Manafort has 3 passports, traveled to China with phone registered…

Papadopoulos Claimed Trump Campaign Approved Russia Meeting - Former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos made a significant claim in an email: Top Trump campaign officials agreed to a pre-election meeting with representatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bloomberg News reports.

White House Asks Congress for $29 Billion in Hurricane Aid

The White House asked Congress on Wednesday to approve $29 billion in additional hurricane relief and debt forgiveness, seeking to help Puerto Rico and other battered areas and to shore up the troubled federal program that provides flood insurance to homes and small businesses. The request came nearly a month after lawmakers approved a first installment of $15 billion in disaster relief, taking action after Hurricane Harvey caused devastation in Texas and while Hurricane Irma was heading toward Florida.

Prosecutors Open Criminal Investigation Into Equifax Breach

Federal authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the massive data breach at Equifax , which potentially exposed the personal information of up to 143 million Americans, including their Social Security and driver's license numbers. United States Attorney John A. Horn, the federal prosecutor in Atlanta, said in a statement that his office was working with the F.B.I. to investigate the cyberattack.

The Latest: Corporate culture a factor in Equifax breach?

Equifax is blaming an unspecified "website application vulnerability" in hackers' ability to get personal information on 143 million Americans. Security experts say it's hard to say for sure without more information, but such vulnerabilities typically don't require a lot of sophistication to exploit.

Hurricane Harvey submerges some divides in Washington

Hurricane Harvey's still-rising flood waters have altered the landscape well beyond Texas: They have put aside, at least for now, vast differences within the Republican Party. Instead of the discord and infighting that's marked the first seven months of the Trump administration, Republican leaders on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are vowing to swiftly approve recovery funds for the areas devastated by the storm.

News 19 mins ago 9:46 a.m.What Texas officials are saying about white nationalist protests ina

A crowd of white nationalists are met by a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017. REUTERS/Justin Ide REUTERS/Justin Ide After a rally by white nationalists turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday, President Trump responded by saying: "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides."

Republicans step up effort to oust CFPB chief Cordray

Under current law, President Trump does not have the power to remove Cordray from office except for cause, although that provision itself is being challenged in courts. On Friday, a subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee issued the results of an investigation which recommended that Cordray be found in contempt of Congress, charging that he and the agency had failed to comply with a committee investigation into its rulemaking process.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Fighting to make sure that the little guy gets crushed

The last thing Republicans on Capitol Hill apparently want the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to do is actually protect financial consumers. That would explain the angry GOP reaction whenever the bureau announces new rules, such as one this week to stop big financial institutions from imposing mandatory arbitration agreements on consumers who have legal grievances.

Republicans move to kill rule that made it easier to sue banks

Republican lawmakers are moving ahead to undo a rule that would make it easier for Americans to sue their banks and credit card companies. Senate and House lawmakers on Thursday separately unveiled bills that each proposes to overturn a recent rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which blocks companies from using arbitration clauses to stop consumers from bringing class action lawsuits.

Cordray fights back against House Republican contempt threat

A House Financial Services Committee report sharply criticizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's handling of the Wells Fargo phony-accounts scandal was biased and left out key information, according to Richard Cordray, the agency's director. In a letter to panel Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, Cordray attempted to rebut the Republican majority staff report, which had called for him to possibly be held in contempt for failure to properly comply with the committee's investigation.

House votes to roll back post-2008 financial rules

The Republican-led House has moved closer to fulfilling President Donald Trump's goal of doing "a big number" on Dodd-Frank, the landmark banking law created after the 2008 economic crisis that was designed to prevent future meltdowns. But the effort will likely require some major changes to bring about Democratic support in the Senate.

Architect of Dodd-Frank repeal bill agrees to key change

The architect of House legislation that would repeal much of the Dodd-Frank law enacted after the financial crisis has agreed to make a key change to the bill, clearing the way for the full House to take up the measure in coming weeks. The provision in question would have removed a cap on the fee that stores pay large banks when costumers use a debit card.

Bill That Guts the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Gets Committee Approval

The House Financial Services Committee approved legislation Thursday that severely weakens the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and puts consumers at risk of unfair and abusive financial practices, according to Consumers Union. Washington, DC - infoZine - The Financial CHOICE Act, sponsored by Representative Jeb Hensarling , is expected to be voted on by the full House of Representatives later this month.

Democrats seek to protect watchdog as GOP tackles Dodd-Frank

Democratic lawmakers will attempt to protect the independence of a consumer watchdog unit as Republicans move forward with an overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory laws. House Republicans are working to undo much of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that put the stiffest restrictions on banks and Wall Street since the 1930s Depression.

Is he for or against regulation? Trump swings in 1 day

In this Friday, April 21, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks at the Treasury Department in Washington, where he signed an executive order to review tax regulations set last year by his predecessor, as well as two memos to potentially reconsider major elements of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reforms passed in the wake of the Great Recession. While Republicans in Congress craft a bill to unwind the tighter financial rules that took effect after the 2008 crisis, President Donald Trump is looking in another, seemingly opposite direction: He's entertaining the idea of restoring the Depression-era firewall between commercial banking and its riskier investment side.

The Wall Street Journal: Trump plans to nominate Scott Garrett,…

President Donald Trump said Friday he would nominate former congressman Scott Garrett, who has supported closing the U.S. Export-Import Bank, to head the credit agency. Garrett voted in 2012 and in 2015 against renewing the charter of the Ex-Im Bank, which guarantees loans for companies that export U.S. products.

Lawmaker says bill to scrap much of Dodd-Frank is coming soon

The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Jeb Hensarling, plans to release by the end of the month a revised proposal to scrap much of the Dodd-Frank Act. The Texas Republican's new bill would give banks relief from the government's annual stress tests, which assess whether they could survive a financial meltdown, and strip the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of key powers.