This Day in Trump, Day 14: Troubles down under

On Thursday, President Donald Trump and his administration - and various members of Congress - dealt with fallout after a standard congratulatory call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Wednesday went south. Trump also attended the National Prayer Breakfast, where he pledged to "totally destroy" an IRS rule that prevents churches from engaging in explicitly political activity.

House rolls back rule restricting gun sales to severely mentally ill

The Republican-led House voted Thursday to repeal an Obama-era Social Security Administration regulation to keep people with severe mental illnesses from buying guns. "The Social Security Administration not only overstepped its mission with this regulation, it discriminated against certain Americans with disabilities who receive Social Security benefits.

The Latest: California at heaviest snowpack in 22 years

Authorities say inmates used "sharp objects" to take over a Delaware prison and hold three prison guards and a counselor hostage A former death row inmate at the Delaware prison where inmates took employees hostage says the prisoners were protesting what he called "inhumane" conditions at the facility Roaring storms that brought California almost a year's worth of snow and rain in a single month should make state water manager's Sierra snowpack survey Thursday a celebration, marking this winter's dramatic... California water managers say Sierra Nevada snow drifts are at a drought-busting 173 percent of average, with the most snow recorded since 1995 A group of Yemeni business owners plan to shut down their delis, grocery stores and bodegas around New York City in protest of President Donald Trump's travel ban on people hailing from seven Muslim-majority... Many Yemeni business owners ... (more)

Trump vows to end prohibition on church political activity

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner arrive at the Oval Office of the White House after attending the National Prayer Breakfast event in Washington, U.S., February 2, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, U.S., February 2, 2017.

Rep. Scott DesJarlais to oversee military readiness; force projection in new Congress

Wednesday, Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D., a new member of the House Armed Services Committee , received his subcommittee assignments for the 115th Congress. Rep. DesJarlais will serve on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, as well as the Readiness Subcommittee .

Senate Votes to Reverse Obama-Era Coal Rule, Sends to Trump 22 minutes ago

Republicans in Washington took their biggest step yet to reverse Barack Obama's regulatory legacy, dusting off a little-used congressional tool and voting to kill a rule aimed at protecting streams from the effects of coal mining. With the Senate following the House in voting for the measure, President Donald Trump is now poised to be the first president in 16 years to sign a regulatory repeal resolution. It will be only the second rule overturned by the Congressional Review Act -- and for Republicans it's just a start.

US House conservatives say ‘hurry up’ on Obamacare repeal

Two influential conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives urged lawmakers on Thursday to get moving with a repeal of Obamacare, reflecting concerns that the process is getting bogged down amid disputes over how to replace the healthcare law. President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans campaigned on a promise to dismantle Obamacare, which they consider federal government overreach.

American Indian activist arrested in pipeline protest

In this Dec. 3, 2016, file photo, law enforcement vehicles line a road leading to a blocked bridge next to the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D. North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, that the Acting Secretary of the Army has directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with an easement necessary to complete the Dakota Access pipeline.

News Roundup: Washington Councilwoman Arrested During Jeff Sessions’ Hearinga and More

Washington councilwoman was apprehended on Tuesday following an outburst at Sen. Jeff Sessions ' confirmation hearing. While the Senate Judiciary Committee discussed whether Sen. Sessions would be a good fit to take on the role of attorney general, Councilwoman Leslie Daugs , who represents Bremerton City, shouted, "This is bull - -."

DeVos nomination on thin ice with 2 GOP senators opposed

Donald Trump's nomination of school choice activist Betsy DeVos as education secretary is on thin ice after two Republican senators vowed to vote against her. DeVos, a billionaire Republican donor who spent more than two decades promoting charter schools, has emerged as one of Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks facing fierce opposition from Democrats, teachers unions and civil rights activists.

Distrust of the non-religious runs deep in American history

The idea that the ungodly are not up to the demands of virtuous citizenship has been a concern since the beginning Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama recently raised eyebrows during his confirmation hearing for attorney general when he expressed doubts that secular people respected the truth as much as did those with religious convictions. Even as he insisted that there should be no religious tests for holding public office, Sessions was queasy about the potential dangers of the secular worldview.

On LGBT rights, Trump seems willing to anger Christian right – …

The jury's still out on Donald Trump and LGBT issues, but so far he has defied Republican anti-gay orthodoxy Donald Trump hasn't yet been president for two weeks, but already he has taken numerous actions to fulfill promises he made as a presidential candidate. He has set the repeal of Obamacare in motion, implemented a ban on immigrants and travelers from certain Muslim-majority countries and worked closely with a conservative legal affairs group to nominate a Supreme Court justice.

‘Made in America’ Strategy Isn’t Enough to Shield Toyota From Trump

When Trump administration appointee Wilbur Ross sat for a hearing on his commerce secretary nomination, one name kept coming up: Toyota. A senator from Vice President Mike Pence's home state asked to be reassured trade reforms wouldn't compromise Indiana jobs.

A closer look at Steve Bannon’s reclusive role within Trump administration

It is a mark of Steve Bannon's extraordinary sway in the Trump White House that a man who has spoken so little in public over the past two weeks is getting so much credit - and blame - for what's going on. The conservative media executive's fingerprints are on virtually every significant move taken by President Donald Trump, from Trump's sweeping order to suspend the country's refugee program and block visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries to the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

Dairy industry monopolists pushing to criminalize “milk” label for all nut milks

Big Dairy is making another effort to suppress non-dairy alternatives, with a new bill before Congress that would order the FDA to punish companies that use terms such as "milk," "cheese," or "yogurt" on products not made with cow's milk. The new bill is just the latest salvo in a fight that the dairy industry has been waging for years, ever since sales of dairy started to fall in favor of alternative products.