Senators are introducing a bipartisan bill that would clamp down on U.S. companies from doing business with Chinese tech giant Huawei, the latest effort to ensure President Donald Trump takes a hard line in his trade talks with China.Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) are leading the effort to stop the Trump administration from unilaterally allowing business with Huawei. Their bill would require congressional approval for the Commerce Department to remove Huawei from a list that found “reasonable cause” that the company was acting against U.S. security interests. The bill would also allow Congress to disapprove of any waivers granted to companies selling parts to Huawei. It’s unlikely to get a standalone vote, but demonstrates the unease among both Trump critics and allies about giving Chinese companies concessions. “Huawei isn’t a normal business partner for American companies, it’s a front for the Chinese Communist Party. Our bill

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Monday night turned aside the notion of a short-term debt ceiling hike as she continues negotiating on a broader budget deal with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.After days of hashing out their positions over the phone, Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Mnuchin spoke again Monday night, with plans to talk on Tuesday, according to a Pelosi aide.“We shall see,” Pelosi said when asked about the possibility of striking a sweeping two-year agreement before the August recess that lifts the budget caps and the debt limit.“The issues are what they are. They’ll be here now, they’ll be here later,” she said. “The interests of the full faith and credit of the United States of America are served by us doing this as soon as possible.”Pelosi would not speculate on a backup plan if congressional leaders and the White House fail to strike an accord before the break.The speaker outlined her

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‘The squad’ hits back at Trump after tweetstorm

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A Democratic lawmaker says he will force a vote on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump by next week, a dramatic step that could force the Democrat-led House to consider the measure for the first time, even over the objection of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.“The President of the United States is a racist, a bigot, a misogynist, as well as an invidious prevaricator. To say that Donald John Trump is unfit for the Office of the President of the United States is an understatement,” said Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who cited Trump’s racist tweets over the weekend about Democratic congresswomen as the impetus for his third effort to push through an impeachment vote.Green forced two votes on impeachment articles in 2017 and 2018, when Republicans ran the House, citing similar controversies, including Trump’s comments about demonstrators in Charlottesville and his description of African nations as “shithole countries.”In both cases, about

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After a day of silence, congressional Republicans began to harshly criticize President Donald Trump for demanding that liberal freshman congresswomen “go back” where they came from — with some GOP lawmakers decrying his comments as “racist” and calling for him to apologize and remove his tweets.The pushback on Monday marked some of the strongest condemnations Trump’s received from his party, which began with a trickle and then threatened to widen as Trump escalated his attacks in remarks to reporters. Several Republicans called Trump’s comments “racist,” a description rarely used against the president by members of the GOP.”Instead of sharing how the Democratic Party’s far-left, pro-socialist policies… are wrong for the future of our nation, the President interjected with unacceptable personal attacks and racially offensive language,” said Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the only black Republican senator. “No matter our political disagreements, aiming for the lowest common denominator will only divide our

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