As Jeff Sessions Imposes Crackdown on Marijuana Laws, Lawmakers Threaten Obstruction

As marijuana grows into a multimillion dollar industry, Attorney General Jeff Sessions aims to impose harsher federal regulations. AP News reports that Sessions plans to rescind an Obama-era policy that allows states to gradually legalize marijuana for recreational use, giving federal prosecutors free reign in targeting buyers and sellers.

Top FBI, Justice officials meet with Ryan over dossier on Trump, Russia58 minutes ago

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., walks up a flight of stairs as he arrives at his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018. WASHINGTON – Top federal law enforcement officials huddled Wednesday afternoon with House Speaker Paul Ryan to discuss a request from congressional investigators for documents related to a dossier alleging connections between President Donald Trump and Russia, according to people familiar with the meeting.

Trump, Congress face a long to-do list in 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress have set their sights on an infrastructure initiative and welfare reform as two of their top legislative priorities for 2018. Lawmakers also have must-pass budget bills and other unfinished business they need to tackle after the holiday break.

Contributing Op-Ed Writer: Two Ways of Looking at Gerrymandering

Even though Doug Jones won a famous statewide victory in last month's Alabama Senate race, he actually lost - less famously - to Roy Moore in six of the state's seven congressional districts. That's right: He carried only the heavily black Seventh Congressional District, into which the Alabama Legislature has jammed almost a third of the state's African-American population while making sure that the rest of the districts remain safely white and Republican.

Nevada pot industry holding breath after U.S. shift on marijuana

Chris Thompson holds up a sign during a news conference at the Apothecary Shoppe marijuana dispensary on West Flamingo Road Thursday, Jan. 04, 2018. A memo today that said federal authorities would be rescinding a Department of Justice document that protected states' rights to establish legal marijuana operations was met with dismay and concern by leaders of Nevada's pot industry, who feared the removal of the 2013 Cole Memorandum would wipe out millions of dollars in local investments and state tax revenue.

Storm slaps coastal South with most snow in nearly 3 decades

A brutal winter storm smacked the coastal Southeast with a rare blast of snow and ice Wednesday, hitting parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina with their heaviest snowfall in nearly three decades. Forecasters warned that the same system could soon strengthen into a "bomb cyclone" as it rolls up the East Coast, bringing hurricane-force winds, coastal flooding and up to a foot of snow.

Graham: Donald Trump hits Bannon with ‘Fire and Fury’

It's not even the first Friday of the new year - the Trump presidency itself isn't even one year old yet - and already American politics is off the rails. Donald Trump's political BFF, Steve Bannon is quoted calling a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

High-stakes federal budget talks begin as deadline approaches

A showdown in Washington over government spending kicked off Wednesday with a high-level gathering between congressional leaders and the White House that previewed the broader fight likely to consume Washington for much of January. The meeting between the four highest-ranking members of Congress and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney marked the initial round in an effort by Democrats and Republicans to make sure their top priorities are funded.

Trump dissolves election fraud panel after states balk at data requests

President Donald Trump on Wednesday shut down a presidential commission charged with looking into allegations of electoral fraud during the 2016 election, after many states refused to provide it with data, the White House said. "Rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, today I signed an executive order to dissolve the Commission, and have asked the Department of Homeland Security to review these issues and determine next courses of action," Trump said in a statement.

Democrat Doug Jones sworn in

After a contentious political season rife with issues ranging from sexual misconduct allegations and bitter partisan sparring, Democrats Doug Jones was sworn in Wednesday as the next senator from Alabama. Notably, there were three vice presidents on Capitol Hill at the same time Jones bucked tradition in choosing former Vice President Joe Biden to escort him for the occasion.

Lawmakers misbehaving? Let us see their names

Americans are being deluged with information about men accused of sexual harassment or assault. Since shocking revelations emerged about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in October, the Los Angeles Times notes, "a powerful person has been accused of misconduct at a rate of nearly once every 20 hours" - including such big names as Dustin Hoffman, Charlie Rose, Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer and Garrison Keillor.

Hatch’s retirement lets him leave at the height of his power

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said Tuesday he will not seek re-election after serving more than 40 years in the Senate, opening the door for former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to run for his seat. SALT LAKE CITY - Orrin Hatch's decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading President Donald Trump to downsize two national monuments.

Hatch’s retirement lets him leave at the height of his power Source: AP

Orrin Hatch's decision to retire from the Senate after four decades lets the Utah Republican walk away at the height of his power after helping to push through an overhaul of the tax code and persuading President Donald Trump to downsize two national monuments. Retirement also preserves the 83-year-old's legacy by allowing him to avoid a bruising re-election battle that would have broken his promise not to seek an eighth term.

‘Like a hurricane’: Coastal streets deserted in winter storm

Temperatures plummeted overnight to 2 degrees in the north Georgia mountains, 14 in Atlanta and 26 as far south as New Orleans as the... . Steam rises above the waters of the Mississippi River underneath the Eads Bridge as the temperature hovers around -1 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018, in St. Louis.

2 Democrats sworn in as senators, narrow GOP majority

The Republican majority in the Senate narrowed to 51-49 on Wednesday as two new Democratic senators were sworn into office, complicating GOP efforts to advance the party's legislative agenda before the 2018 midterm elections. Jones is the first Alabama Democrat elected to the Senate in a quarter century.

The Latest: Woman, 96, dies after being overcome by weather

Zach Beekley, left, Adalyn Walcott, center, Vance Walcott, right, and Gannon Walcott, top right, play on the ice on Stoyer's Dam at Bubeck Park in Schuylkill Haven, Pa., Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018. Ice forms on the Schoolfield Dam in Danville, Va., Wednesday morning, Jan. 3, 2018, as temperatures stayed well below freezing.

The Latest: Former VPs at swearing-in of 2 Senate Democrats

In this Dec. 4, 2017, file photo, then-Democratic senatorial candidate Doug Jones speaks at a news conference in Dolomite, Ala. Jones, the first Alabama Democrat elected to the Senate in a quarter century, is one of two new members who will take the oath of office on the Senate floor at noon on Jan. 3, 2018.