The Latest: Manchin reluctant on background check bill

The American flag flies at half staff over the U.S. Capitol following the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas this week, in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. Civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., speaking, and House Democrats, including former Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona, fourth from left, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, call for action on gun safety legislation on the House steps Wednesday morning after the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas this week, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017.

Senate bill to clear obstacles to self-driving cars advances

Legislation that could help usher in a new era of self-driving cars advanced in Congress on Wednesday after the bill's sponsors agreed to compromises to address some concerns of safety advocates. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved the bill by a voice vote, a sign of broad, bipartisan support.

Pier 39 turns 39 today — its original review was scathing

Supervisor Dianne Feinstein wearing a Sutro Baths tank suit, prepares to cut the ribbon at the opening of Pier 39 development. Supervisor Dianne Feinstein wearing a Sutro Baths tank suit, prepares to cut the ribbon at the opening of Pier 39 development.

Little-known lawmaker spends heavily on Indiana Senate bid

In this March 24, 2015, photo, State Rep. Mike Braun, R-Jasper, right, shows Marvin and Vicky Eisenhut, of Haysville, Ind., and their grandson Cooper Uebelhor of Ferdinand, 12, his office at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. The little-known but independently wealthy Indiana state lawmaker is plunging roughly $800,000 into his GOP Senate primary bid.

Ed O’Keefe & David Nakamura:

Some House Democrats are raising the specter of withholding support for must-pass spending legislation later this year in response to President Donald Trump's hard line immigration proposals - meaning the fate of roughly 690,000 younger undocumented immigrants could become a major factor in negotiations to keep the government open after December. Democrats on Monday dismissed Trump's calls to construct a wall along the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border, crack down on "sanctuary cities" and seek ways to curb Central American migrants from illegally crossing into the country.

Donnelly Receives Award for Efforts to Address Opioid Epidemic

Tuesday, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly received the 'Legislator of the Year' award from the National Council for Behavioral Health for his efforts to address the opioid and substance use disorder epidemics in Indiana and across the country. The National Council for Behavioral Health specifically highlighted Donnelly's bipartisan Strengthening the Addiction treatment and Workforce Act , introduced in June with Senator Lisa Murkowski , which would provide incentives for providers to practice at substance use disorder treatment facilities in underserved areas.

Senators expected to largely endorse intel report on Russian…

U.S. Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., left, and Mark Warner, D-Va., enter a meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Sept. 7, 2017, in Washington, D.C. U.S. Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., left, and Mark Warner, D-Va., enter a meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Sept.

New York bill would ban anonymous political ads on Facebook

New York would require political ads on Facebook or other social media platforms to contain the names of the people or groups paying for them under legislation proposed Tuesday amid growing scrutiny of the influence such ads had on the 2016 presidential election. Democratic state Sen. Todd Kaminsky, of Long Island, said his proposal would discourage false or misleading ads while informing citizens about those trying to influence their votes.

Minnesota, North Dakota governors plan meeting on diversion

The governors of Minnesota and North Dakota have scheduled a meeting to discuss the future of a flood control project in the Fargo-Moorhead area. A federal judge last month stopped construction of the $2.2 billion Red River diversion project, over complaints that the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not obtain the necessary permits from Minnesota.

GOP Congressman Met in Moscow With Kremlin-Linked Lawyer at Center of Russia Investigation

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher met with the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya during a 2016 trip to Moscow, a previously undisclosed tAate-A -tAate that sheds additional light on the extent to which Moscow-based political operatives sought to influence American officials in the run-up to last year's presidential election. with a pro-Russian Crimean news service, Veselnitskaya said she met with Rohrabacher - a California Republican and arguably the most prominent advocate in Congress for closer relations between Washington and Moscow - in April 2016 to discuss issues surrounding the Magnitsky Act, the punitive American sanctions measure responding to Russian human rights abuses that she has lobbied against.

Trump: Puerto Rico put budget ‘out of whack’ but lives saved

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Confronting Puerto Rico's devastation nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria, President Donald Trump highlighted the island's relatively low death toll compared with "a real catastrophe like Katrina" as he opened a tour of the island Tuesday by focusing on the best of the reviews he and his administration are getting for the ... (more)

The Banality of Information Warfare

Russian operatives set up an array of misleading Web sites and social media pages to identify American voters susceptible to propaganda, then used a powerful Facebook tool to repeatedly send them messages designed to influence their political behavior, say people familiar with the investigation into foreign meddling in the U.S. election. The tactic resembles what American businesses and political campaigns have been doing in recent years to deliver messages to potentially interested people online.