Author

Samantha Dietel

Samantha Dietel

Samantha Dietel is a reporter intern in Washington, D.C. She is pursuing a degree in journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has previously covered the Missouri legislature in Jefferson City as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian.

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat and chair of the Progressive Caucus, speaks at a press event, joining about 100 tenant advocates to call on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to bolster tenant protections and rent regulations on Nov. 15, 2023.

‘Out of control’: Advocates rally in D.C. calling for action on housing crisis

By: - November 15, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat, joined about 100 tenant advocates at a press event outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to demand action on the housing crisis. Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to bolster tenant protections and rent regulations. The People’s […]

Sen. Markwayne Mullin

Oklahoma senator challenges Teamsters president to fight at U.S. Senate hearing

By: - November 14, 2023

WASHINGTON — Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, challenged the head of the Teamsters union to a physical fight at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday intended to showcase how labor unions are making families’ lives better. The tense confrontation at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing stemmed from acrimonious posts on social […]

Posters of some of those kidnapped by Hamas in Israeli are displayed on a pole outside of New York University on Oct. 30, 2023, as tensions between supporters of Palestinians and Israel increase on college campuses across the nation

Free speech on college campuses as tensions rise examined by U.S. House Judiciary

By: - November 8, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers debated the freedom of speech of students on college campuses during a committee hearing Wednesday. The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee held the hearing amid a rise of antisemitism on college campuses following Hamas attacks on Israel. Many Jewish students and others showing support for Israel have been targets of violence since […]

Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus organize a news conference Oct. 26, 2023, to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer

Women in Congress call for more action on breast cancer prevention, treatment

By: - October 26, 2023

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress shared their experiences and called for bipartisan legislative action Thursday in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus organized a press conference to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer. “Each one of us here today are tributes to our friends, our […]

U.S. House Republicans were meeting Monday night to hear from their latest candidates for speaker. Shown is the U.S. Capitol at night.

Eight Republicans are running for U.S. House speaker. Here’s your guide to the field.

By: and - October 23, 2023

WASHINGTON — The eight Republican candidates to be speaker of the U.S. House were set to make their cases to their colleagues Monday evening, as the House Republican Conference restarted its process to choose a candidate. Nine had filed on Sunday to run for speaker but on Monday night Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser dropped out, […]

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio,

Ohio’s Jordan the latest U.S. House GOP nominee for speaker after days of turmoil

By: , and - October 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday put forward their second nominee this week for speaker, though lawmakers departed Capitol Hill for the weekend without unifying enough to hold a floor vote and with a highly uncertain outcome when they return. Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan won the conference nomination in a closed meeting, defeating […]

Kevin Kirby operates a tractor on Sept. 20, 2013, to begin the sweet potato harvest process by plowing them up from the field on Kirby Farms in Mechanicsville, Virginia

Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland probed at U.S. Senate hearing

By: - September 27, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead […]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Meets With U.S. Lawmakers On Capitol Hill

‘If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war’: Zelenskyy asks Congress to help Ukraine

By: and - September 21, 2023

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to reiterate the need for continued aid to support his country’s fight against the Russian invasion, even as the U.S. faces a partial government shutdown as soon as the end of the month. “If we don’t get the aid, […]

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, speaks at a news conference Wednesday outside the U.S. Capitol alongside individuals advocating for the extension of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act program

Americans sickened by radioactive waste press Congress for action on assistance

By: - September 20, 2023

WASHINGTON — Victims of nuclear contamination rallied in the nation’s capital on Wednesday in support of bipartisan legislation that would extend compensation for those harmed by radioactive waste. U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico Democrat, held a rally and press conference outside the U.S. Capitol as part […]

“Gender Queer,” a graphic memoir by Maia Kobabe, was the most challenged book in America in 2022, according to the American Library Association.

U.S. Senate hearing on book bans probes censorship attempts in local libraries

By: - September 12, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators at a committee hearing Tuesday discussed the consequences of book bans and parents’ desire to control what their kids read — though they also acknowledged it’s not an issue for Congress to settle. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony about book bans, focusing on how censorship limits liberty and literature. The […]

A parade float supported women's suffrage

Congress and nonprofit working to put women’s suffrage monument on National Mall

By: - September 6, 2023

As Congress considers a bill to place a women’s suffrage monument on the National Mall, a nonprofit is working to raise the estimated $50 million needed to build it. The Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation, the nonprofit backing the effort, launched a donation campaign Tuesday in an effort to raise funds for a memorial honoring […]

U.S. first lady Jill Biden speaks at a media preview of the state dinner

Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19; president, testing negative, maintains schedule

By: - September 5, 2023

WASHINGTON — First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Monday night, the White House said in a statement. Biden has mild symptoms and will spend the week at home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the White House said. President Joe Biden tested negative Monday night and Tuesday. He will continue to be tested “at a […]