High stakes for Trump in vote on healthcare plan

U.S. President Donald Trump may face his first major legislative hurdle on Thursday: a do-or-die vote in the House of Representatives on a plan that would roll back the signature healthcare law of former President Barack Obama. Trump has been billed by some lawmakers as "the closer" to seal the deal on the replacement healthcare plan in a vote Republican leaders hoped to hold on Thursday, but there were signs late on Wednesday night that the deadline could be pushed back.

Trump Talks Changes to Health Bill to Win Over Conservatives

The White House is talking with House conservatives about last-minute changes to the embattled GOP health-care bill aimed at wooing enough holdouts to secure House passage. Lawmakers and Trump administration officials are discussing revisions to "essential benefits" requirements in Obamacare, according to members of Congress and a White House official familiar with the discussions.

Samuel Hedgepeth, who suffers from substance abuse

The House Republican plan may get rid of required health benefits for hospital care, cancer screening and more. But won't people still get sick, seek treatment they can't afford" Then who pays? How the GOP health bill could affect health benefits, including addiction The House Republican plan may get rid of required health benefits for hospital care, cancer screening and more.

Analysis: Trump the dealmaker struggles to seal the deal

President Donald Trump, the author of the best-selling book, "The Art of the Deal," is about to see his deal-making abilities ratified in a legislative showdown on the House floor - or dramatically rebuffed. Trump, in a message relayed by White House officials, demanded that House Republican leaders vote Friday on a GOP-backed health care bill embraced by the president, placing the legislation on the brink of failure and jeopardizing his vow to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's health care law.

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 28, 2017.

He set off a mild firestorm early in the morning in a CNN interview when he conceded his party needed to do a better job selling its replacement to President Obama's 2010 health care overhaul and promised Americans they would be able to keep their current insurance plan and doctors. But those remarks were largely forgotten just hours later amid the continuing chaos surrounding the run-up toward a Thursday vote in the U.S. House.

Donald Trump vows he’s ‘somewhat’ vindicated by latest spy agency…

In the United States, Donald Trump says he's been 'somewhat' vindicated after a senior Republican intelligence committee chairman came forward to claim he'd seen evidence the President and his team had come under surveillance by spy agencies. But those claims still fall a long way short of President Trump's original accusation that he was 'wiretapped' by his predecessor in the oval office, Barack Obama.

Representative Paul Cook Honored by Military Order of the Purple…

Each year, the Military Order of the Purple Heart is honored to pay special recognition to a National leader who best demonstrates inspirational leadership and distinguished service to our nation's veterans. On March 22, 2017, National Commander Hershel Gober presented this year's Special Leadership Award to California Congressman Paul Cook , a distinguished Member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Koch brothers donor network offers financial help for healthcare bill’s GOP defectors

A network of libertarian and conservative donors established by Charles and David Koch is offering a financial safety net to Republican lawmakers who choose to defy their party's leadership and vote against the GOP bill to replace Obamacare. Two groups, Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity, are offering a "seven-figure" fund to support dissenting Republicans in their 2018 re-election races, according to multiple reports Wednesday evening.

Repealing Obamacare could cost a poor family benefits worth a third of its income

From right, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., joined by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, after meeting with President Donald Trump who came to Capitol Hill to rally support among GOP lawmakers for the Republican health care overhaul. From right, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., joined by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, after meeting with President Donald Trump who came to Capitol Hill to rally support among GOP lawmakers for the Republican health care overhaul.

Kayleigh McEnany smacked down after claiming other CNN panelists are…

A CNN Panel on Wednesday smacked down Kayleigh McEnany as she tried to claim her fellow panelists don't care about the Fourth Amendment. The panel was discussing House Intel Committee Chairman Devin Nunes' decision to go directly to the White House and make a public statement with new information indicating Donald Trump's associates may have been "incidentally" surveilled.

‘This is a bizarre situation’: John McCain says Congress no…

Sen. John McCain told MSNBC on Wednesday that Congress does not have the "credibility" to conduct an independent investigation into what connections, if any, President Donald Trump's campaign had to Russian officials during the election. McCain's comments came after House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes made the highly unusual decision on Wednesday to bypass his vice-chair, Rep. Adam Schiff, and brief Trump directly on a report he said he had been given that Trump's transition team had been legally surveilled after the election.

The House Intelligence chief just tossed a huge wrench into…

Rep. Devin Nunes on Wednesday threw a huge wrench into the middle of the investigations surrounding President Donald Trump, his claims of being wiretapped by his predecessor, and Russia's meddling in the election. And he now finds himself in a central role after making Republicans and Democrats alike scratch their heads over what appeared to be an unprecedented move.

Republicans wants your boss to know your DNA

The Obamacare repeal blueprint that President Donald Trump and House Republican leaders are trying to slam through the House this week is horrible enough, ripping away insurance from millions and giving a huge tax break to the wealthy . But if some Republicans get their way, a bill that would threaten our DNA privacy could be part of the follow-up legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act.

The Latest: Democrat criticizes GOP head of intel panel

The top Democrat on the House intelligence committee is accusing the Republican leader of the committee of creating "profound doubt" about the committee's ability to conduct an independent investigation about Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff is responding after Republican Rep. Devin Nunes said Trump transition officials' communications may have been scooped up in legal surveillance and then improperly distributed.

The Obamacare replacement bill meets its final hurdle in House Rules Committee

From left, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee, House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Budget Committee Chair Diane Black, R-Tenn., gather in the House Rules Committee to shape the final version of the Republican health care bill before it goes to the floor for debate and a vote, Wednesday, March 22, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Trump wound up in surveillance intercepts: A plot twist in Washington spy drama

Donald Trump's personal communications were picked up by U.S. intelligence operations that were monitoring foreign espionage targets, a top Republican said Wednesday in a major twist in the real-life spy drama unfolding in Washington. Devin Nunes, the senior congressional watchdog on U.S. intelligence agencies, made that announcement to the news media, then went straight to the White House to brief the president on what he'd found.

Leaders need votes for health bill on eve of House showdown

After eight hours of debate, House Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, left, and Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the vice-chair, listen to arguments from committee chairs as the panel meets to shape the final version of the Republican health care bill before it goes to the floor for debate and a vote, Wednesday, March 22, 2017, on Capitol ... (more)

Democrats attack Nunes for publicizing Trump intel report

Democrats on Wednesday were angry with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., for telling the press that Obama administration intelligence officials appear to have "unmasked" several Trump transition officials who were swept up in routine surveillance. Nunes told reporters Wednesday that the new information he has "bothers" him, because it seems to show that officials revealed the identities of U.S. citizens caught up in routine surveillance of foreigners when they should have remained masked.