Toomey, Rubio boost shaky Senate GOP majority

In their quest to hold onto the majority, Senate Republicans got some good news Wednesday with swing state polls showing them in the driver's seat a month before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. According to new Quinnipiac polls released Wednesday, Sen. Pat Toomey holds a nine-point advantage over Democratic challenger Katie McGinty in Pennsylvania, while Florida's Marco Rubio, who hadn't announced his re-election bid when the poll was taken, leads Rep. Patrick Murphy , giving the GOP a boost in two states Donald Trump looks to flip for the Republicans in November.

Fed rebuts GOP claim that Dodd-Frank is too soft on banks

A Federal Reserve official went out of his way Wednesday to rebut Republican criticisms of the new financial regulations, by saying the central bank has made progress toward ending the problem of "too big to fail" banks. Republicans have argued that bankruptcy is the best option for banks, instead of having the government wind them down, and have also said the Dodd-Frank financial reform law enshrines the problem of too-big-to-fail banks because they can be saved by the government if they fail.

Confirming Senate bid, Rubio says Trump presidency ‘worrisome’

Marco Rubio, while confirming his decision to run for reelection to the Senate, continued to make known his issues with Donald Trump as he readies to run with his former opponent at the top of the ticket. In an interview with the Miami Herald , Rubio said a Trump presidency is "worrisome" to him "in many ways," noting his past comments of Trump prior to his loss in the Florida primary in March.

Google Improves Its Medical Symptoms Search Results

The new algorithm gives users a list of related conditions when they search their medical symptoms. Google will also give an overview description for individual symptoms and self-treatment options, the tech giant explained in a blog post.

Protesters urge Sen. Ayotte to toughen on gun laws

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers Tuesday to explain their support for a bill aimed at restricting firearms purchases by those found to be on the government's terrorist watch lists, even as protesters gathered outside her Nashua office to demand further action. Ayotte, a Nashua Republican, said she is proud to work with a senators across party lines on a "reasonable and common-sense proposal" to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists while ensuring the constitutional rights of Americans.

What to watch at the Libertarian town hall

The Libertarian presidential candidate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, and his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, will face voters Wednesday evening in a town hall live on CNN. The 9 p.m. event moderated by CNN's Chris Cuomo marks one of the highest-profile moments in the Libertarian Party's history, thanks to Donald Trump, whose victory in the GOP presidential primary has some conservatives and moderates alike looking elsewhere for an alternative to both Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Portman, Strickland Tied in Ohio; Toomey Up in Pa.: Quinnipiac

Republican Sen. Rob Portman and Democratic rival and former Gov. Ted Strickland each get 42% support for Ohio Senate race, according to Quinnipiac University poll. In Fla., Republican Sen. Marco Rubio leads Democratic opponent Rep. Patrick Murphy 47%-40%; Rubio tops Rep. Alan Grayson 48%-40% NOTE: Rubio needs to decide by Friday whether he will seek re-election; he is re-evaluating his earlier decision not to seek a second term NOTE: Margin of error in Fla.

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to Report to Prison

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is scheduled to report to prison Wednesday to serve his 15-month sentence for financial crimes related to purported decades-old, repeated sexual abuse of minors. The man once second in line for the presidency pleaded guilty in October to "structuring currency transactions" that prosecutors said was a cover-up for the payment of hush money to a man Hastert sexually abused decades before.

Sen. Jeff Sessions: Trump Is Right on Muslim Immigration Ban

Once again Donald Trump has opened a dialogue about a controversial issue. As he did with illegal immigration, he has brought to the forefront his desire to keep Americans safe by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the U.S. His critics are from the left and right, calling him a divider and a racist.

Richard Davis: Is this election 1964 deja vu?

A cardinal difference between Donald Trump and Barry Goldwater is that partisanship is more intense today than it was in 1964 and the vast majority of Republicans who don't like Trump will hold their noses and vote for him. In 1964, GOP presidential nominee Barry Goldwater stood at the podium of the Republican National Convention and declared that "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

I was almost in tears’

A lunch invitation from the president of the University of Indianapolis was a special enough occasion for a pair of Johnson County residents. But neither Dr. Robert Kopecky nor William Van Deman expected to be honored with the highest recognition given in the state of Indiana.

Trump questions Clinton’s religion

Republican Donald Trump appeared to raise questions about likely rival Hillary Clinton's religious faith at a closed-door meeting with evangelical leaders on Tuesday. The presumptive GOP nominee, in a video clip of his remarks, appeared to suggest the public doesn't know "anything about Hillary in terms of religion."

Fish: The definition of crazy

So you'll forgive me for taking a layman's approach to what I feel is a very basic common sense piece of legislation that failed on the senate floor Monday. Maybe it's because I'm older and wiser that prevents me from wrapping my brain around why we can't pass a piece of legislation that would prevent a gun sale to a would-be terrorist.

Dana Milbank: Congress on guns: doing nothing faster than ever

On May 24, the House Appropriations Committee took up a proposal "to deny transfers of firearms to persons known or suspected to be engaged in conduct related to terrorism." In a party-line vote, Republicans defeated the plan 29 to 17. Nineteen days later, a man whom the FBI had investigated as a possible terrorist went into an Orlando nightclub and, claiming solidarity with the Islamic State, shot 49 people to death with weapons he bought legally.

Trump: We don’t know ‘about Hillary in terms of religion’

Republican Donald Trump appeared to raise questions about likely rival Hillary Clinton's religious faith at a closed-door meeting with evangelical leaders on Tuesday. The presumptive GOP nominee, in a video clip of his remarks, appeared to suggest the public doesn't know "anything about Hillary in terms of religion."