Heller Filed for Re-Election to U.S. Senate

Nevada Republican Dean Heller has filed to run for re-election to the U.S. Senate, formally setting the stage for one of the country's highest profile Senate races in the midterm elections. Heller is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans running for re-election in the Senate this year.

Gun background check system riddled with flaws Source: AP

Recent mass shootings have spurred Congress to try to improve the nation's gun background check system that has failed on numerous occasions to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people. The problem with the legislation, experts say, is that it only works if federal agencies, the military, states, courts and local law enforcement do a better job of sharing information with the background check system - and they have a poor track record in doing so.

Ap Fact Check: Trump on trade, guns, White House morale

Despite grappling with unparalleled staff departures, President Donald Trump painted a rosy picture of a smoothly functioning administration getting things done, pushing along gun restrictions and bringing jobs to the United States. It made for another series of grandiose claims this past week.

Renewable fuels on the line

It's his first week on the job. -Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Don Heck, director of the Iowa Central Biofuels Testing Laboratory, talks about their services during a meeting with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and a group of producers concerned about changes to the renewable fuels standards in the Iowa Central Community College Board Room.

Congress must take back its authority on trade

President Trump's threats of a trade war, and his recent signing of tariffs on steel and aluminum, can and should be constrained by Congress reasserting its constitutional authority over trade policy. Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution grants Congress the authority to regulate trade with foreign nations.

Blackburn, Bredesen have concerns about Trump’s tariffs

In Tennessee's U.S. Senate race, Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and ex-Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen are concerned about President Donald Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. On Thursday, Bredesen compared broad tariffs to taking a big ax to a problem that needs a scalpel.

Congressional district map awaits court ruling

Pennsylvania congressional district map awaits court ruling A three-judge federal panel will decide whether the state's newly drawn districts will remain. Check out this story on publicopiniononline.com: Eight Republican congressmen from Pennsylvania want a federal court to step in and prevent the use of a court-ordered district map in this year's elections.

Lawmakers opposed to Trump’s tariffs look to courts to step in

In this Aug. 1, 2016 file photo, laborers work in the steel market in Yichang in central China's Hubei province. China says it "firmly opposes" U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff increase for imported steel and aluminum but gave no indication whether Beijing might impose its own measures in response.

Bangert: Rokita’s fear of the Mourdock moment

Todd Rokita says he'll stand up to the elite, so why is he afraid of debates he considers not conservative enough? 4th District has heard this before Bangert: Todd Rokita's fear of the Mourdock moment Todd Rokita says he'll stand up to the elite, so why is he afraid of debates he considers not conservative enough? 4th District has heard this before Check out this story on jconline.com: http://on.jconline.com/2Gc6B5h Todd Rokita says he'll stand up to the elite, so why is he afraid of debates he considers not conservative enough? The 4th District has heard this one before Senatorial candidate Todd Rokita responds to a question during the Indiana Republican Senate Primary Debate between Rokita and fellow Senate candidates Luke Messer and Mike Braun at Emmis Communications in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018.

Rokita skipping televised Indiana GOP Senate debate

U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita has decided to skip a televised debate planned for next month with the two other candidates seeking the Republican U.S. Senate nomination. The nonprofit Indiana Debate Commission announced Friday that U.S. Rep. Luke Messer and former state Rep. Mike Braun had agreed to the April 30 debate that will be made available to TV stations throughout the state.

Senate Ag Committee Chair Roberts Issues Statement On Tariffs

SENATE AG COMMITTEE CHAIR ROBERTS ISSUES STATEMENT ON TARIFFS Mar. 9, 2018 Source: office of Senator Pat Roberts U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts , a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, today released the following statement on President Trump's announcement of a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum: "This proposal is not a tariff on steel and aluminum imports; it is a tax on consumers," said Roberts. "As we have seen in past cases of increased tariffs, higher manufacturing costs will inevitably be passed down the supply chain, forcing consumers to bear these costs.

Indiana governor seeks $5 million to boost school security

Indiana's governor has asked legislators to approve a $5 million boost for a state grant program aimed at helping improve school security. Gov. Eric Holcomb's office released a letter Friday seeking the money for the Indiana Secured Safety Grant Program, which was started in 2013 after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut.

Trump risks trade war to keeping political promise on tariffs

As he blitzed through the industrial Midwest as a presidential candidate, Donald Trump pitched himself as the savior of the "forgotten" men and women in communities where factories had been shuttered and jobs were moved overseas. Now, Trump is risking a trade war to fulfill a political promise to the voters who helped put him in the White House.

Herea s what kind of weapons Marco Rubio thinks should be OK for 18-year-olds to buy

Three and a half weeks ago, Marco Rubio walked into an arena of 7,000 grieving Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students, parents, teachers and alumni with a message: Young adults should not be able to buy rifles. "I absolutely believe that in this country if you are 18 years of age, you should not be able to buy a rifle and I will support a law that takes that right away," the Florida Republican said at the town hall event in response to a question from Fred Guttenberg, a Parkland father whose 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the shooting.

Justice Pat DeWine seeks dismissal of ethics charge

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Patrick DeWine is seeking the dismissal of a judicial ethics charge alleging his improperly used the influence of his office in asking a county prosecutor to hire his son for a summer job. DeWine is not required to respond to another charge - that he has improperly failed to recuse himself from hearing cases involving the office of his father, Attorney General Mike DeWine - until his motion to dismiss receives a ruling from a three-judge panel.

White House ignores congressional inquiry on security clearance procedures

The White House is ignoring a bipartisan congressional inquiry regarding documents about the Rob Porter scandal, prompting the House Oversight Committee's top Democrat to request that the White House be subpoenaed over the matter. The committee's investigation into White House security clearances began after Porter, a former staff secretary, resigned amid domestic abuse allegations, which he denies.