GOP set to roll $1.5T final tax bill through House, Senate

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to his office from the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion GOP tax bill on party-line votes, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion GOP tax bill on party-line votes, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017.

Trump allies ripping Mueller while president cooperates, but are they going too far?

Two decades ago, Bill Clinton and his allies launched a fierce attack on Ken Starr, trying to discredit the special prosecutor as he gathered evidence and ultimately got the president to admit to a grand jury that he'd had a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Starr was out of control, he was a zealot, he was an ex-judge in over his head, he was straying far from his mandate to probe the Whitewater land deal-it was a constant state of warfare.

Want To Help The Opioid Crisis? Pass Tax Reform

The United States is experiencing a drug epidemic the likes of which have not been seen here before. Beginning in the 1990s, doctors began widely prescribing a class of highly addictive pain medications called opioids for patients with mild to moderate pain.

McConnell unveils wish list to attach to spending bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion GOP tax bill on party-line votes, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. less Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion ... more WASHINGTON - The Senate's top Republican Monday announced a lengthy wish list that he hopes to attach to a must-do spending bill this week, but there's no agreement with the chamber's Democrats and little time to waste.

Trump Transition Wants Mueller To Return Emails — But Promises To Give Them Back After ‘Vetting’

Donald Trump's transition team on Sunday demanded that Special Counsel Robert Mueller return "tens of thousands" of emails that were sent and received on government accounts before the 45th president took office. A "source close to Trump's transition told Axios on Sunday that the team plans to send a letter to Mueller this week demanding the return of emails that were reportedly obtained by the Special Counsel's Office.

Sanders calls GOP tax bill a “massive attack” on middle class

"At the end of the day what you had is people like [Treasury Secretary Steven] Mnuchin, who himself is worth $300 or $400 million dollars, or the president of the United States who is worth several billion dollars, as you mentioned, some 4,000 to 5,000 lobbyists doing everything that they could to write a bill which significantly benefits the wealthiest people in this country and the largest corporations," Sanders said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. Sanders said that Republicans will turn to cutting "Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid" to offset upwards of $1 trillion in lost revenue, a scenario he said was "grossly unfair" to middle class families.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn faults Democrats griping about tax bill for refusing participate in process

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn pushed back Sunday against Democrats griping about the tax reform bill, saying they have refused to participate despite being invited to do so by Republicans. "Our Democratic colleagues simply refused to participate in the process," Mr. Cornyn, Texas Republican, said on ABC's "This Week."

Trump transition accuses Mueller of ‘unlawfully’ obtaining emails

Lawyers representing the Trump presidential transition wrote to members of Congress accusing special counsel Robert Mueller of obtaining unauthorized access to tens of thousands of transition emails, including what they claim to be documents protected by attorney-client privilege. The lawyer, Kory Langhofer, wrote to leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and House Oversight and Government Reform committees because he said the General Services Administration, which supports presidential transitions, "unlawfully produced" private materials of the transition although the GSA "did not own or control the records in question."

Uber should have given court an ex-employee’s letter about ‘fraud and theft’ in Waymo caseReuters

Ride hailing company Uber was obligated to turn over to a U.S. federal judge a letter from a former employee that told of the company's "fraud and theft" and mentioned evidence of stolen trade secrets nailed "like a scalp" to the wall, a court official said Friday. Special master, John Cooper, assigned to a lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] by Alphabet Inc's self-driving car unit, Waymo, released a report on Friday stating the company should have produced the letter and was wrong in keeping it from the court.

Progressive Groups Want Doug Jones To Throw Caution To The Wind

Through a unique confluence of events, Democrat Doug Jones managed to defy the deeply Republican leanings of Alabama and win a special election on Tuesday to represent the state in the Senate. But without an alleged child predator like Republican Roy Moore on the ticket in 2020, Jones will almost certainly have an uphill climb to re-election.

Female congressional candidate leaves race after sexual harassment allegations resurface

A protester holds a sign up during a #MeToo demonstration outside Trump International hotel in New York City, NY, U.S., December 9, 2017. A Democratic candidate hoping to flip a hotly contested congressional seat in Kansas has dropped out of the race after allegations that she sexually harassed a male subordinate resurfaced amid her campaign.

Sen. Collins takes huge leap of faith with tax bill. Critics say she’s getting played

As GOP tax legislation nears final passage on Capitol Hill, Sen. Susan Collins is approaching the moment for a mighty leap of faith. The Maine Republican extracted key concessions in exchange for her support for the bill, including commitments from the Trump administration and Senate leaders to back two pieces of legislation pumping money into the health care system.

Judge temporarily blocks new Trump rules on birth control

A federal judge in Philadelphia on Friday ordered the Trump administration not to enforce new rules that could significantly reduce women's access to free birth control. Judge Wendy Beetlestone issued the injunction, temporarily stopping the government from enforcing the policy change to former President Barack Obama's health care law.

Tax bill guts unpopular ‘Obamacare’ insurance mandate

Republicans didn't get their wish to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care law, but the tax bill barreling toward a final vote in Congress guts its most unpopular provision, the requirement that virtually all Americans carry health insurance. Politically, the move is a winner for Republicans, who otherwise would have little to show for all their rhetoric about "Obamacare."

Highlights of GOP compromise bill to overhaul tax code

Republicans in Congress have blended separate tax bills passed by the House and Senate into compromise legislation that seeks to achieve a sweeping overhaul of the nation's tax code. GOP leaders are looking toward passage of the final package by the House and Senate next week, with the aim of sending the measure to President Donald Trump to sign before Christmas.