The Nuclear Option: Senate confirms Trump pick to Supreme Court

The Senate confirmed Neil Gorsuch to become the newest associate justice on the Supreme Court Friday, elevating Donald Trump's nominee following a corrosive partisan confrontation that could have lasting impacts for the Senate and the court. Vice President Mike Pence was presiding as the Senate voted 54-45 in favor of Gorsuch, a 49-year-old veteran of the 10th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Denver whose conservative rulings make him an intellectual heir to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, whose seat he will fill.

Graham links Trump, Reagan on Syria strikes

Lindsey Graham Graham links Trump, Reagan on Syria strikes The Hill's 12:30 Report McCain, Graham applaud Syrian airstrikes MORE says President Trump's missile strikes against Syria reveal positive traits the commander-in-chief shares with former President Ronald Reagan. "All I can say about this president is he has the instincts of Ronald Reagan in many ways," Graham told reporters Friday , according to The Washington Examiner.

Boom: Watch Dozens of Missiles Fired Into Syria [High-Definition Video]

As we all know, 59 Tomahawk land attack missiles were sent in with a lesson to strike a Syrian air-field that is allegedly the origin point of a chemical weapons strike in the northern part of the country of Syria, as reported by military officials. Destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross were the home of these missiles and launched the strike from the Eastern Mediterranean.

Letter: When Trey Gowdy goes silent

Not since Simon & Garfunkel has there been such a deafening "sound of silence" as U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy and his Republican colleagues in responding to Russia's assault on American freedom and democracy. Gowdy's only interest, if any, seems to be government leaks, when most folks with half a brain know that Washington, D.C., leaks as badly as Pa Kettle's roof in a rainstorm.

After 11 months without a buyer, Topeka’s St. Francis Health Center could close

Members of Topeka's medical community say St. Francis Health Center's Denver owners could close the hospital after failing to secure a deal with potential buyers. SCL Health, which has reported financial losses in recent years, placed St. Francis on the market 11 months ago, leaving 1,600 employees increasingly anxious about its future.

Senate shoots down flat tax proposal with nearly unanimous – no’ vote

During Senate debate Thursday on a bill to turn Kansas into a flat-tax state, Sen. Tom Holland, D- Baldwin City, said said the flat tax would be nothing more than a policy win for Brownback, with no solutions for Kansas' budget. Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker speaking during debate on a bill to turn Kansas into a flat-tax state, described the proposal as the "closest thing I've seen to a fair tax code in the state of Kansas."

Flat tax proposal unpopular with think tanks, interest groups

Think tanks and interest groups across the political spectrum denounced a flat tax bill that failed in the Senate on Thursday and had been endorsed by Gov. Sam Brownback and Senate leaders. TOPEKA - Think tanks and interest groups across the political spectrum denounced a flat tax bill that failed in the Senate on Thursday and had been endorsed by Gov. Sam Brownback and Senate leaders.

In U.S. talks, Morneau draws link between anxiety that elected Trudeau, Trump

In his search for common ground with the new U.S. administration, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau has been drawing parallels between the underlying forces that elected Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump. Morneau, whose most recent U.S. visit took him to New York and Indiana this week, said he's been telling American political leaders that the same middle-class angst that fuelled Trump's victory also helped propel the Trudeau government to power.

Read Lindsey Graham’s Speech on the Court, Filibuster, and Future of the Senate

The Senate is unique among American political bodies in that its very rules and traditions have often been the basis for consequential oratory. Such was the case on Thursday, when South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham delivered a 3,000-word speech on the nuclear option and its devastating effect on the Senate.

Lawmakers alarmed by scale of IRS security threats

Lawmakers are sounding the alarm over the vulnerability of sensitive taxpayer data as the Internal Revenue Service's deadline for the 2017 tax filing season looms. Cyber criminals have increasingly turned to hacking and phishing email schemes to obtain sensitive taxpayer information, which can be used to commit tax fraud or identity theft.

Gorsuch heads for confirmation as Senate tears up own rules

President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, is headed for confirmation after Republicans tore up the Senate's voting rules to allow him to ascend to the high court over furious Democratic objections. Democrats denounced the GOP's use of what both sides dubbed the "nuclear option" to put Gorsuch on the court, calling it an epic power grab that would further corrode politics in Congress, the courts and the United States.

Lawmakers try to keep town halls from getting out of control

It was one of the most exclusive tickets in town: Only 800 were made available, and those lucky enough to score one had to show photo ID at the gate, where they were issued a wristband and a number. No signs bigger than a sheet of notebook paper were allowed, so as not to obscure anyone's view.

Trump aides differ over Assada s future after Syria attack

Top aides to President Donald Trump demurred on Sunday over where U.S. policy on Syria was headed after last week's retaliatory missile strike, leaving open questions about whether removing Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad from power was now one of Trump's goals. After the United States launched cruise missile strikes on a Syrian air base alleged to have launched a deadly poison gas attack on Syrian civilians, Trump administration officials said they were prepared to take further actions if necessary.

Meadows says Obamacare repeal is alive, Trump will deliver

House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows on Sunday shrugged off taunts from President Trump, saying that health care reform was still alive and that congressional Republicans would aim to pass legislation for Trump to sign. Friday's failure on healthcare legislation, the North Carolina Republican said, does not mean that the effort to replace Obamacare is dead.