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In a scathing report released by the House Ethics Committee, strong evidence shows that Santos used campaign donations for his own personal use. Santos "sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit," the committee concluded.

Thus, The House Ethics Committee chairman, Michael Guest, declared on Friday that he had submitted a resolution calling for a vote on Rep. Santos' removal from office. 

The Justice Department received a referral from the Ethics Committee with its conclusions, providing fresh material that might support Santos' federal prosecution. Santos is charged with 23 federal crimes, including using campaign funds improperly, lying about his personal finances on House disclosure reports, and fraud pertaining to COVID-19 unemployment benefits. He has pleaded not guilty to all of them.

Additionally, After the committee's report was made public, Santos declared that he would not run for re-election. Despite this, he remained resolute and criticized the investigation.

By: Nia Davis 

This was last updated on November 20, 2023 at 9pm

Tuesday's passage of a short-term funding bill by the House prevented a government shutdown on Saturday, marking a significant win for newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson.

Speaker Johnson was forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats when hard-right conservatives rebelled against his plan. By a bipartisan vote of 336 to 95, with 209 Democratic votes, the stopgap bill was approved by the House. The bill was rejected by 93 Republicans. This gave the newly elected Speaker a stark warning of what lies ahead in his term. Johnson’s bill funds the government into the new year. The measure would prolong funding until February 2nd for some, and until January 19th for others. It's important to note that neither Israel nor Ukraine would receive any additional funding from the plan. The proposal would allow legislators more time to try to work out and approve full-year spending bills, though it would be difficult and complicated due to significant partisan differences. 

The next step for the bill is the Senate. If the Senate passes the bill, President Joe Biden is ready to sign it according to a White House official. The deadline for passing and signing is the end of the week given that government funding expires on Friday.

By: Nia Davis 

This was posted on November 15, 2023 at 6:50pm

United States Rep. Abigail Spanberger has announced she is running for Governor of Virginia. “The greatest honor of my life has been to represent Virginians in the U.S. House,” Spanberger said in a video statement. “Today, I am proud to announce that I will be working hard to gain the support and trust of all Virginians to continue this service as the next Governor of Virginia.” Spanberger has been in Congress for 6 years. Spanberger represents the 7th Congressional District which includes Orange, Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Culpeper, Greene, Madison, Stafford counties along with the City of Fredricksburg. Spanberger will not be seeking re-election. 

By: Brayden Jones

Photo credit: Virginia Supreme Court 

On Friday, US President Joe Biden will travel to Lewiston, Maine to pay his respects to the 18 people who were killed in a mass shooting.  “The President and First Lady will pay respects to the victims of this horrific attack and grieve with families and community members, as well as meet with first responders, nurses, and others on the front lines of the response,” said the White House. This is the deadliest mass shooting this year.  This story was last updated on 11/2 at 8:45am

By: Brayden Jones

LEWISTON, ME- A mass shooting took place in Lewiston, Maine. 18 were killed and 13 were injured making it is deadliest mass shooting this year. There are two places that Androscoggin County Police are investigating, A bar and a Bowling Alley. The suspect, Robert Card, was found dead after a two day manhunt. Maine is one of the safest states with the loosest gun laws around the country.

By: Brayden Jones 

Attorney Sidney Powell has entered a Guilty Plea one day ahead of her expected trial start date in Fulton County, Georgia. Powell is co-defendant number 12 in the Georgia Election Subversion Case. However it is unlikely for Powell to go serve time in jail, she agreed to 6 years of probation as well as write an apology letter to the Georgia citizens, pay $9,000 worth of fines, and will be required to testify at future trials. Powell is the second person to enter a guilty plea this week. Last month Scott Hall pleaded guilty and on Friday Lawyer Kenneth Cheseboro entered a guilty plea.  Powell attended University of North Carolina Law School. After completing her first year of Law School she interned for the United States Attorney of the Eastern District of North Carolina Thomas P. McNamara. In 2014, she published a book titled "Licensed to Lie." Powell wrote a handwritten note in the book to her former employer Thomas McNamara saying "You realize you started all of this! So wonderful to see you. Brace yourself for this read." 

By: Brayden Jones 

By: Nia Davis 

According to officials, Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a bomb-carrying drone on Wednesday, attacking a U.S.-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden. Large portions of Yemen have been taken over by the Houthi rebels, who claim to be supporting the Palestinians. Since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, resulting in the death of at least 1,200 people and starting the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the rebels have launched numerous drone and missile attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. About 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of Aden was the spot of the attack. The captain of the ship reported that there was a fire on board, but it was put out. It continued, "Vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call." Following weeks of warnings from U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, about "consequences" for the Houthis, the U.S. on January 12 began the first of many rounds of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.As of now, Christie has not endorsed any candidate. However, he made a critical statement about the rising candidate, Nikki Haley, during a hot mic incident before a rally in New Hampshire. Christie remarked, "She’s going to get smoked — you and I both know it. She’s not up to this."

By: Nia Davis 

On the grounds of the 14th Amendment's "insurrectionist ban," the Oregon Supreme Court on Friday declined to consider a request to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot for 2024, stating that it would wait for the US Supreme Court to make a decision on the matter. Since Section 3 was no longer in use after the 1870s, the country's highest court has never made a decision on it. Liberal organizations filed lawsuits in a number of states, including Oregon, to keep Trump off the ballot in accordance with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. This follows Trump's removal from the ballot by Colorado and Maine. A spokesman for the Trump campaign Steven Cheung applauded the decision. “Today’s decision in Oregon was the correct one,” he said in a press release. “President Trump urges the swift dismissal of all remaining, bad-faith, election interference 14th Amendment ballot challenges.”

By: Brayden Jones

Republican Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. "I will stick to the truth tonight. The first hard truth and this was hard for me, I gotta admit this, but we’ve looked at it every which way. And I think it is true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight," said Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy has since endorsed former President Donald Trump.