Rand Paul spent his political contributions on lavish Italian…

But the Kentuckian also has a taste for the good life and is not opposed to having a nice vacation on his donor's dime, according to information reviewed by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics and reported by the Courier-Journal . Using funds from his Political Action Committee, Reinventing a New Direction, Paul spent $11,043 at restaurants in Italy and Malta last year.

Lawmakers Call On Amazon and Google To Reconsider Ban On Domain Fronting

An anonymous reader quotes CyberScoop: Amazon and Google face sharp questions from a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators over the tech giants' decisions to ban domain fronting, a technique used to circumvent censorship and surveillance around the world. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sent a letter on Tuesday to Google CEO Larry Page and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos over decisions by both companies in April to ban domain fronting .

Names of those 17 killed in Table Rock Lake boat accident…

BRANSON, Mo.: More than half of the 17 people killed when a tourist boat sank on a Branson lake were members of the same Indiana family, and they likely would not have been on the ill-fated trip but for a ticket mix-up. Tracy Beck, of Kansas City, Missouri, said she recalled the family members waiting in line.

Tampa’s Pam Bondi Goes to Bat for Adam Putnam

With less than six weeks to go until the primary, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi went to bat for state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Bondi appeared at an event in Winter Park with Putnam on Thursday and talked about her experience working with him in the state Cabinet.

Guest Editorial: Consider this Trump’s Russian contusion

CNN's Anderson Cooper called the president's performance at a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin “perhaps one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president at a summit in front of a Russian leader certainly that I've ever seen.” Obama CIA Director John Brennan tweeted that it “rises to & exceeds the ... (more)

What’s in the Rubio-Van Hollen sanctions bill

Legislation proposed by Florida's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Maryland's Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen gained eight new cosponsors on Thursday, the same day senators and the White House clashed over how to handle Russia and US relations. The legislation was originally proposed in January but gained new prominence after President Donald Trump's one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland on Monday -- and after the White House temporarily entertained the idea of sending US officials to be interrogated by Russians in exchange for Russian cooperation with the investigation into its interference in the 2016 US election.

Kansas congressional race attractsnational spotlight. But who is the star?

One day in July demonstrated the identity crisis facing Kansas Democrats as they seek to capture a congressional seat for the first time in a decade. Roughly 2,000 people packed into a swampy-hot hall at the Reardon Convention Center in Kansas City, Kan., Friday night to hear U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, as he led a rally for Brent Welder, a Bonner Springs attorney mounting a campaign for Kansas' 3rd District on an unabashedly progressive platform.

Perspective: Restoring – regular order’ in Congress

Each year, as Congress works through the appropriations process, the term "regular order" is often used. Regular order means the House and Senate both passing 12 individual bills to fund the various branches and agencies that make up the federal government instead of one massive omnibus spending bill at the end of the year.

The White House week when ‘no’ meant ‘yes’

This was the week when "would" turned into "wouldn't" and "no" meant "yes," as President Donald Trump and his top aides tried to walk back several of his comments on Russia and the Federal Reserve. At one point, the rhetorical zigzags left one senator lamenting a "walk-back of the walk-back" that was, she said, "dizzying."

Trump missteps fuel new energy in Democrats’ campaigns

As Democratic congressional candidate Abigail Spanberger mingled with supporters at a Richmond brewery, one person hung like a shadow over the gleaming brew tanks and grilled food truck pizza. As they watched their kids play with Legos in the corner of the bar Wednesday night, Kristen Martin and William Caulder grumbled about President Donald Trump's latest scandal, a controversial news conference with Russia's president.

Inside Trump’s isolation after Putin summit, walkbacks

Facing condemnation from allies and foes alike on Capitol Hill, President Donald Trump was outnumbered even in the Oval Office. Top aides gathered to convince the president to issue a rare walk-back of the comments he'd made raising doubts about U.S. intelligence conclusions of Russian election interference as he stood alongside Vladimir Putin.

Democratic socialism surging in the age of Trump

Last Friday, Maine Democrat Zak Ringelstein wasn't ready to consider himself a formal member of the Democratic Socialists of America, even if he appreciated the organization's values and endorsement in his bid to become a United States senator. Three days later, he told The Associated Press that was ready to become the only major-party Senate candidate in the nation to be a dues-paying democratic socialist.

Colorado VA hospital plagued by delays, high costs to open

It's more than $1 billion over budget and five years behind schedule, but an elaborate new veterans hospital is finally ready to open in suburban Denver with the promise of state-of-the-art medical care. The $1.7 billion Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center made it through nearly a decade of management blunders, legal battles, federal investigations and congressional hearings.

Congress abandons bid to reverse Trump deal with ZTE

Congress is abandoning an effort to clamp down on the Chinese telecom giant ZTE in a defense bill, essentially green-lighting the Trump administration's deal to save a company that was accused of selling sensitive information to hostile regimes, aides said Friday. Senators from both parties expressed outrage Friday that the revised defense legislation, which will be unveiled early next week, guts a provision to reinstate penalties and restrict the Chinese company's ability to buy U.S. component parts.

Long-delayed, budget-busting VA hospital to open in Colorado Source: AP

It's more than $1 billion over budget and five years behind schedule, but an elaborate new veterans hospital is finally opening in suburban Denver on Saturday with the promise of state-of-the-art medical care. The $1.7 billion Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center made it through nearly a decade of management blunders, legal battles, federal investigations and congressional hearings.

Mulvaney defends Pres. Trump’s Fed comments

White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is defending President Donald Trump's comment lamenting the Federal Reserve's action to raise U.S. interest rates. Mulvaney says he's sure most presidents have had similar thoughts about Fed actions, adding: "There's nothing non-factual or inaccurate about it."