The Latest: Senators ask attorney general, FBI for briefing

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee are asking the attorney general and FBI director for a briefing on the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California sent a letter late Wednesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey requesting a briefing the week of Feb. 27. Congress is out of session next week for the Presidents' Day holiday.

Senators want Russia-related materials preserved

The Senate Intelligence Committee is asking more than a dozen agencies, organizations and individuals to preserve communications related to the panel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The panel, led by chairman Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, and top Democrat, Mark Warner of Virginia, sent letters asking for those materials to be kept, a Senate aide said Sunday.

Why some Republicans are opting for conference calls instead of town halls

A number of Republican lawmakers are opting out of town hall meetings this week, citing concerns about protesters disrupting such events. Roseville police escorted Republican congressman Tom McClintock through an audience from the Tower Theatre in Roseville, Calif., on Feb. 4, 2017.

Group holds town hall meeting for Representative Flores

Texas 17th District Indivisible will be holding a Town Hall meeting Sunday evening, but it does not seem Rep. Bill Flores will actually attend. A representative for the group, Jeni Ganz, said they decided to hold a town hall after repeatedly reaching out Rep. Flores to schedule a town hall.

Financial institutions see relief potential relief from rules

In a divided Washington, where few issues generate bipartisan support, relief from financial regulations for smaller banks seems to be a singular exception. As President Trump, Republican members of Congress, and bank lobbyists look to overhaul banking rules put in place after the 2008 financial crisis, some regulatory advocates agree that targeted changes for smaller institutions are needed.

John Kasich: Trump’s NATO role worries Europe

From an international security conference in Munich , Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Sunday that world leaders remain uncertain about President Trump 's commitment to Europe and NATO . "There is a question that in a time of crisis, where will America be," Mr. Kasich said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Graham: Ryan tax plan won’t get 10 votes in the Senate

Kevin Brady Graham: Ryan tax plan won't get 10 votes in the Senate GOP's ObamaCare talking points leave many questions unanswered Tax reform, above all else, will secure our economic future MORE , who are pushing a 20 percent across-the-board tax increase on imports to pay for comprehensive tax reform. The idea has run into staunch resistance in the Senate, which bodes ill for President Trump's hopes of passing tax reform this year.

US senators eye new sanctions on Iran

US Republican senators plan to introduce legislation to impose further sanctions on Iran, accusing it of violating UN Security Council resolutions by testing ballistic missiles and acting to "destabilise" the Middle East, a US senator says. "I think it is now time for the Congress to take Iran on directly in terms of what they've done outside the nuclear program," Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the Munich Security Conference.

Anti-Trump activists to invade Congressional town halls

Emotional moment police found missing two-year-old boy hidden among blackberry bushes two blocks from his home after he disappeared from his bed in the middle of the night Trump fires another senior security official after he criticized the President on Mexico and made 'awkward' comments about 'attractive' Ivanka Anti-Trump activists plan to invade Congressional town halls this week - or shame members with cardboard cut-outs who won't attend 'Take it seriously': White House chief of staff says Trump wasn't kidding when he called the press 'the enemy of the American people' Fears for troubled David Cassidy as he appears on stage 'drunk' struggles to remember his songs, slurs and falls over 'He hung me from a pole and forced my legs apart': Horrific stories of women imprisoned by Syrian government who are raped and tortured so often that guards pass out birth control pills Mystery man ... (more)

Even a Democratic congressman has to answer for Trump

Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark, left, huddles with members of his staff, from left to right: speech writer Josh Gottheimer; trip coordinator Stacey Rubin; senior strategist Chris Lehane, and campaign chairman Eli Segal on Jan. 29, 2004. Gottheimer is now a Democratic lawmaker from New Jersey.

John McCain defends media after Trump’s calls them ‘the enemy’

U.S. Sen. John McCain, defending the media against the latest attack by President Donald Trump, warned that suppressing the free press was "how dictators get started." The Arizona Republican, a frequent critic of Trump, was responding to a tweet in which Trump accused the media of being "the enemy of the American people."

Chris Wallace galls ‘Fox & Friends’ with…

Fox News host Chris Wallace argued on Sunday that President Donald Trump "crossed a line" when he called the media "the enemy of the American People." Following Trump's Friday attack on the news media, Wallace reminded the hosts of Fox & Friends that the country's founders believed that a free press was a vital component to the functioning of a free and fair democracy.

Libertarians to the rescue: How America’s third parties are…

Level the Playing Field argued that third parties, like the Libertarians and Greens, have been systematically excluded from debates - most notably the Commission on Presidential Debates - because the FEC refused to seriously consider evidence supporting their claims. This proof included allegations that members of the CPD have voiced support for and contributed money to Democratic and Republican candidates, as well as evidence that the 15 percent threshold used to determine debate participation is specifically designed to exclude third-party alternatives.

Graham: Trump must punish Russia for election interference

In this Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017 file photo, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, talks with David Friedman, center, nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel, accompanied by former Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman on Capitol Hill in Washington, during Friedman's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

McCain warns Trump against shutting down ‘adversarial press’

US Republican Senator John McCain has issued a stern warning to Donald Trump, saying the president's repeated attacks on the media "echo the language of dictators." In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," McCain cautioned Trump to heed the lessons of history and further added that shutting down the press was "how dictators get started."