Joey Cpelletti, Author at The Rapid City Post

Amer Ghalib appears before a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on his pending nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

He helped deliver Arab American support for Trump. Now his path to Mideast post faces GOP opposition

October 29, 2025

President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait is facing rejection by the Republican-controlled Senate. Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib was picked for the post after the Republican president credited him for helping Trump do better-than-expected in Michigan’s large Arab American community in the 2024 election. But senators in both parties have expressed concerns over past remarks by Ghalib that they say are antisemitic. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz has said publicly that he will oppose Ghalib. Other Republicans are expected to join Cruz. The founder of Arab Americans for Trump says rejecting Ghalib’s nomination would compound anger among Arab Americans over how they’ve been treated since the election.

FILE - Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, speaks on election night, Nov. 5, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

Crypto spent millions to defeat Sherrod Brown and elect allies. It’s ready for a repeat in 2026

October 11, 2025

The cryptocurrency industry spent millions last year to unseat a longtime critic, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, and install its allies in Washington. It’s ready for a repeat in 2026 and may once more target Brown, who’s making a comeback bid. Democrats are hopeful about Brown’s chances to return to the Senate, especially without Donald Trump at the top of the ballot. But crypto interests have even more to spend this time. And the industry has seen the Republican-controlled Congress turn in its favor now that Brown no longer heads the Senate banking committee. But Brown’s approach to crypto sounds different this time.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

The GOP says it’s winning the shutdown. Some fear Trump’s cuts may change that

October 3, 2025

President Donald Trump is using the federal shutdown to push deep spending cuts in states that backed Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024. His administration has slashed billions in clean energy and transit funding in places like California and Illinois. Some Republicans now fear the strategy could backfire and cost them their political advantage after Democrats voted against measures to keep the government open. The backlash could bring electoral consequences as soon as next month. In Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats are linking GOP candidates to the fallout ahead of November elections. The cuts have also stalled Senate talks and prolonged the shutdown.

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, candidate for Senate in 2026, speaks in Columbus, Ohio, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, where he endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy, candidate for Ohio Governor in 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

He planned to run for Ohio governor. Now Jon Husted could be in the US Senate’s toughest 2026 race

September 23, 2025

Jon Husted planned to run for Ohio governor next year. But his political path took an abrupt turn in January, when Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance. In just days, the longtime lieutenant governor went from a low-profile state office to one of the most powerful seats in Washington. Now Republicans are counting on Husted to defend the Senate seat in a race with national implications. Democrats recruited former Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio’s best-known Democrat, making it a competitive contest. Brown is among the candidates giving Democrats hope about gaining ground in the Senate next year, even as the 2026 map will make retaking the majority difficult.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., right, joined by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., center left, leads a vigil to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk who was shot and killed at an event in Utah last week, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House approves resolution honoring Charlie Kirk with dozens of Democrats opposed

September 19, 2025

The House has passed a resolution honoring the late Charlie Kirk over significant Democratic opposition. A resolution praising “the life and legacy” of Kirk passed the Republican-controlled House with 310 votes in favor. While House Democratic leadership supported the measure, 58 voted against it and more voted “present.” It followed a week of heightened tensions in Congress over the assassination of Kirk that included a failed GOP attempt to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar for comments about Kirk. Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Democrats who voted against the resolution. It came just days before Kirk’s funeral in Arizona.

FILE - Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., speaks during the confirmation hearing for Kash Patel, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

National conservatism asserts its dominance in Trump’s Washington

September 5, 2025

National conservatism is reshaping the Republican Party in President Donald Trump’s second term. This week, its leaders gathered in Washington to celebrate their rise and lay out their next steps. Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt delivered a speech titled “What is an American?” in which he criticized some legal immigration and declared, “America doesn’t belong to them — it belongs to us.” The conference featured top Trump officials, GOP lawmakers and right-wing figures. Panels focused on Christian identity, immigration and reversing same-sex marriage rights. Once seen as fringe, the movement now claims influence at the highest levels and shows no signs of slowing.

FILE - Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Rep. Chip Roy, an outspoken fiscal conservative, is running for Texas attorney general

August 21, 2025

A Republican congressman from Texas, Chip Roy, says he’s running for state attorney general. Roy is a prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative faction that wields outsize influence in the narrowly divided House. The outspoken fiscal conservative was a central player this summer in the negotiations around President Donald Trump’s big tax bill. But the lawmaker’s relationship with Trump has been complicated at times. Roy enters an increasingly crowded Republican primary field to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton is challenging Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary next year.

FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks with former television journalist Gretchen Carlson, not shown, at an event on April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Michigan Gov. Whitmer makes another White House visit to meet with Trump

August 5, 2025

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the impact tariffs and Medicaid changes are having on her state. The Democrat has met with Trump multiple times in his second term after taking a more diplomatic approach than in his first term. The new approach has netted her multiple wins for the state, including a new fighter jet mission to an air base in the state. Whitmer said that she will “work with anyone to get things done for Michigan.” The friendly relationship between Whitmer and Trump is in contrast towards his public stance towards other Democratic leaders, including other high-profile governors.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., left, a longtime supporter of cryptocurrency, joined at right by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., discusses legislation in the week ahead that could impact the industry, during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republicans declared it ‘crypto’ week in the House. It’s not going as planned

July 15, 2025

House Republicans are struggling with cryptocurrency legislation that they had expected to pass during what they dubbed “crypto week.” The crypto legislative package stalled Tuesday when 13 Republicans joined Democrats on a key procedural vote. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that some of the Republicans who blocked the bills wanted them packaged together. Johnson said negotiations are underway between the House, Senate and White House on the path forward. Trump intervened during a late evening meeting with Republicans at the White House, and appeared to put the bills back on track. He posted on social media that he expected votes as soon as Wednesday.

President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Washington, surrounded by members of Congress. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Senate Republicans block attempt to roll back massive tax hike on professional gamblers

July 10, 2025

Senate Republicans are rejecting an attempt to reverse a provision from their new tax law that changes the taxation of gambling winnings. Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada on Thursday sought unanimous passage of a bill that would roll back the gambling provision. But Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana objected, stalling the proposal for now. Under the new tax law, starting in 2026 individuals can only deduct 90% of their gambling losses up to the amount of their winnings. That’s a change from the previous rule, which allowed gamblers to deduct 100% of their losses, up to the amount they won.

Senate Republicans hold hearing on Biden’s mental fitness as Democrats boycott

June 18, 2025

Republican senators are looking into former President Joe Biden’s ability to serve in office. The Senate Judiciary Hearing on Wednesday took place over six months after Biden left office. Republicans say that they aim to “shine a light” on what was occurring during Biden’s presidency. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin criticized Republicans for “arm chair diagnosing” when he said the committee should be focusing on serious matters. Most Democrats boycotted the hearing. It was the first in what could be several congressional. hearings about Biden in coming months. The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed several of Biden’s former staff members.

FILE - An advertisement for the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, is displayed on a building in Hong Kong on Nov. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Democrats are drawing closer to the crypto industry despite Trump divisions

June 9, 2025

The crypto industry is seeing growing support from the Democratic Party, though it’s far from unanimous. A number of Democrats are supporting legislation in the Senate that would create a new regulatory structure for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency typically pegged to the U.S. dollar. But other Democrats are against the bill as they condemn Republican President Donald Trump’s efforts to profit from cryptocurrency while in office. Despite the tensions, the bill is expected to clear the Senate this month. The legislative push follows an election in which the crypto industry ranked among the top campaign spenders, pouring millions of dollars into tight Senate races.

Joey Cpelletti.