Ultra-wealthy win in Senate tax bill, other face hikes

The ultra-wealthy, especially those with dynastic businesses - like President Donald Trump and his family - do very well under a major Republican tax bill moving in the Senate, as they do under legislation passed this week by the House. Want to toast the anticipated tax win with champagne or a beer - or maybe you're feeling Shakespearean and prefer to quaff mead from a pewter mug? That would cheer producers of beer, wine, liquor - and mead, the ancient beverage fermented from honey.

White House requests $44 billion in additional disaster relief

The White House asked Congress on Friday for $44 billion in additional relief from this year's devastating hurricanes but urged lawmakers to make spending cuts to offset disaster costs that are now approaching $100 billion. The White House request for more disaster relief after the hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Maria, set up a possible confrontation over whether Congress must find spending cuts to pay for relief even as President Donald Trump pushes for as much as $1.5 trillion in tax cuts over a decade.

Fox News host on Roy Moore: ‘I’d kick his head in if it was one of my daughters’

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade said the alleged behavior by Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore was "obscene" and he'd take dramatic action if a 30-year-old man attempted to date one of his daughters. "I would kick his head in if it was one of my daughters, and then I would call the cops," Kilmeade said on Friday's "Brian Kilmeade Show" on Fox News Radio.

Three California Republicans vote against House tax plan

WASHINGTON >> Three California Republican members of Congress broke ranks on Thursday to vote against the Republican tax reform bill that passed the House of Representatives. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, and Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, all voted against the bill, which passed 227-205.

The White House Is Refusing to Comply With Congressional Inquiries Into Travel Spending

Reps. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Elijah Cummings, D-Md., requested the information and said the administration's reason for noncompliance was unacceptable. The White House is refusing to comply with a bipartisan congressional records request into its spending on travel and the use of government aircraft by political appointees, according to a committee making the request.

Agency: Improper Wait List Used for Vets’ Mental Health Care

The exterior of the Veterans Affairs Department hospital is shown in east Denver, Oct. 4, 2017. A watchdog arm of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said Thursday that the agency's Denver-area hospital violated policy by keeping improper wait lists to track veterans' mental health care.

Wholesome Mike Pence is good for the Trump administration

Vice President Pence speaks in Floresville, Tex., before attending the Republican Governors Association meetings in Austin. With abundant displays of general dysfunction and specific allegations of sexual assault and harassment becoming pervasive in Washington, it is worth remembering that there are good examples of decency and leadership that we can point to.

Grassley alters Senate policy for 2 judicial nominees

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said Thursday he's going ahead with confirmation hearings for two appellate court nominees, Davis Straus of Minnesota and Kyle Duncan of Louisiana, even though they have not received the support of both of their home-state senators. In each case, a senator declined to return a so-called blue slip marking their support for the judicial nominee from their state.

The Finance 202: ‘Biggest tax cut in American history’ isn’t popular with many Americans

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Addressing a black-tie crowd at the National Building Museum on Thursday night, Vice President Pence hailed congressional progress toward what he said would be the " biggest tax cut in American history ." As he spoke, less than a mile away the Senate Finance Committee was racing to wrap up work on a tax bill that will hand large cuts to the wealthiest while raising taxes on those earning between $10,000 and $75,000 over the next decade.

Sylvester Stallone accused of sexually assaulting a teen in the 80s

A police report obtained by The Daily Mail shows that Sylvester Stallone was accused of forcing a 16-year-old girl into a sex act with him and his bodyguard at a Las Vegas hotel in 1986. Stallone has denied the allegations, saying "it never happened."

Congress sends Trump $700B military spending bill

By RICHARD LARDNER Associated Press WASHINGTON - Congress on Thursday sent President Donald Trump a sweeping defense policy bill authorizing a $700 billion budget for the military, including billions of dollars more for missile defense programs to counter the growing nuclear weapons threat from North Korea.

Gillibrand: Bill Clinton should’ve resigned over sex affair

In this Oct. 26, 2006 file photo, former President Bill Clinton holds up the hand of Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democratic lawyer who is running against three-term Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., at a rally in Albany, N.Y. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said, in an interview in The New York Times, that former President Clinton should have resigned over his sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky 20 years ago.

Dems, GOP compromise on gun background check bill

NOVEMBER 14: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , , and Sen. John Cornyn , walk up to speak to reporters about the proposed Senate Republican tax bill, after attending the Senate GOP policy luncheon, at US Capitol on November 14, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Congress debates oil drilling in largest US wildlife refuge

Sometime next April, pregnant cows in the Porcupine Caribou Herd in Canada will take the lead in an annual migration of nearly 200,000 animals north to Alaska. From winter grounds in Canada's Yukon Territory, the caribou traveling in small and large groups will cross rivers and gaps in the mighty Brooks Range on the 400-mile journey.

Cambodia Faces Threat of Trade Sanctions

A supporter of the now dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party wears a poster of party leader Kem Sokha as she stands outside the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Oct. 31, 2017. Cambodia's government faced international criticism Friday after the main opposition party was dissolved ahead of elections and the European Union raised a potential threat to vital trade preferences.

Bipartisan group in Senate aims to strengthen background check system for guns

In the wake of the recent mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill Thursday meant to strengthen the existing background check system for firearms. The Fix NICS Act, which refers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, would set up incentives and penalties for state and federal agencies to boost their compliance with existing requirements that they report criminal history records to the system, helping ensure it stays up to date.

White House plans to seek another $45 billion in U.S. hurricane aid

The White House plans to ask the U.S. Congress on Friday for about $45 billion in additional aid for disaster relief to cover damage from hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida and other disaster damage, a congressional aide said on late Thursday. FILE PHOTO: An aerial photo shows damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas, U.S., August 31, 2017.