Republicans explain why their tax cuts are temporary, but not really temporary

Sen. Bob Corker has expressed concern with the GOP tax bill's impact on the deficit. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts One key policy in Senate Republicans' proposed tax overhaul is that tax cuts for individuals will expire within 10 years, while tax cuts for corporations are made permanent.

Trump health pick parries questions on drug cost, health law

Calling it the opportunity of his lifetime, President Donald Trump's pick for health secretary pledged Wednesday to help lower drug prices and said he'd carry out the Obama-era health law his boss has been unable to erase. Alex Azar's assurances to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee were met with doubt by lawmakers of both parties, especially Democrats concerned about his ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Hassan criticizes GOP tax plan while hers gains little traction NEW

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan called the Republican-authored federal tax overhaul a "travesty," but her own proposal to lower taxes for middle-class families has gotten little traction. No Democrats or Republicans have signed onto legislation she filed in September to give a $500 tax credit to individuals making less than $100,000 a year.

Pence: Trump ‘actively considering’ relocation of US Embassy to Jerusalem

President Donald Trump is "actively considering" how to follow through on his pledge to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday, reopening a divisive question that puts the president at odds with military and diplomatic advisers and close allies. Pence drew whoops and applause at an event marking 70 years since the United Nations vote that led to creation of the state of Israel when he contrasted the Trump administration stance on the embassy to that of past U.S. administrations.

Merkel wants to help Africa curb illegal migration flow

This year's Grammy nominations sent a clear message: The Recording Academy wants to see a black or Latino act have a better shot at winning in the major categories. This year's Grammy nominations sent a clear message: The Recording Academy wants to see a black or Latino act have a better shot at winning in the major categories.

Conservative speaker arrested at UConn blames students

A group of wealthy homeowners whose private street was auctioned off after years of unpaid property taxes is asking San Francisco leaders to reverse the sale. A group of wealthy homeowners whose private street was auctioned off after years of unpaid property taxes is asking San Francisco leaders to reverse the sale.

Panel: Washington governor should not approve oil terminal

A state energy panel has unanimously voted to recommend disapproving a massive oil-by-rail terminal proposed along the Columbia River in Washington. The state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, which has been evaluating the project since 2013, decided Tuesday to tell Gov. Jay Inslee to reject the project.

Top Dems pull out of White House meeting after Trump attack

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., left, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., center, head to the Senate floor for votes on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday evening, Nov. 27, 2017. President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are scrambling to change a Republican tax bill in an effort to win over holdout GOP senators and pass a tax package by the end of the year.

LocalIowa, Nebraska road projects see boost from gas tax increase

Two years after Iowa and Nebraska raised their gas taxes, both states are seeing a flurry of new roadway projects at a time when national infrastructure efforts have stalled. The extra revenue has allowed state and local officials to move forward quickly on overdue bridge repairs and plans for major highway projects.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) speaks during a Senate Energy and…

From right: Sens. Lisa Murkowski , Maria Cantwell and Bernie Sanders during the confirmation hearing for former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of energy, before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Jan. 19, 2017. From right: Sens. Lisa Murkowski , Maria Cantwell and Bernie Sanders during the confirmation hearing for former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of energy, before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Jan. 19, 2017.

How #piegate is the latest example of the Trump administration’s…

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders takes reporters' questions at a news conference in the White House briefing room this month. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders takes reporters' questions at a news conference in the White House briefing room this month.

Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan: Respect existence or expect resistance

Last week in Bonn, Germany, thousands gathered at the heavily secured United Nations climate conference, dubbed “COP 23,” a Potemkin village of bureaucrats, politicians, environmentalists, journalists and local support staff. Sixty kilometers away, in the 12,000-year-old Hambach Forest, scores of activists, living in treehouses, defended the old growth woodland in an ongoing struggle to save the rare ecosystem from destruction and stop the expansion of Europe's largest open-pit mine, a sprawling hole in the earth where energy company RWE extracts lignite, or brown coal, the dirtiest coal on earth.

Georgia Farm Bureau to hold convention in December

Georgia Farm Bureau members will gather on Jekyll Island for the organization's 80th annual meeting Dec. 3 to 5. Gov. Nathan Deal, U.S. Dist 1 Rep. Buddy Carter and Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black will address convention attendees during the general session on Dec. 4 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Dayton: Shouldn’t take long to elect two new legislators

Two Minnesota lawmakers are resigning amid allegations of sexual harassment, and on Wednesday Gov. Mark Dayton said it shouldn't take long to replace them. Dayton said he'll call for special elections soon once he receives formal notices from state Sen. Dan Schoen, a Democrat from St. Paul Park, and Rep. Tony Cornish, a Republican from Vernon Center.

Democrats, advocacy groups launch blitz of ads attacking tax plan

The tax overhaul pushed by President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans is prompting a slew of attack ads by Democrats and progressive groups that say the legislation would lavish benefits on corporations and the rich, while harming the middle class. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence depart the U.S. Capitol after meeting with House Republicans ahead of their vote on the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" in Washington, U.S. on November 16, 2017.

NJ Politics Digest: Christie Offers to Help Murphy, Or Else

Gov. Chris Christie said he's here to help Governor-elect Phil Murphy - but only if his successor wants it. "I said to him, 'This can be the first of many conversations, or this can be our first and last, but that's completely up you,'" Christie said Tuesday, recalling his 90-minute meeting with Murphy earlier this month.