Things to know from Texas’ Tuesday primaries

The 2018 midterm election cycle kicked off with a surge in voter enthusiasm for both parties in Texas, although the gains were bigger for Democrats. It boosted a slew of women candidate and helped Republicans who had drawn direct support from President Donald Trump.

Madam Speaker: A famous first joins the national collection

Today we welcomed a new first into our collection, with objects donated by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who in 2007 became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Gavel Nancy Pelosi received and used at the 2007 ceremony in which she was sworn in as the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Latest: Governor says don’t take Texas ‘for granted’

Abbott easily clinched his party's nomination Tuesday and has a campaign war chest worth around $43 million, more than any gubernatorial candidate nationwide. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is striking a cautious tone despite sailing to victory against little-known challengers in Texas' first-in-the-nation primary.

Cruz releases country jingle deriding O’Rourke

The ad says O'Rourke "wants to take our guns" and calls him "liberal Robert," referring to his given first name, and says he "changed his name to Beto." U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's newest ad targeting his Democratic challenger is a country jingle that warns, "If you're going to run in Texas, you can't be liberal, man."

In Pa. union territory, an electoral test of labor’s pull

In this March 6, 2018, photo, Conor Lamb, the Democratic candidate for the March 13 special election in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, greets supporters during a rally at the Carpenter's Training Center in Collier, Pa. less In this March 6, 2018, photo, Conor Lamb, the Democratic candidate for the March 13 special election in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, greets supporters during a rally at the Carpenter's Training ... more In this March 5, 2018, photo, Republican Rick Saccone, right, talks with supporters at a campaign rally in Waynesburg, Pa.

The Latest: Polls closing in Texas for 2018’s first primary

In this Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, photo, campaign T-shirts are stacked on a table at a Republican congressional candidate forum, in New Braunfels, Texas. Texas holds the nation's first 2018 primary elections Tuesday, March 6, 2018, and the campaign is providing a vivid exhibition of the Trump effect in GOP politics.

Washington is latest in handful of states to ban bump stocks

Lydia Ringer, 16, a junior at Roosevelt High School in Seattle, holds a sign that reads "NRA - Not Right for America," Tuesday, March 6, 2018, as she attends a rally against gun violence at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. The rally was held on the same day Gov. Inslee was scheduled to sign a bill banning the sale and possession of gun bump stocks in the state of Washington.

Dem split intensifies as Senate relief bill moves forward

On the eve of a crucial Senate vote on regulatory relief, the split in the Democratic caucus over rolling back the Dodd-Frank Act has never been starker. Lawmakers on Tuesday voted 67 to 32 to begin debating the targeted relief bill that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, negotiated with moderate Democrats on the panel.

Man on ‘jihad’ admits killing 4 in cross-country binge

File - In this Jan. 20, 2016, file photo, Ali Muhammad Brown, of Seattle, is escorted into court in Newark, N.J. The prosecutor's office in Essex County, N.J., said Tuesday, March 6, 2018, that Brown... A man who prosecutors said wanted to avenge U.S. policy in the Middle East admits killing 4 in cross-country binge. . From left, kindergarten teacher Terra Triggs, first grade teacher Andrea Mason, kindergarten teacher Lisa Taylor, reading specialist Shelly Sexton, Brynn Triggs, Nikki Sexton relax and talk as they wait fo... West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says a tentative agreement has been reached to end a nine-day statewide teachers' strike by giving them the 5 percent raises he negotiated to end their walkout.

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill says drug giant is “stonewalling” her opioid investigation

The world's largest generic drug maker, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, has refused to fully cooperate with a Senate investigation into whether major opioid manufacturers contributed to the deadly drug epidemic, according to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who is leading the Senate probe. Teva has answered some of McCaskill's questions, providing the Senate committee with general information about its efforts to track and report suspicious orders for its opioid prescriptions, according to a series of letters between McCaskill and the company.

Sen. Robert Menendez Thanks AIPAC For Backing Him During Corruption Trial

Sen. Robert Menendez received a hero's welcome at AIPAC, where the New Jersey Democrat thanked the lobby for its support during his corruption trial. Menendez, who returned recently to the top Democratic spot on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his trial ended in a mistrial, was among the few speakers to the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference to receive a standing ovation just for walking on the stage.

Washington Becomes 1st State to Approve Net-neutrality Rules

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, center, speaks before signing a bill Monday, March 5, 2018, in Olympia, Wash., that makes Washington the first state to set up its own net-neutrality requirements in response to the Federal Communications Commission's recent repeal of Obama-era rules. The FCC voted in December to gut U.S. rules that meant to prevent broadband companies such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from exercising more control over what people watch and see on the internet.