EDITORIAL: Tax reform, designed to create jobs, jobs, jobs, yields its first results

The announcement on Wednesday that Apple Inc. will bring $350 billion in cash parked overseas - that's billion with a B - home to the United States, to invest here and create as many as 20,000 new jobs, is likely to be the economic story of the year. Donald Trump , who made his boast that he would "make America great again" the centerpiece of his campaign for president, couldn't have designed this play better on a blackboard.

Lawmakers see path to bringing back earmarks

Lawmakers from both parties expressed support on Wednesday for reversing the House's ban on earmarks, despite skepticism from key conservatives who originally pushed to end the practice nearly a decade ago. The overwhelming consensus at a House Rules Committee hearing on Wednesday was that allowing members of Congress to authorize pet projects back in their districts makes them more effective at their jobs.

White House official: Trump immigration views have evolved Source: AP

President Donald Trump's views on immigration and building a wall along the Mexico border have evolved since his presidential campaign, the White House chief of staff said Wednesday. Those changes are giving some people hope that a compromise with Congress on the thorny issue is possible.

Bob Dole to be presented with Congressional Gold Medal with Trump in attendance

Former congressman, senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole was one of the few prominent GOP names to support President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Trump will repay that support on Wednesday as he appears at an award ceremony granting Dole the Congressional Gold Medal.

Russia is helping North Korea evade international sanctions: Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Russia is helping North Korea evade international sanctions and that Pyongyang is getting "closer every day" to being able to deliver a long-range missile to the United States. "Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea," Trump said during an Oval Office interview with Reuters.

Sen. Jeff Flake condemns Trumpa s media attacks, compares rhetoric to Stalin

In a searing speech on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, Sen. Jeff Flake denounced President Donald Trump for his sustained attacks against the news media, going so far as to compare his rhetoric to that of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. In Flake's remarks Wednesday, he pointed to Stalin, the Soviet Union's 30-year dictator as a seeming inspiration for Trump's attacks against the press, singling out a phrase that each used to refer to their interpreted opposition.

Liberals press Dems to act on immigration, shutdown or no Source: AP

Shrugging off the prospect of a government shutdown, liberal activists are demanding that Democrats protect thousands of young immigrants from deportation, no matter what. The conflict comes to a head this week as the Republicans who control Congress scramble to get enough votes -- including some from Senate Democrats -- to avoid the partial shutdown.

‘This Is Reprehensible.’ Read Jeff Flake’s Speech…

Jeff Flake delivered a searing rebuke of President Donald Trump's attacks on the press on the Senate floor Wednesday, urging the chamber to counteract his rhetoric by defending the media. "Not only has the past year seen an American president borrow despotic language to refer to the free press, but it seems he has in turn inspired dictators and authoritarians with his own language.

GOP still struggling with Trump’s remarks on Africa

Republicans are struggling to get their stories straight as President Donald Trump's Homeland Security secretary became the latest GOP official to offer an inconclusive version of a meeting in which Trump is said to have used vulgar remarks that have been criticized as racist. Democrats accused Republicans of selective amnesia as Cabinet member Kirstjen Nielsen testified Tuesday under oath that she "did not hear" Trump use a certain vulgarity to describe African countries.

The Latest: Walker says voters unhappy with Washington

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says dissatisfaction with national politics influenced a special election win by a Democrat in a state Senate district that Donald Trump won in 2016 by 17 points. Walker told reporters Wednesday in Milwaukee that the Democratic win was a "wake-up call to distinguish between the inaction of Washington versus the positive action we are taking in Wisconsin."

Ryan presses Dems to back bill keeping government open

House Speaker Paul Ryan tried pressuring Democrats on Wednesday to back legislation preventing a weekend federal shutdown. But he gave little ground on the partisan battle over immigration, an issue many Democrats say must be resolved before they'll vote to keep agencies functioning.

Uh Oh: Did Wisconsin Just Hit the Tipping Point Last Night?

Wisconsin was a key state for the Donald Trump movement, but have we just now hit the tipping point to swing that state the other way? In this undated photo provided by the Patty for Senate Campaign, Patty Schachtner, the St. Croix County medical examiner and Somerset school board member, poses for a photo. Schachtner knocked off state Rep. Adam Jarchow in the Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, special election for a Wisconsin state Senate seat.

Kucinich frames Ohio governor bid around ‘We the People’

In this Jan. 10, 2015 file photo, Dennis Kucinich arrives at the 4th annual Sean Penn and Friends "Help Haiti Home" Gala at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Kucinich is preparing to make the Democratic primary for Ohio governor a five-way race.

Democrats flip traditionally conservative Wisconsin district

A Democrat has been elected to represent a traditionally conservative Wisconsin senate district where voters overwhelmingly supported President Donald Trump in 2016, in an upset that Democrats suggest could lead to more Republican losses in the state. Patty Schachtner's victory in the 10th Senate District late Tuesday could be a sign of hope for Democrats, who have been pushed to the brink of irrelevancy after seven years of Republican control of both legislative houses and the governor's office.

Government shutdown looms as a Dreamera deal stalls

House Republicans considered on Tuesday a stopgap bill to fund the U.S. government through Feb. 16 to avert a shutdown, but the measure would not include Democrats' demands for protections for young people brought to the United States illegally as children. Partisan finger-pointing over immigration policy on Tuesday left Congress and the White House stumbling closer to a possible federal government shutdown by the end of the week.

MSNBC’s Mika hammers DHS chief’s ‘painful’ defense of Trump’s ‘racism’

MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski said Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's "pained" defense of President Donald Trump's racist remarks overshadowed just how "depressing" the situation is in the White House. The cabinet official testified Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where lawmakers grilled her over the president's reported "sh*thole" remarks toward African nations and Haiti.

Citizen engagement with Congress reached a high in 2017. How will it fare in 2018?

It's one of several ways for people who aren't lobbyists or donors to engage with the people who govern their lives. Aside from all the solo callers, coordinated efforts that catered to the movement against President Donald Trump - like the Indivisible Guide, 5 Calls and Resistbot - gave direction to constituents , about whom to call, when and about what.