Washington Bullpen podcast: “I had to stand up” – Politics and sports in the nation’s capital

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland — Ray Schoenke remembers driving through the night from Cleveland to Maryland to make it in time for the practice for Washington’s NFL team in the morning. It was 1966, and he had just been cut from the…

Equal Rights Amendment may be near ratification, but must overcome old deadline

WASHINGTON – The Equal Rights Amendment may be close to ratification following Democratic wins in Virginia’s House and Senate and proposed House and Senate resolutions to remove the ratification deadline. The ERA would guarantee equal constitutional rights to a person…

Election Guide: Meet field of 32 candidates seeking Rep. Elijah Cummings’ seat

WASHINGTON — Nearly two months after Rep. Elijah Cummings’ death, 32 candidates — including his widow, a former staffer, and several state lawmakers — are competing in the packed race to fill his seat.   The longtime Baltimore congressman died Oct.…

Steny Hoyer sees experience as his advantage

GREENBELT, Maryland – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Mechanicsville, doesn’t seem especially concerned about his reelection next year. “My strategy for reelection is to continue to do a job everyday that people will see and appreciate,” he told Capital News…

House Judiciary Committee opens next impeachment phase with rancor, legal debate

WASHINGTON – Three constitutional lawyers characterized President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine as a serious abuse of power that constitutes high crimes and misdemeanors during impeachment hearings Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee. “When President Trump invited – indeed, demanded…

What we learned from 5 days of impeachment hearings

WASHINGTON — After five full days of public hearings with 12 witnesses testifying in front of the House Intelligence Committee, Democrats are advancing to the next stage of the the impeachment inquiry into Republican President Donald Trump. The inquiry was…

Former adviser tells impeachment inquiry Trump envoy was on ‘domestic political errand’

WASHINGTON – Former National Security Council Russia expert Fiona Hill and diplomat David Holmes testified in what may be the final public impeachment hearing Thursday, reinforcing previous witnesses’ assertions that President Donald Trump directly linked a White House meeting and…

Congress awaits inspector general’s report on cancellation of FBI headquarters move

WASHINGTON – With parts of the FBI headquarters building crumbling on Pennsylvania Avenue, there had been plans to relocate the agency to a more secluded and spacious campus in either suburban northern Virginia or suburban Maryland.  But six months after…

Sondland confirms quid pro quo in “seminal” fourth impeachment hearing

WASHINGTON – Gordon Sondland, the United States ambassador to the European Union, told House investigators Wednesday that President Donald Trump and other top administration officials sought a quid pro quo with Ukraine, tying military aid to an announcement of an…

Officials detail ‘unusual’ call between Trump and Ukraine leader

WASHINGTON – Two White House officials and a former official with key roles in shaping the Trump administration’s policy towards Ukraine testified Tuesday to Congress that they considered improper a July call by President Donald Trump to Ukraine’s president linking…