Bipartisan US lawmakers urge Trump to sanction Venezuela

A bipartisan group of 34 U.S. lawmakers has sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to step up pressure on Venezuela's government by immediately sanctioning officials responsible for corruption and human rights abuses, The Associated Press has learned. The letter was partly prompted by an AP investigation, which it cites, that found corruption in Venezuela's food imports.

Republicans vote to rebuke Elizabeth Warren, saying she impugned Sessions’s character

In a Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 file photo, Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. questions Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the committee's confirmation hearing for Mattis.

As Trump fears fraud, GOP eliminates election commission

A House committee voted on Tuesday to eliminate an independent election commission charged with helping states improve their voting systems as President Donald Trump erroneously claims widespread voter fraud cost him the popular vote. The party-line vote came less than two days after Trump vowed to set up a White House commission helmed by Vice President Mike Pence to pursue his accusations of election fraud.

Trump State Department in cone of silence for lack of staff

U.S. allies and adversaries looking for clarity on President Donald Trump's foreign policy will have to wait a bit longer to get that guidance from Rex Tillerson's State Department. For the third consecutive week since Trump took office, State Department press briefings normally held every workday haven't been scheduled, no chief of staff has been named and many of the most senior posts at the department remain vacant.

Army to allow completion of Dakota Access oil pipeline

The Army said Tuesday that it will allow the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, clearing the way for completion of the disputed four-state project. However, construction could still be delayed because the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which has led opposition, said it would fight the latest development in court.

Judges hammer attorneys on both sides of travel ban case

President Donald Trump's travel ban faced its toughest test yet Tuesday as a panel of appeals court judges hammered away at the administration's claim that the ban was motivated by terrorism fears while also directing pointed questions to an attorney challenging the executive order on grounds that it unconstitutionally targeted Muslims. The contentious hearing before three judges on the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals focused narrowly on whether a restraining order issued by a lower court should remain in effect while a challenge to the ban proceeds.

World briefs: Putin critic, who said he was poisoned in 2015, falls into coma

A leader of the Russian opposition who has been a vocal critic of what he calls a Kremlin policy of assassinating political enemies has fallen into a life-threatening coma caused by an unknown poison, his wife said Monday. The diagnosis of what ailed Vladimir Kara-Murza came at a delicate political moment for the United States and Russia, as President Donald Trump had just brushed aside criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "killer."

Yemen withdraws permission for U.S. antiterror ground missions

Angry at the civilian casualties incurred last month in the first commando raid authorized by President Donald Trump, Yemen has withdrawn permission for the United States to run Special Operations ground missions against suspected terror groups in the country, according to American officials. Grisly photographs of children apparently killed in the crossfire of a 50-minute firefight during the raid caused outrage in Yemen.

The Latest: DeVos sworn in as education secretary

Betsy DeVos has been sworn in as the U.S. education secretary, hours after her nomination was approved by the Senate in a vote that required Vice President Mike Pence to break the tie. DeVos was sworn in by Pence in a ceremony at the vice president's ceremonial office.

For a new president, an election that won’t fade

St. Charles, La. Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne, the president of the National Sheriffs Association listens at left as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with county sheriffs in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017.

Federal judges express skepticism about Trump’s Muslim nation travel ban

To continue reading up to 10 premium articles, you must register , or sign up and take advantage of this exclusive offer: Jayne Novak, left, smiles as she stands with her husband, Allen Novak, newly-arrived from Iran, and their daughter Nikta, as they stand with a flag and pose for cameras Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, at Seattle Tacoma International Airport. Allen Novak joined his family, of Silverdale, Wash., on a conditional resident visa.

Voters await economic revival in a part of pro-Trump America

President Donald Trump is sworn in during a live broadcast of the inauguration as Denny Riebe, from right, Doug Dickman, Scott Reilly, and Bill Winter, play cards at the Sawmill Saloon in Prairie du Chien, Wis., Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. The men who meet here for cards every morning and call themselves the Corner of Superior Knowledge are made up democrats, Trump supporters and another described as agnostic.

Employers worry GOP Obamacare overhaul could harm coverage

Through years of acrimony over Obamacare coverage for the poor and other individuals lacking health policies, one kind of insurance has remained steady, widespread and relatively affordable. Employer-sponsored medical plans still cover more Americans than any other type, typically with greater benefits and lower out-of-pocket expense.