EPA gets new powers to regulate toxic chemicals, but progress takes time

The Environmental Protection Agency, led by Gina McCarthy, will have more authority to order safety tests for chemicals and set deadlines for the agency to determine whether dangerous compounds should be restricted or forced off the market. The Environmental Protection Agency, led by Gina McCarthy, will have more authority to order safety tests for chemicals and set deadlines for the agency to determine whether dangerous compounds should be restricted or forced off the market.

Political scandals linger as Philly readies for convention

The streets are freshly swept, the hotel rooms are pristine, the party invitations have gone out and extra police patrols are assigned. Tougher to clean up and shine, however, is the state's political image, tarnished by recent political corruption cases that have implicated many Democrats across the state.

Senate Votes Down 4 Gun Control Measures After Fiery Debate

Four gun policy measures failed to pass the 60-vote threshold to move forward in the Senate on Monday, following impassioned debate from both sides of the aisle. The votes came just over a week after a deadly shooting spree in a gay nightclub in Orlando - the nation's worst mass shooting in modern history - and a subsequent 15-hour filibuster by Senate Democrats who demanded action on gun control.

4 Senate gun measures fail after Orlando shooting

The Senate voted down four gun control measures Monday evening, with Republicans and Democrats largely divided along party lines over how best to respond to the Orlando nightclub shooting more than one week ago. The last time a mass shooting spurred senators to action was in December 2015, after the San Bernardino, California, shooting, when they voted on two measures intended to prevent terrorists from being able to buy guns.

Democrats Take on Trade, Gun Control in Congressional Debate for 24th District

Democrats Colleen Deacon, Eric Kingson and Steve Williams found common ground on almost every issue, especially the need for Washington to focus on helping the middle class, and each candidate brought their own pesonal story to the conversation. "I actually had to quit my job a few days before my son was born and go on WIC and food stamps to keep us healthy," said Colleen Deacon, a former staffer in Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's office.

Senate rejects gun legislation, hands Democrats issue for fall

Gun measures failed in the U.S. Senate on Monday. less AR-15, semi-automatic, magazine-fed rifle: The AR-15 has become the preferred instruments of mass killing in the United States, notably at San Barnardino, California, last December, and Orlando, Florida, ... more The Republican-run U.S. Senate on Monday rejected a pair of gun violence proposals, refusing to bar sales of firearms to persons who have been on a terrorist watch list, or tightening criminal background checks.

The Latest: Lewandowski: “Nice conversation with Mr. Trump”

In this April 18, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski walks a rope line as the candidate signs autographs during a campaign stop at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Trump has forced out his hard-charging campaign manager, Lewandowski, in a dramatic shakeup designed to calm panicked Republican leaders and reverse one of the most tumultuous stretches of Trump's unconventional White House bid.

New leadership for Politicoa s influential Playbook

The website Politico appointed two reporters on Monday to replace Mike Allen at Playbook, which rapidly grew from a morning email to his bosses into a must-read newsletter for Washington power players and those who want to eavesdrop on their conversations. Politico's Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman will take over the newsletter on July 11, Politico said.

The Latest: Top GOP senator dismisses compromise on guns

A top Republican is rejecting a potential compromise on gun control negotiated by moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine FILE - In this June 16, 2016 file photo, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., left, accompanied by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats get their long-sought votes on gun control a week after the massacre in Orlando, Florida, but the prospects for any election-year changes in the nationA a a s laws are dim.

The Gun Control Proposal Congress Could Agree On

While the Senate is not expected to pass any of the four gun safety measures coming to the floor for votes Monday evening, lawmakers continue to work on a more narrow proposal that could receive enough bipartisan support to advance. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is working on a measure that would block people on the Transportation Security Administration's "no-fly" list from buying firearms.

Black lawmakers demand Bill O’Reilly apologize for wanting to ‘slap’ Jim Clyburn

The Congressional Black Caucus is demanding Fox News's Bill O'Reilly apologize to Rep. Jim Clyburn for saying he wanted to "slap" the Democrat for ignoring the role terrorism played in the Orlando massacre. Speaking Thursday on "Fox and Friends," Mr. O'Reilly criticized Mr. Clyburn for choosing to focus on gun control instead of the threat of radical Islam after a Muslim extremist gunned down 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando.

Gyrocopter man’s last hours of freedom

The Florida man who pleaded guilty to a felony after landing a gyrocopter on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol last year began serving his 120-day sentence in a Florida prison on Tuesday. He granted CNN exclusive interviews during his final hours of freedom.

Former refugees look to Election Day with a sense of duty

Hatoumata Tounkara, center, walks to a neighborhood park with her daughter Fatoumata Dembele, 11, left, husband Abdoulaye Dembele and their infant son Mohamed, in a stroller, in the Bronx near where they live on June 21, 2016, in New York. Tounkara, a Muslim who plans to vote in the upcoming November presidential election, has already decided which candidate she supports.

McKinley decries push for gun control in the wake of Orlando massacre

State First District Congressman David McKinley says the response to the Orlando shooting has focused too much on gun control and restricting the freedom of Americans rather than on stopping Islamic terrorism. The massacre left 49 dead and 53 wounded last Sunday when a man who pledged allegiance to ISIS opened fire in a gay nightclub.