Americans want background checks for gun sales

A makeshift memorial near the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Nov. 12. A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation on Nov. 16 that would improve background checks for gun buyers. A makeshift memorial near the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Nov. 12. A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation on Nov. 16 that would improve background checks for gun buyers.

Jeff Sessions orders review of gun background check system

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday ordered a review of a government database used for background checks on gun buyers, after a man who killed 26 people in a Texas church was left off the system despite having a criminal record. Sessions said the Nov. 5 shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, by Devin Kelley, a former Air Force serviceman who had a 2012 conviction for domestic assault, showed that not all the necessary information was being added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS.

White House requests $44 billion in additional disaster relief

The White House asked Congress on Friday for $44 billion in additional relief from this year's devastating hurricanes but urged lawmakers to make spending cuts to offset disaster costs that are now approaching $100 billion. The White House request for more disaster relief after the hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Maria, set up a possible confrontation over whether Congress must find spending cuts to pay for relief even as President Donald Trump pushes for as much as $1.5 trillion in tax cuts over a decade.

Dems, GOP compromise on gun background check bill

NOVEMBER 14: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , , and Sen. John Cornyn , walk up to speak to reporters about the proposed Senate Republican tax bill, after attending the Senate GOP policy luncheon, at US Capitol on November 14, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Bipartisan group in Senate aims to strengthen background check system for guns

In the wake of the recent mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill Thursday meant to strengthen the existing background check system for firearms. The Fix NICS Act, which refers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, would set up incentives and penalties for state and federal agencies to boost their compliance with existing requirements that they report criminal history records to the system, helping ensure it stays up to date.

White House plans to seek another $45 billion in U.S. hurricane aid

The White House plans to ask the U.S. Congress on Friday for about $45 billion in additional aid for disaster relief to cover damage from hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida and other disaster damage, a congressional aide said on late Thursday. FILE PHOTO: An aerial photo shows damage caused by Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas, U.S., August 31, 2017.

The Latest: Roy Moore argues Senate leader should step down

Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore waits to speak the Vestavia Hills Public library, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in Birmingham, Ala. According to a Thursday, Nov. 9 Washington Post story an Alabama woman said Moore made inappropriate advances and had sexual contact with her when she was 14. Moore is denying the allegations.

America’s crash course in the nonapology for abuse: Watch for those ‘ifs’

With so many women coming forward to tell their stories of sexual abuse and harassment, America is getting a course in Apology 101. Lesson 1: the moment an "if" enters an apology - when the offending person is sorry "if" the offensive thing they did offended anyone - it becomes a nonapology.

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.

House GOP blocks Dems on child taxes as Senate bill emerges

As the House's tax-writing committee feverishly sprints toward a completed bill by week's end, the Senate's tax bill is starting to take shape. That version is expected to completely repeal the federal deduction for state and local taxes but retain the medical expense deduction.

Pentagon has known of crime reporting lapses for 20 years

The Pentagon has known for at least two decades about failures to give military criminal history information to the FBI, including the type of information the Air Force didn't report about the Texas church gunman who had assaulted his wife and stepson while an airman. The Air Force lapse in the Devin P. Kelley case, which is now under review by the Pentagon's inspector general, made it possible for him to buy guns before his attack Sunday at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

House GOP’s evolving tax bill leaves retirement plan intact

House Republicans would leave intact current tax rules on retirement accounts popular with middle class Americans and maintain a top income tax rate for million-dollar earners as negotiators scrambled to finalize the first major overhaul in three decades. The legislation is a long-standing goal for Capitol Hill Republicans who see a once-in-a-generation opportunity to clean up an inefficient, loophole-cluttered tax code.

Trump crowdsources GOP senators on choice for Fed chair

President Donald Trump asked for a show of hands from Republican senators as he nears a decision on naming a new head of the Federal Reserve, the most critical personnel choice affecting the economy that he'll make in his presidency. Trump made the request during a lunch with GOP senators at the Capitol on Tuesday, said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Senate passes $36.5B disaster aid bill; Trump signature next

The Senate passed a $36.5 billion emergency aid measure Tuesday to refill disaster accounts, provide a much-needed cash infusion to Puerto Rico, and bail out the federal flood insurance program. The 82-17 vote sends the measure to the White House, where President Donald Trump is sure to sign it.

Senate set to vote on $36.5B disaster relief bill

The Senate likely will vote Tuesday on a $36.5 billion bill to aid communities affected by recent natural disasters, a measure that could bring relief to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, the majority of which is still without power. "The Senate remains committed to doing its part to support the ongoing hurricane relief efforts," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said.