Vermont is now the only state in the nation to have never sent a woman to Congress. On Wednesday, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith, a fellow Republican, to serve out the remainder of retiring GOP Sen. Thad Cochran’s term. Former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin, a Democrat, says “it’s…
read moreThe main lawyer representing President Donald Trump in the Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election is reported to be resigning. The New York Times and The Washington Post newspapers said John Dowd, one of the president’s personal attorneys, is stepping down Thursday, citing people familiar with the decision who declined to…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, both in their 70s, are sparring — at more than arm’s length — in a verbal schoolyard fight. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Biden assailed Trump’s moral standing after a 2005 video surfaced of Trump boasting that he could grope women with impunity because he…
read moreEnvironmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt’s private security detail accompanied him on first-class flights, the agency confirmed on Wednesday to U.S. House Democrats, who requested details on his travels amid growing scrutiny of Cabinet members’ spending. Democrats on the House of Representatives Energy Committee — Frank Pallone, Diana DeGette and Paul Tonko — received confirmation in…
read moreProposed cuts in the 2019 foreign assistance budget could jeopardize U.S. security and democracy-building efforts abroad, U.S. lawmakers warned the director for the U.S. Agency for International Development at a hearing Wednesday. “These proposed cuts would impact a number of U.S. priorities, including efforts to combat terrorists, combat poachers and human traffickers,” House Foreign Affairs…
read moreThe U.S. says it had constructive talks with its European partners last week on changes to the Iran nuclear agreement, but it is making contingency plans in case the talks fail and President Donald Trump decides to pull out of the landmark 2015 deal. Lead negotiator and State Department Policy Planning Director Brian Hook told…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump is expected at any time to fire a salvo directly at China in what could escalate into a full-scale trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Trade actions against China, partly in response to the theft and improper transfer of American technology to Chinese companies, are expected to be announced…
read moreU.S. congressional leaders appeared Wednesday to have reached a deal on a $1.3 trillion spending bill as a budget deadline loomed. The bipartisan bill, which would keep the government funded until the end of September, has President Donald Trump’s support, the White House said in a statement. “The president had a discussion with [House] Speaker…
read moreThe U.S. and the European Union are set to engage in a new round of talks to resolve trade disputes, including those over U.S.-proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. “We have agreed to launch immediately a process of discussion with President Trump and the Trump administration on trade issues of common concern, including steel…
read moreInclement weather prompted the cancellation of all White House events on Wednesday, including a Cabinet meeting. And as snow began to swirl, President Donald Trump, in the White House residence, took to Twitter to continue attacking the special counsel examining alleged links between Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russia, and whether the president obstructed justice…
read moreIs #MeToo part two on the way? With its bankruptcy, the Weinstein Co. has tossed out the nondisclosure agreements that officials say its co-founder and former CEO Harvey Weinstein wielded as a weapon in his sexual predation, bringing with it the possibility of a new wave of victims coming forward. Bankruptcy filings are normally shrouded…
read morePeter G. Peterson, a billionaire and business executive who became one of the most prominent voices to argue for entitlement reform and reducing the U.S. national debt, died of natural causes early Tuesday, his family said. He was 91. Born in the small town of Kearney, Nebraska, to Greek immigrants, Peterson was CEO of two…
read morePresident Donald Trump convened some of the nation’s top law enforcement officials Tuesday to rail against so-called sanctuary cities as he continues his crackdown on jurisdictions that flout federal immigration laws. He accused cities that fail to cooperate with immigration authorities of putting the nation at risk by releasing “thousands of criminal aliens” who should…
read moreEnvironmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt spent more than $120,000 in public funds last summer for a trip to Italy that included a meeting of G-7 ministers and a private tour of the Vatican. The known cost of Pruitt’s previously reported trip grew this week after the agency disclosed a heavily censored document showing…
read moreAmericans may become accustomed to the political turmoil swirling around President Donald Trump, but it remains an open question whether that turmoil will ultimately help or hurt Trump and his Republican allies, especially in an election year. Last week, it was Trump’s firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and an apparent Democratic victory in a…
read moreWith the 2018 primary season already underway, leaders of the Senate intelligence committee are launching an effort to protect U.S. elections from a repeat episode of foreign interference. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the panel, will preview some of the committee’s recommendations for improving…
read moreThe Weinstein Co. filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday with a buyout offer in hand from a private equity firm, the latest twist in its efforts to survive the sexual misconduct scandal that brought down co-founder Harvey Weinstein, shook Hollywood and triggered a movement that spread out to convulse other industries. The company also announced…
read moreThe Alabama House of Representatives will debate on Tuesday whether teachers can carry guns on campus. The latest push for school security proposed by Republican Rep. Will Ainsworth would allow designated teachers or school administrators approved by local law enforcement to carry firearms in school. Parents wouldn’t know which educators carry for security reasons. The…
read moreSome coastal states opposed to President Donald Trump’s plan to allow oil and gas drilling off most of the nation’s coastline are fighting back with proposed state laws designed to thwart the proposal. The drilling Trump proposes would take place in federal waters offshore in an area called the Outer Continental Shelf. But states…
read moreCuba has opened up its first wholesale market in an economy dominated by government-run enterprises. State-run newspaper Granma says the market is part of an ongoing effort to “reorganize” commerce on the communist island. The market will sell beans, beer, sugar, cigars and other basic staples for 20 to 30 percent less than the…
read moreThe Republican who heads the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, will face tough questions on North Korea and Iran if he is to be confirmed in the role. “There are going to be some tough issues he’s going to have…
read moreA New York City councilman and a tenants’ rights group said they will investigate allegations that the real estate company formerly controlled by Jared Kushner, a presidential adviser and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, falsified building permits. In allegations first uncovered by The Associated Press, the Kushner Companies is accused of submitting false statements between 2013…
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