Collins: Trump should back effort to resume health subsidy

A key moderate Republican is urging President Donald Trump to support a bipartisan Senate effort to reinstate insurer payments, calling his move to halt the subsidies an immediate threat to millions of Americans who could now face rising premiums and lost health care coverage. "What the president is doing is affecting people's access and the cost of health care right now," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who has cast pivotal votes on health care in the narrowly divided Senate.

FILE – In this Aug. 14, 2015, file photo, a U.S. flag flies at the…

AP obtains a recording of what some U.S. embassy workers heard in Havana as they were attacked by what investigators initially believed was a sonic weapon. The recording of a high-pitched noise is one of many taken in Cuba since attacks started.

The Latest: Fla. senator blocks nominee over disaster aid

President Donald Trump strongly rejected the claim Wednesday that was he was disrespectful to the grieving family of a slain Army sergeant. President Donald Trump strongly rejected the claim Wednesday that was he was disrespectful to the grieving family of a slain Army sergeant.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., speaks to reporters as he heads to…

A bipartisan proposal to calm churning health insurance markets gained momentum Thursday when enough lawmakers rallied behind it to give it potentially unstoppable Senate support. But its fate remained unclear as some Republicans sought changes that could threaten Democratic backing.

McCain: Niger attack information ‘may require a subpoena’

Sen. John McCain said Thursday that he might seek a subpoena to gain the information he wants about the attack in Niger that left four US soldiers dead and two wounded. "It may require a subpoena," McCain told CNN's Suzanne Malveaux on Capitol Hill when asked what steps he would be willing to take to receive the information he's demanding on the attack.

Cruz, Sanders debate tax reform in CNN town hall

As the Senate gets ready to make a major move on tax reform, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont faced off in a CNN town hall debate Wednesday night to discuss efforts to overhaul the tax code. CNN's Jake Tapper, anchor and chief Washington correspondent, and CNN's Dana Bash, chief political correspondent, moderated the debate, which was in Washington.

The Latest: Trump thinks GOP has votes for budget

A multistate manhunt that kept the Mid-Atlantic region on alert for more than 10 hours ended when officers on foot chased down a man they say shot six people, killing three, in two separate shootings. Missouri officials are proposing an innovation corridor between Kansas City and St. Louis for a new Amazon location instead of a single headquarters in one of the metropolitan areas.

Trump meets with Puerto Rico Governor, praises recovery work post-Maria

Repeatedly praising the work of the military and federal emergency officials, President Donald Trump used a Thursday meeting at the White House with the Governor of Puerto Rico to proclaim the disaster relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Maria to be a success, pushing back against critics who say much still needs to be done to restore power and other basic services. "I would give a 10," the President said, ticking off a list of efforts made by FEMA and the military in Puerto Rico, as he sat with the Governor of the island in the Oval Office.

Vietnam Veteran receives Long Overdue Bronze Star

October 19 - An honor long overdue was awarded to one Vietnam Veteran Thursday morning at the Illinois National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility at the Decatur Airport. From August 1971, to March 1972, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Kenneth Carlock served as an artillery forward observer, which from the very front lines, advised his commander on artillery fire support.

Senate seeks to interview FBI informantin Russian nuclear bribery case

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday sought permission to interview an FBI informant who helped agents uncover a major corruption scheme by Russian nuclear officials seeking to aggressively expand their American business under the Obama administration. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, , sent a letter Wednesday night to Toensing seeking to interview her client, saying he was troubled that the Obama administration in 2010 approved the Uranium One deal giving Moscow control over 20 percent of AmericaA s uranium supply when the FBI knew of corruption inside the Russian nuclear industry.

Republican senator takes being a Trump apologist to new heights

In a bizarre defense of President Donald Trump's lack of grasp of public policy, Sen. Bill Cassidy suggested on Thursday that it does not matter if the president of the United States has any understanding at all of major legislation. His reasoning: a biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that he is reading currently noted that the 32nd president did not have a deep understanding of fiat money.

Senate Republicans cruise toward passage of budget plan

Senate Republicans are on track to pass a $4 trillion budget plan that shelves GOP deficit concerns in favor of the party's drive to cut taxes. The nonbinding budget plan, slated for a vote late Thursday, would set the stage for tax legislation later this year that could pass through the Senate without fear of a filibuster by Democrats - and add $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years.