State Rep. from Rye latest to enter race to replace Carol Shea-Porter NEW

State Rep. Mindi Messmer of Rye on Tuesday became the sixth Democrat to officially launch a campaign for New Hampshire's First Congressional District. "I bring a proven track record of being able to get legislation passed in the State House that's helped citizens of New Hampshire," Messmer told the Monitor in an interview conducted hours before she formally kicked off her congressional bid at an event in Portsmouth.

Democrats have leverage in one part of the GOP tax cut process

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Nov. 7 said he expects the GOP tax plan "in the end to be revenue neutral for the government, if not a revenue gainer." As Republicans work to pass the largest overhaul of the U.S. tax code since 1986 by the end of this calendar year, they're not banking on any support from Senate Democrats.

Hate crimes in the United States increased last year

FBI personnel walk along a road as the investigation of the mass shooting continues in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Nov. 6, 2017. More hate crimes were carried out in the United States last year, with an uptick in incidents motivated by bias against Jews, Muslims and LGBT people, among others, according to new FBI data released Monday.

You Can Be Fined For Wearing A Political T-Shirt To The Polls. SCOTUS Could Change That.

In 2010, Andrew Cilek walked into his Minneapolis polling place wearing a T-shirt with a tea party logo that said "Don't Tread On Me." Cilek, now the executive director of a conservative group called the Minnesota Voters' Alliance, also wore a button promoting the election watchdog group Election Integrity Watch.

Bill would require states to honor other states’ permits for concealed guns

THE ISSUE: Federal legislation would allow people with concealed-carry permits issued from their home states to carry a concealed handgun when visiting a different state. THE IMPACT: Attorneys general in 17 states, including Massachusetts, oppose the bill and say it would undermine local laws.

Late prosecutor dropped from hazing case

The parents of hazing victim Horacio Tomas "Atio" Castillo III have decided to exclude one of the respondents in the hazing case who was found already deceased. Lawyer Lino Kapunan, one of the lawyers of the Atio's parents, has manifested before the Department of Justice to remove the name of late Cavite chief prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco as a respondent in the case.

7 Problems With the GOP’s ‘If True, Roy Moore Should Step Aside’ Stance

When allegations of sexual misconduct about Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore surfaced, many Republican lawmakers offered a variation on this line: If the story is true, he should step aside. "If there is any shred of truth to the allegations against Roy Moore, he should step aside immediately," said Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake.

State appeal tossed in teen killer’s case

The Arkansas Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by state attorneys on Thursday who had argued that a Crittenden County circuit judge erred in instructing a jury about what type of sentences the nation's highest court allows for juveniles. The case came as the Arkansas Supreme Court is set to hear the appeal of a different case that is a constitutional challenge to Act 539 of 2017, which bars life-without-parole sentences for youths.

Mother questions why 14-year-old son fatally shot by officer

Family members of a 14-year-old boy fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy on a northern Wisconsin reservation questioned on Thursday why the teen, who they describe as loving and kind, was gunned down. Holly Gauthier said authorities have provided few details about the death of her son, 14-year-old Jason Pero, an 8th grader who died on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation Wednesday.

Another mass shooting, another locked phone

When Susan Landau decided to write "Listening In: Cybersecurity in an Insecure Age," it was at a time when encryption was on many people's minds. After a shooter in San Bernardino, Calif., killed 14 people, investigators were unable to get into his iPhone.

Repeal of individual mandate would increase uninsured, premiums: CBO

The Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday that repealing the Obamacare individual mandate would increase the number of uninsured by 13 million by 2027 and reduce the federal budget deficit less than initially forecast. FILE PHOTO: A sign on an insurance store advertises Obamacare in San Ysidro, San Diego, California, U.S., October 26, 2017.

LAWYER: Did Comey Obstruct Justice Using Invented Loophole To Protect Hillary From Prosecution?

In an op-ed Wednesday, Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett lays out a scenario where by former FBI director James Comey may have obstructed justice by 'protecting Hillary Clinton from prosecution.' According to Sen. Chuck Grassley, Comey edited his original statements in which he called Clinton's handling of classified information an act of "gross negligence" to "extremely careless."

Link seen between domestic violence and mass killings

On Sunday, 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley walked into First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and opened fire, killing 26 people and wounding 20 others in what Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the deadliest mass shooting in his state's history. In the wake of this tragedy - as is often the case after similar attacks - many are left asking why and how could it happen.