Senate panel approves Mike Pompeo as secretary of State after Rand Paul flips to support

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved CIA Director Mike Pompeo as secretary of State on party lines Monday after a Republican holdout changed his mind at the last minute, avoiding an embarrassing defeat for President Donald Trump. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky had vowed to oppose Pompeo, but Paul tweeted shortly before the vote that after speaking repeatedly to the nominee and Trump he was convinced Pompeo now agreed with the president that "the Iraq war was a mistake and it is time to leave Afghanistan," two of the congressman's key concerns.

UPDATE 1-Southwest cancels more U.S. flights as it inspects engines

Emergency personnel monitor the damaged engine of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, which diverted to Philadelphia International Airport after the engine blew apart and shattered a window, killing one passenger, on a runway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 17, 2018. REUTERS/Mark Makela Flightaware.com, a website that tracks aviation cancellations, said Southwest canceled 129 flights on Monday, or 3 percent of its total flights, and delayed 468 other flights, or 11 percent.

Pompeo nomination clears panel, on to full Senate for vote

Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, avoided a rare rebuke Monday as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly recommended him, but the vote served as a warning shot to the White House as nominees to lead the CIA and Veterans Affairs are hitting stiff resistance. Pompeo, who's now CIA director, received the panel's approval only after Trump's last-minute overtures to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Republican Congresswoman Shares Her Own #MeToo Story From When She Was 17 Years Old

In the Wall Street Journal today, Representative Martha McSally spoke publicly for the first time about being sexually abused by her high school track coach when she was 17 years old. After her father died when she was in middle school, McSally focused on sports, running cross-country and track and throwing the javelin for her high school in Rhode Island.

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn should be kept off the 2018 ballot, Colorado Supreme Court rules

The congressional career of six-term Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs was thrown into jeopardy after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that he should be kept off the primary ballot in June. While the decision - that Lamborn's re-election campaign improperly gathered voters' signatures to land a spot on the ticket - is unlikely to mean his 5th Congressional District seat leaves GOP hands, it injects the very real prospect that a fresh face will take over after years of unsuccessful challenges to Lamborn's reign.

Pompeo on track for committee approval after Rand Paul flips vote

Sen. Rand Paul announced Monday that he will support the nomination of Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state, a last-minute reversal that now avoids a historic rebuke of the President's pick to be the country's top diplomat. The Kentucky Republican's decision will now allow Pompeo to be reported favorably out of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee.

Two Democratic senators line up behind Pompeo

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he's looking forward to voting to confirm President Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, later this week in the Senate. McConnell is making the upbeat assessment after two more Democratic senators announced support for Pompeo, now the CIA director, despite steep opposition expected Monday evening at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

2 more Democratic senators say they’ll vote for Pompeo

Secretary of state nominee Mike Pompeo now has the support of three Democratic senators, after two lawmakers said Monday they'd back the CIA director to be the nation's next top diplomat. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin tweeted that he will support Pompeo in his confirmation vote, increasing his chances of being confirmed by the chamber.

Trump says North Korea agreed to denuclearize. It hasn’t.

Trump is claiming that North Korea has agreed to "denuclearization" before his potential meeting with Kim, but that's not the case. President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed North Korea has agreed to "denuclearization" before his potential meeting with Kim Jong Un.

Everyone should hope for such a eulogy

Former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush greet mourners after a funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush at St. Martin's Episcopal Church on April 21 in Houston. No one who has followed the Bush family over the years was surprised that the funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush, who passed away last week, was gracious, joyful, bipartisan, straightforward and classy.

Pompeo facing rare opposition from Senate panel

President Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Pompeo, faces serious opposition including a rare rebuke expected before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as all Democrats, and at least one Republican, have said they will oppose him. Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo speaks during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his confirmation on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 12, 2018.

Panel Approves Pompeo for Secretary of State

President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a favorable recommendation, narrowly avoiding a rare rebuke as his confirmation heads to the full Senate. Democrats put up stiff resistance and voted against Pompeo, who is now the CIA director.

Pompeo nomination narrowly clears panel, goes to full Senate

Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, avoided a rare rebuke Monday as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly recommended him, but the vote served as a warning shot to the White House as nominees to lead the CIA and Veterans Affairs are hitting stiff resistance. Pompeo, who's now CIA director, received the panel's approval only after Trump's last-minute overtures to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Congress seeking to reclaim war oversight

Congress has a constitutional role in determining the use of U.S. military force, but there are two characteristic forms of error that go with it: Either lawmakers let the president do whatever he wants, without legal authorization, or they micromanage the commander in chief to the point that he cannot take necessary action, at least not openly.

Congressional Roll Call

Voting 414 for and three against, the House on April 18 passed a bill requiring a sweeping modernization of Internal Revenue Service information systems that would make it easier for taxpayers to communicate with the agency online and bolster cyber-defenses against large-scale hacking operations as well as smaller schemes targeting the identities and refunds of individual taxpayers. In addition, the bill puts the IRS on a path toward providing taxpayers with secure individualized portals on the agency website to be used for obtaining forms and data and filing returns.