Tennessee’s Blackburn visits NH, defends Trump’s call for suspension of Muslim immigration

While many Republicans are distancing themselves from Donald Trump, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a 14-year U.S. House member from Tennessee, is not in that category -- not by a long shot. Blackburn, in New Hampshire to headline a state GOP fundraiser on Friday night, not only strongly endorses Trump, but she said in an interview that she would not back away if the presumptive presidential nominee asked her to be his running mate - the subject of speculation in some media reports.

The Latest: Legislators, tribes demand IHS transparency

The Latest on a U.S. Senate hearing being held in South Dakota to discuss legislation aimed at fixing shortcomings at hospitals serving Native Americans : Issues of transparency and accountability have dominated the discussion at a U.S. Senate committee hearing on federal legislation aimed at fixing shortcomings at hospitals serving members of Native American tribes. The hearing Friday in Rapid City, South Dakota, of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee came as the Indian Health Service implements a series of agency-wide reforms, some of which address severe quality-of-care deficiencies recently found at hospitals on some reservations.

Lawmakers fume after VA ditches power to fire employees

The Department of Veterans Affairs has angered and frustrated lawmakers by deciding to stop using their authority to fire senior employees, an authority Congress gave the VA in response to the wait-times scandal of 2014. "Everyone knows VA isn't very good at disciplining employees, but this decision calls into question whether department leaders are even interested in doing so," House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said Friday.

Bernie Sanders, Comfort Dogs, Wicked, Meat Loaf, The Beehive, Kevin Keller: NEWS

Bernie Sanders not yet ready to drop out : "The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly," Sanders said. "And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time."

Caving to Post-Orlando Fear, House Betrays Civil Liberties

Late Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives blocked an amendment that would have prohibited warrantless surveillance of Americans' electronic communications and banned the government from forcing technology companies to install backdoors to encrypted devices. The amendment to the House's annual military spending bill, introduced by Reps.

U.S. Rep. David Jolly to run for re-election, drop out of Senate race

U.S. Rep. David Jolly, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate is expected to run for re-election instead. [Miami Herald] U.S. Rep David Jolly will drop out of the U.S. Senate race and run for re-election instead, taking on likely Democratic nominee Charlie Crist, confirmed former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker "David Jolly's passion is to serve the people of Pinellas," Baker said.

Jim Gilmore showed Rick Santorum how it’s done

The former governor of Virginia was seen as perhaps the least competitive major candidate during the heat of the Republican primary process. Gilmore almost consistently placed last in polling and qualified to appear in only two debates until he ended his campaign in February.

Obama embraces Orlando families, appeals for gun controls

Embracing grieving Orlando families and appealing anew for national action, President Barack Obama claimed a threat to all Americans' security Thursday as a strong reason to tighten U.S. gun laws. Counterterror campaigns overseas, he declared, can never prevent all 'lone wolf' attacks like the one that killed 49 people in Orlando.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., center, calls for gun control legislation …

President Barack Obama, followed by, from second from left, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., walks down the steps of Air Force One at Bradley Air Force Base, Conn., Monday, April 8, 2013. Obama traveled to the Hartford, Conn., to speak at the University of Hartford, near the state capitol where last week the governor signed into law some of the nation's strictest gun control laws with the Sandy Hook families standing behind him.

President Obama: Orlando Families’ Grief Is ‘Beyond Description’

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden place flowers down during their visit to a memorial to the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 16, 2016. Clad in dark suits with their brows furrowed, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden laid 49 roses - one for each of the Pulse nightclub shooting victims - at a makeshift memorial on Thursday afternoon at the Phillips Center, adjacent to Orlando's City Hall.

Ed groups oppose changing Kansas Constitution

Education groups in Kansas oppose proposals to amend the state constitution to prevent the courts from threatening to close schools in funding lawsuits. Representatives of the Kansas Association of School Boards, Game on for Kansas Schools and Kansas Families for Education testified Thursday against proposed amendments during a joint hearing of the state House and Senate Judiciary committees.

GOP plan promises to reclaim congressional powers

The latest piece of the campaign agenda commissioned by House Speaker Paul Ryan is promising to reclaim powers ceded to the presidency, give stronger directions to federal bureaucrats, and reassert lawmakers' control over the federal purse strings. The plan is a product of a task force studded with Republican conservatives.

It’s time to stand up for consumers’ right to know what’s in their food

Congress has only a few days left to pass a GMO labeling bill through the Senate and House before Vermont's mandatory labeling law takes effect July 1. And while Maine, Vermont and Connecticut have clearly spoken on the issue, there is still discussion in Washington around developing a "compromise" piece of legislation that would pre-empt existing bills in those states. Throughout households in Maine and across the country, this is a nonpartisan issue, with more than 90 percent of people polled reporting they believe they have the right to know whether their food contains GMOs.

McConnell: Dems skipped FBI s briefon Orlando to join filibuster

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday that many Senate Democrats skipped the FBIA s classified briefing on Wednesday about the Orlando shooting attack that killed dozens, and instead chose to participate in a "filibuster" over gun control. "Senate Republicans attended and asked serious questions," McConnell said on the Senate floor.

Public viewing to be held for former Ohio governor

A public viewing will be held in the rotunda of Cleveland City Hall on Thursday for George Voinovich, the former U.S. senator, Ohio governor and Cleveland mayor. The viewing will be from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thursday followed by a brief program to honor the well-respected Republican who held various elected offices for more than 40 years.

Lawmakers turned over gifts after trip

Lawmakers who took a trip secretly funded by the government of Azerbaijan turned over jade earrings, tea sets, silk scarves, woven rugs and other gifts to the government after a watchdog report called the trip improper. The list of gifts returned to the General Services Administration , which was obtained by The Hill through a Freedom of Information Act request, fills in more details about the trip to a 2013 conference in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku.