Joe Biden on grief, ambition and what might have been
Joe Biden didn't run for president in 2016 in the wake of his son's death. Earlier, he weighed not running for an entirely different reason.
Category Archives: Democrat
Inspectors general in demand during Trump era
From Democrats on Capitol Hill to good-government groups, critics of President Donald Trump and his administration have turned to the federal government's 70-plus inspectors general seeking answers. The requests for IG investigations vary as widely as the headlines: The government's handling of Trump's Washington hotel.
Democrat gets out of the way as Roy Moore scandal churns
Alabama Democrat and Senate candidate Doug Jones speaks to the media, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, in Birmingham, Ala. Jones is running against former judge Roy Moore.
AP Explains: What happened when Russia bought Uranium One
In this April 6, 2017, photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the Women in the World Summit at Lincoln Center in New York. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is leaving open the possibility that a special counsel could be appointed to look into Clinton Foundation dealings and an Obama-era uranium deal, the Justice Department said Monday, Nov. 13. less In this April 6, 2017, photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the Women in the World Summit at Lincoln Center in New York.
Obama health mandate now target of GOP in big tax bill
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives to speak to reporters following a closed-door strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017.
Amid calls to step down, Moore finds refuge with base
Taking the pulpit at a Baptist revival at a south Alabama church, Republican Roy Moore quoted lengthy Bible passages and made only passing reference to the allegations against him of sexual misconduct with teenagers. The former judge found a brief refuge from the political firestorm and the calls from national Republicans in elected office for him to drop out of the Alabama Senate race.
Senate GOP intent on scrapping health mandate in tax bill
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., joined with from left, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks to reporters following a closed-door strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017.
Nuke launch order can be refused, nervous US senators told
A retired Air Force general told the Senate on Tuesday that an order from President Donald Trump or any of his successors to launch nuclear weapons can be refused by the top officer at US Strategic Command if that order is determined to be illegal. During testimony before the Foreign Relations Committee, retired General Robert Kehler said the US armed forces are obliged to follow legal orders, not illegal ones.
Democratic cloakroom in Washington named after Gabby Giffords, Leo Ryan
Democratic lawmakers who want to chat off the House floor will soon do so in a room named for two former members of Congress who were targeted by violence. The "Gabrielle Giffords-Leo J. Ryan Cloakroom" is named for former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, and former Rep. Leo J. Ryan, who was killed in 1978 during the Jonestown massacre.
Republicans send Trump a message: Hands off N.J.’s big military base
WASHINGTON -- Funding for KC-46A refueling tankers at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst would speed up and President Donald Trump would be barred from beginning a new round of base closings under legislation setting defense policy for the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2018.
Senators from 2 states want to change opioid grant funding
U.S. senators from New Hampshire and West Virginia have introduced a bill to prioritize federal funding for states that have been hardest hit by the opioid epidemic. It would require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to take into account mortality rates and lack of access to treatment and services when allocating grants to states, rather than making determinations based on population size.
State Rep. from Rye latest to enter race to replace Carol Shea-Porter NEW
State Rep. Mindi Messmer of Rye on Tuesday became the sixth Democrat to officially launch a campaign for New Hampshire's First Congressional District. "I bring a proven track record of being able to get legislation passed in the State House that's helped citizens of New Hampshire," Messmer told the Monitor in an interview conducted hours before she formally kicked off her congressional bid at an event in Portsmouth.
Trump Jr.’s WikiLeaks exchange adds intrigue to Russia probe
President Donald Trump's oldest son released a series of private Twitter exchanges between himself and WikiLeaks during and after the 2016 election, including pleas from the website to publicize its leaks. Donald Trump Jr.'s release of the messages on Twitter came hours after The Atlantic first reported them Monday.
DeWine urging Congress to restore DEA’s power to fight opioid epidemic
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine joined 43 other state attorneys general to ask Congress to repeal a law they argue has damaged the Drug Enforcement Agency's ability to crack down on drug manufacturers and distributors that have contributed to the nation's sweeping opioid epidemic. In a letter Tuesday to House and Senate leadership, the attorneys general argue that a bill passed by voice vote in 2016 made it more difficult for the DEA to take action against drug companies that were flooding communities with prescription painkillers.
PHOTO: Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., walks up the House steps for votes in the Capitol, Nov. 3, 2017.
Two female members of Congress said today that victims of sexual harassment on Capitol Hill have had their private parts grabbed on the House floor and have been exposed to Congress members' genitals. The comments came during the House Administration Committee's first hearing to review sexual misconduct policy in the House of Representatives.
Documents: Puerto Rico utility ignored advice on repair deal
Puerto Rico's bankrupt electric utility ignored advice from its own lawyers before signing an expanded contract worth $300 million with a tiny Montana company to repair its damaged power grid, newly released documents show. The law firm, Greenberg Traurig, recommended that the state-run power authority be allowed to terminate the deal within 10 days for any breach by the company, Whitefish Energy Holdings.
Training is ‘ first step’ in stopping sexual harassment in the House, lawmakers say
Rep. Barbara Comstock , seen here in 2016, was among the members of Congress speaking out about a culture of harassment on Capitol Hill at a hearing Nov. 14. First came the flood of social-media posts from former and current congressional employees who were sexually harassed on the job. Then came more than 1,500 names of former congressional staffers urging Congress to fix the problem.
Congressional GOP upbeat about prospects for tax overhaul
Congressional Republicans on Tuesday projected confidence about delivering on an overhaul of the nation's tax code with President Donald Trump planning an in-person appeal to lawmakers ahead of a crucial House vote this week. House GOP leaders rallied support with the rank-and-file at a closed-door meeting.
Democrats have leverage in one part of the GOP tax cut process
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Nov. 7 said he expects the GOP tax plan "in the end to be revenue neutral for the government, if not a revenue gainer." As Republicans work to pass the largest overhaul of the U.S. tax code since 1986 by the end of this calendar year, they're not banking on any support from Senate Democrats.
Sessions facing Congress amid new Russia probe details
In this Nov. 6, 2017, file photo, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to members of the Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition in Indianapolis. Sessions returns to Capitol Hill amid growing evidence of contacts between Russians and associates of President Donald Trump, bracing for an onslaught of lawmaker questions about how much he knew of that outreach during last year's White House campaign.