Federal records: Dennis Hastert released from prison in Minnesota

In this April 27, 2016, file photo, former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert departs the federal courthouse in Chicago. Hastert has reported to the Rochester Federal Center in Minnesota, Wednesday, June 22, 2016, to begin serving his 15-month sentence in a hush-money case.

Kansas faces skeptical state Supreme Court on school funding

Attorneys for Kansas will try to convince an often skeptical state Supreme Court on Tuesday that the funding increase legislators approved for public schools this year is enough to provide a suitable education for kids statewide. The high court is hearing arguments about a new law that phases in a $293 million increase in education funding over two years.

Texas Republican congressman says Trump should kick kids out of White House

Donald Trump Jr., left, in an interview Tuesday with Fox News host Sean Hannity, has come under increasing scrutiny for his role and activities during the 2016 presidential campaign for his father, President Trump. Donald Trump Jr., left, in an interview Tuesday with Fox News host Sean Hannity, has come under increasing scrutiny for his role and activities during the 2016 presidential campaign for his father, President Trump.

Another Europe trip for Melania Trump means forging new relationships

Her trip with President Donald Trump to Poland and Germany is an encore to the nine-day tour of the Middle East and Europe in May that showcased more of the first lady than the world had seen to date. She received mostly glowing reviews -- there was praise for her style notes and cultural sensitivity, her quiet repose at religious sites, even the way the Pope cracked a joke and a smile when she was in his presence.

Where high school students won’t graduate without a plan for the future

To graduate from a public high school in Chicago, students will soon have to meet a new and unusual requirement: They must show that they've secured a job or received a letter of acceptance to college, a trade apprenticeship, a gap year program or the military. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, D, said he wants to make clear that the nation's third-largest school system is not just responsible for shepherding teenagers to the end of their senior year, but also for setting them on a path to a productive future.

GOP voters blame Congress, not Trump, for lack of progress

In firm control of the federal government, President Donald Trump and his Republican Party have so far failed to deliver on core campaign promises on health care, taxes and infrastructure. But in New York's Trump Tower cafe, the Gentry family blames Congress, not the president.

Chicago won’t allow high school students to graduate without a plan for the future

Students walk through Chicago's Senn High School after classes were dismissed in May. To graduate from a public high school in Chicago, students will soon have to meet a new and unusual requirement: They must show that they've secured a job or received a letter of acceptance to college, a trade apprenticeship, a gap year program or the military. Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he wants to make clear that the nation's third-largest school system is not just responsible for shepherding teenagers to the end of their senior year, but also for setting them on a path to a productive future.

Kellyanne Conway Gaslights Americans About Medicaid Cuts In AHCA

The White House put out the O.G. sanctimonious, lying sack of bones on today's Sunday shows to talk about the new Trumpcare / AHCA bill. Yup, Kellyanne "Gutter Trash Barbie" Conway almost made me throw up my breakfast bright and early this morning.

The Kabuki Theater of the AHCA

The United States has never had a Senate leader as ruthless, as willing to bend, distort and break the rules, traditions and precedents of the Senate as Mitch McConnell. And the Senate has probably never had a majority leader as effective at accomplishing his goals as Mitch McConnell-making even Lyndon Johnson look like a neophyte in comparison.

Hillary Clinton: GOP is ‘death party’ if health care bill passes

Hillary Clinton has a new name for the Republican Party if Congress manages to pass the Senate health care bill: "death party." The Democratic presidential nominee's Twitter account shared a study Friday afternoon from a progressive think tank, the Center for American Progress, predicting that the Senate bill could lead to between 18,000 and 27,000 additional deaths in 2026 if those people have no coverage.

Colorado Considers Ban On Preteens Owning Cell Phones

A campaign in Colorado seeks to stop kids under 13 years of age from spending too much time on smartphones by banning retailers from selling smartphones for use by children. "Eventually kids are going to get phones and join the world, and I think we all know that, but little children, there's just no good that comes from that," Tim Farnum, a Denver-area anesthesiologist told The Coloradoan .

Five myths about fatherhood

This month, the Supreme Court struck down a law that treated unwed mothers and fathers differently when granting citizenship to their children born outside the United States - the requirements for fathers were stiffer. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, authoring a majority opinion joined by five other justices, wrote that the law was based on gender stereotypes that violated the notion of equal protection.

LUPICA: GOP won’t budge on gun debate – even after Va. shooting

This is how Sen. Rand Paul, who was at the ballfield in Alexandria, Va., when the shooting started early Wednesday morning, described the first moments of an active shooter firing away, this time at members of Congress: "The first shot was kind of an isolated shot and everybody kind of looks up and says, 'Hey, what's that?'" It was the sound of more gunfire in America, is what it was. It was gunfire that will now command the attention of not just some politicians in Washington, but all of them.