US House of Representatives approves funding for Artsakh de-mining

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia September 8, 2017 Friday US House of Representatives approves funding for Artsakh de-mining YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. House of Representatives adopted September 7 an amendment by Rep. David Valadao backing continued Congressional appropriations for the HALO Trust's life-saving de-mining across the interior farmlands and villages of the Artsakh Republic, the Armenian National Committee of America told ARMENPRESS.

US Congress approves Trump’s $15 bln deal on aid, debt ceiling

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill late o Sept. 8 extending the government debt limit for three months and providing about $15 billion in hurricane-related aid, bringing his surprising deal with Democratic congressional leaders this week to completion.

Trump sets emergency aid in motion in deal that upsets GOPAssociated Press

President Donald Trump ignored seething Republicans and made good on his deal with Democrats, signing legislation that links $15.3 billion in disaster aid to an increase in the U.S. borrowing limit. The law is a first installment in replenishing depleted federal emergency coffers.

Irmaa s eye nears Lower Keys in coming hours

A recharged Category 4 Hurricane Irma, possibly the worst storm to hit the Lower Keys in more than a half century, is expected to make landfall in the coming hours after daybreak. At the National Weather Service in Key West, winds early Sunday had already begun to pick up, with some hurricane gusts and sustained winds between 45 and 60 mph, night shift meteorologist Adam Futterman said.

David Von Drehle: Steve Jobs gave us our president

As Congress returned from summer recess to a plate heaped with work - President Donald Trump added a gooey serving of immigration reform Tuesday on top of the debt ceiling, the budget, hurricane relief and tax reform - another of America's key institutions is marking 10 years that shook the world.

Byron York: Where is Trump popular? And what does that mean for 2018?

President Trump's job approval rating in the RealClearPolitics average of polls is 39.9 percent. That's actually up a bit from Trump's low of 37.4 percent, reached on August 14. The RCP average, made up of results from the most recent surveys, is a national measure.

FEMA chief: a Millionsa could be without power from Irma

As Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida's southern coast, the nation's emergency management chief is warning that 'millions' of residents could be without power, in some instances for weeks. "We could see millions of people without power in Florida for multiple days in some areas, maybe weeks, and so I think it's very important to set the expectations of citizens," Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long told CNN's Rene Marsh at his agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., Saturday.

Toxic sites in likely path of Irma

Dozens of personnel from the Environmental Protection Agency worked to secure some of the nation's most contaminated toxic waste sites as Hurricane Irma bore down on Florida. The agency said its employees evacuated personnel, secured equipment and safeguarded hazardous materials in anticipation of storm surges and heavy rains.

As Irma churned toward their state, two Florida Republicans voted against hurricane relief bill

As Irma churned toward the Florida coast, two Republican lawmakers from the state voted against a $15 billion hurricane relief bill, saying that although they want aid to storm victims, they have concerns about other provisions of the measure. The relief package, which sailed through the Senate and the House and was signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, boosts funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Georgia, South Carolina under hurricane watch as Irma nears

State troopers turned Interstate 16 into a one-way escape route for a few hours Saturday as evacuees packed cars and fled the Georgia coast ahead of Hurricane Irma, which forecasters said could cause widespread damage in the state from storm surge near Savannah to toppled trees and power lines far inland in Atlanta.

Brawner: What kind of country?

The next six months are going to tell us a lot about what kind of country this is, and whether the United States Congress is still capable of fulfilling its constitutional duties. That's because Congress now has a deadline, and unlike past deadlines, it's not one that can just be postponed through a continuing resolution or legislative trick.

Insurance commissioners say help offered by Congress is not enough to save market

A key Senate committee Wednesday launched a set of hearings intended to lead to a short-term, bipartisan bill to shore up the troubled individual health insurance market, but a diverse group of state insurance commissioners united around some solutions that were not necessarily on the table. Sen. Lamar Alexander , the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said at the outset of the hearing he hoped to reach consensus on "a small, bipartisan, stabilization bill" by the end of next week.

Miami begins to feel first effects from Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma's strong winds and outer rain bands lashed the Florida Keys on Saturday as the Category 3 storm pushed toward the state amid dire warnings of devastating gales, heavy rain and a potentially deadly storm surge. With sustained winds at 125 mph, Irma slowly began turning from Cuba's northern coast up into the Florida Strait on Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.