Judges hear dispute over Louisiana charity hospital closure

More than two years after central Louisiana's state-owned charity hospital was closed, a legal dispute remains unsettled about whether state senators violated the law in agreeing to shutter the facility. The lawsuit accuses the Senate of flouting the open meetings law in its handling of legislation authorizing then-Gov. Bobby Jindal to close the LSU-run hospital in Pineville, Huey P. Long Medical Center.

Republicans cite donor pressure to deliver on tax bill

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., left, joined by Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., questions House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, about tax relief provisions for disaster victims as the panel begin the mar... . Volumes of tax regulations are stacked on the dais as the House Ways and Means Committee begins the markup process of the GOP's far-reaching tax overhaul, the first major revamp of the tax system in three decades, on Cap... .

A bump stock device is shown on a semi-automatic rifle at a gun store in Salt Lake City.

One of America's leading and most controversial gun-accessory makers says it will resume sales Tuesday of a device known as a "bump stock." Bump stocks dramatically accelerate the rate-of-fire of semi-automatic rifles, allowing them to shoot almost as fast as fully-automatic machine guns, which are far more tightly regulated and expensive in the U.S. Slide Fire, a company based in Moran, Texas, suspended sales of its bump stock line of products in early October.

Lawyer For Rand Paul’s Neighbor Says ‘Trivial’ Dispute Led To Assault

Days after Sen. Rand Paul suffered five broken ribs, the lawyer for the man who's been charged with assaulting Paul says politics are not involved - and that it was a case of "a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial." The new details shed light on an attack on Paul in which he was reportedly tackled from behind while he was mowing the yard at his home in Bowling Green, Ky., Friday afternoon.

CLAIM: Trump Campaign May Have Coordinated with Volunteer’s Moscow Adventure

For starters, he said he was going to plead his Fifth Amendment rights in the ongoing probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, but then, he just kept talking! Specifically, Page is dishing on a July 2016 trip to Moscow, that was originally billed as a "personal" trip. Now, however, it's a trip he sought permission for, then later briefed top Trump campaign officials on.

Bannona s forces may not like him, but Mitch McConnell is here to stay

Conservative activists eagerly hope the November 2018 election delivers a strong rebuke to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whom they blame for stymieing President Donald Trump's agenda. When a new Senate convenes in January 2019, the Kentucky Republican will almost certainly remain in charge of Senate Republicans.

Jeff Flake To Trevor Noah: Donald Trump Veering Toward “Tin-Horn Dictator”

Donald Trump rose from reality TV show host to POTUS by out culture-warring the GOP , Republican Sen. Jeff Flake told Trevor Noah on The Daily Show. The party's drift in that direction began years ago, the Arizona senator said, explaining, "We could not be the party of fiscal conservatism when we were ballooning our debt.

Democrat and ex-CIA: Trump needs to focus on Making America Feel Good Again or he’s out in 2020

Democrat and ex-CIA: Trump needs to focus on Making America Feel Good Again or he's out in 2020 A year ago, some 63 million Americans elected Donald Trump to serve as the nation's 45th president. Few anticipated his improbable success when he launched his campaign.

Violent attack on Rand Paul by Democrat voter attributed to yard dispute

Sen. Rand Paul speaks during a news conference in Washington, Oct. 12, 2017. The violent altercation last week that left Paul nursing bruised lungs and broken ribs began with "a very regrettable dispute" between neighbors over a "trivial" matter, a lawyer for the man accused of assaulting the senator said on Nov. 6. WASHINGTON - The violent altercation last week that left Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., nursing bruised lungs and broken ribs began over a landscaping dispute between the senator and his longtime next-door neighbor, according to neighbors and three Kentucky Republicans familiar with what transpired.

Trump in Asia: No, South Korea is not just ‘over there’

I grew up listening to stories of the aftermath. Whenever I would complain about my relatively comfortable life growing up in New York City, my parents, born shortly after the end of the Korean War, would reflect on their struggles with abject poverty, deep financial loss, postwar trauma and missed educational opportunities.

This man gets mistaken for Steve Bannon – and they even move in the same circles

Keith Heard, a DC lobbyist and president of Key Impact Strategies, is often mistaken for Steve Bannon. Keith Heard, former chief of staff for Sen. Thad Cochran, is a lobbyist and president of Key Impact Strategies.

Will the GOP tax plan help or hurt more?

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, joined by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., right, holds a proposed "postcard tax filing form" as they unveil the GOP's far-reaching tax overhaul, the first major revamp of the tax system in three decades, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017. Some representatives from high-tax states, including California, were threatening not to vote for the bill because it would eliminate the deduction for state and local income taxes.

Sharp elbows in Congress as GOP starts committee work on tax reform plan

Lawmakers from both parties repeatedly sparred with each other on Monday in the first full day of work before a key U.S. House committee on a GOP tax reform package, as Republicans made some small changes to the bill, trying to smooth over any internal party divisions on the tax details, which still might cause trouble for the Republican plan in both the full House and Senate. "Not only do we deliver tax relief for every American family, especially those who feel like they've been left behind," said Rep. Carlos Curbelo , as GOP lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee delivered a strong message in favor of the Republican tax reform bill.

Republican Plan Would Raise Taxes on Millions

Nearly half of all middle-class families would pay more in taxes in 2026 than they would under current rules if the proposed House tax bill became law, and about one-third would pay more in 2018, according to a New York Times analysis, a striking finding for a bill promoted as a middle-class tax cut. President Trump and congressional Republicans have pitched the plan unveiled last week as a tax cut for most Americans.

Attorney: Sen. Paul attack was over ‘trivial’ dispute

An assault of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul by a longtime next-door neighbor was not motivated by political differences but by a dispute "most people would find trivial," an attorney for the man charged in the attack said Monday. Attorney Matt Baker did not say what the dispute was about, preserving the mystery around an attack that stunned the Bowling Green community and left Paul, 54, with five broken ribs.

Lawmakers bicker over whether tax bill helps middle class

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, begins the markup process of the GOP's far-reaching tax overhaul as members propose amendments and changes to shape the first major revamp of the tax system in three decades, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, begins the markup process of the GOP's far-reaching tax overhaul as members propose amendments and changes to shape the first major revamp of the tax system in three decades, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017.

Must-do bills in a divided Congress could lead to shutdown

Members of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee work to shape the GOP's far-reaching tax overhaul, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. Members of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee work to shape the GOP's far-reaching tax overhaul, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017.