U.S. Congress
An incredibly telling thing Trump said at today’s Paris event wasn’t about climate at all
He simply has no idea what he’s talking about on any subject.<p>Perhaps the most telling thing President Trump said in his rambling justification of his decision to pull out of the Paris accords on climate change wasn’t about climate change at all. It was, rather, about the speedy advance of his …
U.S. House of RepresentativesFirst on CNN: Senators asked Comey to investigate AG Jeff Sessions for possible perjury
<b>Washington (CNN) —</b> A pair of Democratic senators asked then-FBI Director James Comey to investigate Attorney General Jeff Sessions, amid concerns that he may have had an additional meeting with the Russian ambassador the US, Sergey Kislyak, according to letters obtained by CNN Thursday.<p>Sens. …
Congressional CommitteesThe GOP’s “Hillary slayer” will soon be in charge of investigating Trump in the House
Rep. Trey Gowdy rose to congressional stardom when he put Hillary Clinton in the hot seat for 11 hours during the House Benghazi investigation.<p>Now it’s time to ask: What happens when you put the GOP’s “Hillary slayer” in charge of an investigation into Donald Trump’s ties to the Russia scandal? …
Congressional CommitteesTrump budget chief under fire over attack on Congressional budget analysts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House's budget chief came under fire on Thursday from Democrats and others over his attack on the budget research office of the U.S. Congress, escalating tensions between Republicans and professional staffers on Capitol Hill.<p>Office of Management and Budget Director …
PoliticsTrump announces U.S. will exit Paris climate deal, sparking criticism at home and abroad
President Trump announced Thursday afternoon that he is withdrawing the United States from the landmark Paris climate agreement, an extraordinary move that dismayed America’s allies and set back the global effort to address the warming planet.<p>Trump’s decision set off alarms worldwide, drawing swift …
ClimateTwo congressmen offer a bipartisan plan to 'drain the swamp'
Congress should seek common ground across party lines to end gridlock and corruption.<p>You’d be hard-pressed to find two congressmen more dissimilar than us. We come from different parties, and we represent very different districts. One of us taught economics in the technology hub of Silicon Valley; …
GovernmentThe Un-Recusal of Devin Nunes
The California Republican supposedly stepped aside from the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia investigation. But on Wednesday, he used his power as chairman to issue subpoenas related to the inquiry.<p>It was less than two months ago that Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House …
GovernmentCan Trey Gowdy and Elijah Cummings crack the Trump-Russia scandal?
The Benghazi investigators are set for rematch.<p>The last time Trey Gowdy and Elijah Cummings oversaw a politically explosive investigation, the two congressmen ripped into each other on national TV, as a grimacing Hillary Clinton looked on.<p>With Washington in the grip of a new scandal over President …
PoliticsSamantha Bee: Trump Isn't The Reason That GOP Candidate Body-Slammed A Reporter
While President Trump was away on his first foreign trip, the state of Montana held a special election. And by now, you probably know about the Republican candidate vying for the state's only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives who allegedly <i>body-slammed a reporter.</i><p>No, this is not a joke. GOP …
U.S. House of RepresentativesTrump claims tax bill that doesn't yet exist is 'moving along' in Congress
President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that tax legislation is advancing through Congress — even though no such bill yet exists.<p>“Our tax bill is moving along in Congress, and I believe it’s doing very well,” Trump said Thursday afternoon in a Rose Garden speech announcing that the U.S. will pull …
PoliticsIs the big story ‘unmasking’ or Trump-Russia connections? Congress can’t decide.
