Politics

Elections, legislation, government decisions, and the people behind them.

Explainer graphic reading 'A criminal referral is a request — not a charge,' with three tiles: July 22, Jordan refers Smith to the DOJ; statutes cited, 18 U.S.C. sections 1001 and 1505; and no charge, no indictment, DOJ decides.

DevelopingPolitics

Jim Jordan refers Jack Smith to the Justice Department: what a criminal referral is — and isn't

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan asked the Justice Department to consider prosecuting former Special Counsel Jack Smith. A referral is a request, not a charge — here is what is established, what is contested, and what happens next.

July 22, 2026, 7:00 PM ETGraphic: DWC News

DevelopingPolitics

House passes $1.14 trillion 2027 defense bill, sending pay-raise and Israel-tech fights to the Senate

The House approved H.R. 8800, the roughly $1.14 trillion defense policy bill for fiscal 2027, on July 22 by a 219-206 vote. It now heads to the Senate, where a tiered troop pay raise and a contested U.S.-Israel defense-tech provision remain unsettled. It is not yet law.

July 22, 2026, 10:00 AM ET