Democrats edgy amid an outcry over town halls

Senator Charles Schumer answers questions from members of the media at Hudson Valley Community College on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, in Troy, N.Y. Senator Charles Schumer answers questions from members of the media at Hudson Valley Community College on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, in Troy, N.Y. FILE – In this Jan. 19, 2017 file photo, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Secret money is fueling pro-Betsy DeVos ad campaigns

But that’s not stopping several conservative organizations from launching ad blitzes promoting Trump’s Cabinet picks – most notably Betsy DeVos, Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, who critics have panned as a wealthy partisan hack with no practical experience in public education. Two conservative nonprofit groups in particular, the Club for Growth and America Next , are pushing back hard, producing broadcast television ads supporting confirmation of DeVos, a GOP megadonor and staunch advocate for charter schools and school vouchers.

Federal study on Dakota Access pipeline to move forward

A federal judge said Wednesday he won’t keep the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from launching a full environmental study of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline’s disputed crossing under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg denied Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners’ request to stop the Corps from proceeding until he rules on whether the company already has the necessary permission to lay pipe under Lake Oahe, the water source for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

U.S. Banks Gear Up to Fight Dodd-Frank Act’s Volcker Rule

Big U.S. banks are set on getting Congress this year to loosen or eliminate the Volcker rule against using depositors’ funds for speculative bets on the bank’s own account, a test case of whether Wall Street can flex its muscle in Washington again. In interviews over the past several weeks, half a dozen industry lobbyists said they began meeting with legislative staff after the U.S. election in November to discuss matters including a rollback of Volcker, part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform that Congress enacted after the financial crisis and bank bailouts.

Big banks are gearing up to fight the Volcker rule

Big U.S. banks are set on getting Congress this year to loosen or eliminate the Volcker rule against using depositors’ funds for speculative bets on the bank’s own account, a test case of whether Wall Street can flex its muscle in Washington again. In interviews over the past several weeks, half a dozen industry lobbyists said they began meeting with legislative staff after the U.S. election in November to discuss matters including a rollback of Volcker, part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform that Congress enacted after the financial crisis and bank bailouts.