To hear President Trump tell it, Congress's primary focus in its Russia investigation should be to find out who in the intelligence community is leaking classified information about Russia to the press.<p>To hear Democrats tell it, that's a fake out. Congress's primary focus in its Russia …
News (U.S.)Comey's Senate hearing confirmed for next week
The Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed this morning that fired FBI Director James Comey will testify in an open hearing on Thursday, June 8 at …
PoliticsTrump’s Budget Director Declares War on Math
White House budget director Mick Mulvaney is furious with the Congressional Budget Office. Inconveniently for Mulvaney, but quite intuitively, the …
Mick MulvaneyLouisiana Senate committee rejects easier voter recalls
A proposed state law that would have lowered the number of signatures required to recall an elected official was rejected by a Senate committee …
Senate CommitteesWasserman Schultz Admits Hill IT Security Violations, Blames House Administrators for Not Stopping Her
Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose office equipment U.S. Capitol Police seized in a criminal investigation into congressional …
Congressional CommitteesThe Senate has a long history of bashing Ted Cruz, one of its own
Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) hasn't always been the most popular member of the Senate.<p>His brash style and the way he comported himself in his early days in the Senate earned him public rebukes not just from his Democratic opponents, but also from some of his Republican colleagues.<p>“If you killed Ted Cruz on …
RepublicansHouse Democrats blast Trump's leaked contraception rule
<b>HOUSE DEMS BLAST LEAKED CONTRACEPTION RULE —</b> The rule, which Vox obtained on Wednesday, would allow virtually any company to seek an exemption to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate on religious or moral grounds.<p>That didn't sit well with Democrats, who say that the ACA mandate has …
Congressional CommitteesThese schools are a nationwide answer to the skills crisis and high unemployment
<i>By Stanley S. Litow, President Emeritus of the IBM Foundation, P-TECH Co-Founder</i><p>We’ve heard some of these numbers before. But they are compelling. The US economy will create 16 million new middle-skill jobs by 2024 — positions requiring postsecondary degrees, though not necessarily a four-year …
EducationAll the ways the Trump administration is making tax reform harder than it needs to be
As Senate and House Republicans try to agree on a framework for tax reform, the Trump administration is making the entire process harder, not easier, for everyone involved. It is changing huge, structural parts of the plan on a whim — and sending conflicting signals on critical budget issues.<p>The …
EconomicsGOP Senators Weigh Taxing Employer-Health Plans
Senate Republicans set on reworking the Affordable Care Act are considering taxing employer-sponsored health insurance plans, a move that would meet stiff resistance from companies and potentially raise taxes on millions of people who get coverage on the job.<p>The move could raise billions in revenue …
ObamaCareGun-owners fear regulation from unlikely place: Hearing aids
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A proposal designed to make hearing aids more affordable has generated resistance from an unlikely quarter: a gun rights group.<p>Gun Owners of America is organizing opposition against the bill, because it believes the measure would change the way certain hunting products are …
GunsPutin praises Trump as 'straightforward' and 'frank' person
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised President Trump Thursday, calling him a “straightforward” and “frank” person.<p>“He can’t be put in the same …
Congressional CommitteesHow Republicans Can Fight the Good Fight
Jonathan Bernstein's morning links.<p>In an interview with the Washington Examiner's Philip Klein, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, took some shots at the Congressional Budget Office and its ability to inject some neutral expertise into the legislative process, …
C-BoThe IRS Will Present its Digital Currency Strategy to Congress Next Week
The US Congress wants answers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about its investigation into bitcoin tax avoidance – and they’re due by next …
CryptocurrencyTrump Is Right: Let's End Subsidized Student Loans
President Trump’s proposed budget was underwhelming when it came to reforming the federal role in higher education. But in one area it was right on the mark: its proposal to eliminate subsidized student loans. While sold as a progressive policy, subsidized loans are anything but.<p>The federal …
StudentsTrump's budget director takes aim at inconvenient, independent data
Over the weekend, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) noted via Twitter some of the Congressional Budget Office’s findings about the Republican health care …
U.S. PoliticsOutrage of the Month: House Passage of Trumpcare
On May 4, in what would more appropriately be called the Outrage of the Decade, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives — spurred on by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price — passed the morally bankrupt legislation …
U.S. House of RepresentativesThe Trump administration keeps trying to create an alternate reality — and failing
Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign proved that if you lie with sufficient frequency and shamelessness, the truth will be no hindrance to becoming president of the United States. But believe it or not, the truth may be making a comeback. The administration is doing all it can to construct alternate …
Donald TrumpDevin Nunes: No credible evidence of Russia-Trump collusion
VISALIA, Calif. — House Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said Wednesday he still believes there isn’t sufficient evidence to link Russia to Donald Trump’s election win.<p>“As of right now we have no credible evidence that there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian …
Devin NunesNavigating Trump's America: Why new developments in the Russia story hurt Trump's agenda
No matter how much covfefe Trump throws around Washington, the investigations into his campaign's ties with Russia keep growing.<p>Next up, <b>Michael</b> …
Congressional Committees