on April 30

The White House Correspondents Association said President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend its annual dinner on April 30 after a lengthy presidential absence due to former President Donald Trump’s spats with the mainstream media and the pandemic. “The WHCA is pleased to host President Biden and Dr. … The Washington Times stories: White House

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USPS continues postal banking pilot, despite House Republicans’ objections

The Postal Service is telling its regulator it has no plans yet to pull the plug on a postal banking pilot, despite a lack of customers and opposition from House Republicans. USPS told the Postal Regulatory Commission in a recent filing that it will continue the postal banking pilot “in its current form” past March 2022. “No final determinations have been reached with regard to ending the pilot, or with regard to any other potential steps that might be taken to modify the pilot,” USPS attorneys wrote. USPS spokeswoman Tatiana…

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