Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander, Johnny Isakson just endorsed Grassley’s immigration amendment

Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Johnny Isakson of Georgia quietly endorsed Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley's, R-Iowa, White House-aligned immigration amendment late Wednesday. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., one of the co-sponsors of the Grassley amendment, announced on PBS Newshour that his Georgia colleague and another conservative lawmaker would vote in support of a proposal that is in line with President Trump's list of immigration policy agenda items in return for giving a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and 1 million other illegal immigrants.

House panel weighs contempt if Bannon fails to show for Thursday hearing

The House Intelligence Committee has scheduled a Thursday meeting to hear testimony from Steve Bannon -- but it's an open question whether President Donald Trump's former chief strategist will even show up. The White House sent a letter to Capitol Hill late Wednesday laying out its explanation for why Trump's transition period falls under its authority to assert executive privilege, a move intended to shield Bannon from answering questions about that time period, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Trump at last denounces abuse; Kelly’s future in doubt NEW

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., meets with reporters following a GOP strategy session at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. Ryan confirmed that Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the House Oversight Committee, updated him that the watchdog panel has decided to launch a probe related to the background investigation and security clearance for White House aide Rob Porter who has resigned due to domestic abuse allegations against him.

House narrowly passes bill that could lead to prescription drugs…

Tribune file photo) Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo , in the House Chamber of the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Feb. 9, 2018. The Utah House narrowly approved a bill that could lead to prescription drugs flowing into the state from Canada under a program the bill's sponsor hopes would help lower the cost of drugs.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on December 15, 2017.

"I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that fails to fulfill these four pillars - that includes opposing any short-term 'Band-Aid' approach," Trump said in a statement. The president was referring to the four pillars contained in the White House's immigration framework: a "lasting solution" for young immigrants living illegally in the US, building a border wall, scrapping the diversity visa lottery and reforming family-based immigration.

Lawmaker wants fellow Republican’s deposition in divorce

In an interview Tuesday evening, Rep. Darrell Issa confirmed he received a letter from Rep. Mike Turner last week seeking a deposition in Turner's divorce from Majida Mourad. "He's looking to do discovery for something I don't know or understand, and I think a little bit of it's been blown out of proportion," Issa, R-California, said.

Democrats could turn to this obscure method in a last-ditch…

Rep. Adam Schiff has been stonewalled by President Donald Trump on the release of the Democratic Russia memo that aims to refute the controversial memo released earlier this month by GOP Rep. Devin Nunes. If Trump does not agree to declassify the memo, Schiff could potentially use a House of Representatives override vote to release the memo despite Trump's objections.

Romney’s Senate bid to mark latest campaign over 2 decades

In this Jan. 19, 2018,, file photo, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney waves after speaking about the tech sector during an industry conference, in Salt Lake City. Romney plans to announce Utah Senate campaign Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018.

Democrats say Florida statehouse race a bellwether for US

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A Democratic win in a Florida statehouse district that's firmly Republican is being called a bellwether for national politics, a referendum of sorts on President Donald Trump and his conservative agenda.

House panel opens investigation of ex-Trump aide Rob Porter

White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, right, talked with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, left, as they waited for the arrival of President Donald Trump and began a moment of silence to remember the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Oct. 2. WASHINGTON>> Lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to know how former presidential aide Rob Porter was allowed to work at the White House under an interim security clearance - despite allegations of spousal abuse. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent letters to the FBI and White House today as his panel opened an investigation into the matter.

GOP women frustrated by Trumpa s approach to abuse charges

The Trump White House's handling of abuse charges against men in its midst is frustrating prominent Republican women as the party's yearslong struggle to attract female voters stretches into the 2018 midterm elections. "It's the mixed signals.

3 commentary Jennifer Rubin: We’re defenseless against Russian…

President Donald Trump, unwilling to acknowledge the degree of Russian meddling in the 2016 election , has brushed aside numerous admonitions from Congress, outside experts and even his own advisers to harden our defenses against future interference. On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats was the latest to testify to Russia's threat to our democracy and our unpreparedness.

House panel investigation over former Trump aide Rob Porter

FBI Director Christopher Wray is providing new details that call into question the White House timeline leading up to the departure of former staff secretary Rob Porter. President Donald Trump is looking for advice from a range of lawmakers as he considers whether to issue trade sanctions on aluminum and steel imports.

Tennessee senators honor Memphis sanitation workers

Two Republican U.S. Senators from Tennessee have introduced a resolution honoring the 50th anniversary of the sanitation workers strike that brought civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker were joined by Democrats Ben Cardin of Maryland and Doug Jones of Alabama when they introduced the resolution on Tuesday in the Senate.

GOP steers deficit talk to focus on tax cut

The White House budget director went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to sell President Donald Trump's budget, but the administration's allies in the Senate preferred to talk about last year's tax cut rather than the trillion-dollar deficits contained in the new spending plan. The president's budget for the first time acknowledges that the Republican tax overhaul would add billions to the deficit and not "pay for itself" with economic growth and higher revenue.

Snag starts alien parley in Senate

A Senate debate over immigration got off to a halting start Tuesday, with Republican and Democratic leaders immediately at loggerheads over how to move forward and President Donald Trump warning this was the "last chance" to extend protections to "Dreamer" aliens. Trump issued the warning in a morning tweet as the Senate opened what was billed as an unusual and open-ended debate on a host of immigration issues.