Lawmakers: US Senate’s health care plan would hurt Vermont

The health care proposal under consideration in the U.S. Senate would be devastating to the thousands of Vermont residents who rely on the current system for care, and it has the potential to wreak havoc on the state's finances, top state and federal politicians across the political spectrum said Monday. Meeting in the Statehouse office of Republican Gov. Phil Scott, the three members of the congressional delegation and other top lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties said they had different opinions about the best way to fix President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, but they agreed Vermont residents had to be protected in the process.

Trump nominee to lead FBI pledges to resist White House pressure

FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he would protect the bureau's independence and resist pressure from the White House. FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he would protect the bureau's independence and resist pressure from the White House.

In Senate hearing, Jeff Sessions denies ‘false and scurrilous allegations’

The U.S. Attorney General denounced as a "detestable lie" charges that he had been party to any Russian election interference during the 2016 campaign, as Jeff Sessions sidestepped a number of questions from Democrats in a politically charged hearing on Russia's election actions. Sessions also denied the notion that concerns about Trump's behavior caused him to linger after a meeting when Trump asked for everyone but Comey to leave the room.

Sessions vigorously denies improper Russia contacts

Attorney General Jeff Sessions heatedly denied on Tuesday having an undisclosed meeting with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. and declared it was a "detestable and appalling lie" to suggest he was aware of or took part in any collusion between Russia and the election campaign that sent Donald Trump to the White House. Testifying at a packed Senate hearing, Sessions, who was a close Trump adviser during the battle for the presidency, also rejected any idea of misconduct in the ouster of FBI Director James Comey and vowed to defend his honor "against scurrilous and false allegations."

US attorney general next in scandal’s spotlight

Jeff Sessions, a longtime senator until President Donald Trump picked him as U.S. Attorney General, heads to Congress next week where he could face a grilling about his Russian interactions. Sessions, among the earliest high-profile backers of Trump's election campaign, will appear before his former colleagues on June 13, days after explosive testimony by ousted FBI director James Comey, whose removal he recommended.

Justice Dept.: Sessions recused from probe due to campaign

Ousted FBI Director James Comey provided a lot of answers during his public testimony before a Senate committee Thursday, but he left one substantial question unanswered: How did the FBI know Attorney General Jeff Sessions was going to step aside from the investigation into the Trump campaign's Russia ties? The Justice Department responded late Thursday, saying that after consultations with department ethics officials Sessions recused himself because of his involvement in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, "for that reason, and that reason alone." The department's statement did not directly respond to Comey's comment that he was "aware of facts" that would make Sessions' continued involvement in the Russia probe problematic.

Transforming Transit in Vermont

VHB partnered with the city of Burlington and Green Mountain Transit to deliver the new Downtown Transit Center in Burlington, Vermont. From every phase of project development - including planning, feasibility and concept design, environmental documentation, final design, and construction phase services - VHB helped transform transit in Vermont.

Senate to hear from Comey; Dems raise new Session questions

In this file photo, then-FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Comey, ousted last month amid a federal investigation into connections between Russia and the Trump campaign, is set to testify before Congress next week in a highly anticipated hearing that could shed new light on his private conversations with the president in the weeks before the firing.

Appointment of a special prosecutor was essential: Erwin Chemerinsky

President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey created an urgent need for a special prosecutor, independent of the White House and the Justice Department, to investigate whether members of the Trump campaign team and administration violated federal law. The Justice Department's appointment Wednesday of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special prosecutor was the right thing to do.

Comey’s firing isn’t like the ‘Saturday Night Massacre’

Long ago and far away, when I was a young special assistant first to Attorney General William French Smith and then to Attorney General Edwin Meese, the young staff would automatically stand up whenever William Webster, then director of the FBI, walked into a room. At the Friday morning round-table briefings in the attorney general's massive conference room, when Webster addressed the group, everyone leaned in.

Comey successfully dodged the biggest question looming over…

FBI Director James Comey said in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that he treated the bureau's probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server and its investigation into President Donald Trump's ties to Russia "consistently," and "under the same principles." Comey was grilled by the committee's Democrats about why he decided announce, 11 days before the 2016 election , that the FBI was revisiting the Clinton email investigation but did not reveal that the FBI had also been investigating possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

Sanders says he’ll introduce ‘Medicare for all’ bill

U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, speaking, and Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch hold a town hall meeting with constituents Saturday, March 25, 2017, in Hardwick, Vt. The three-member congressional delegation called the defeat of the Republican health care plan a victory.

Guest column: Gorsuch’s assurances likely tested

Gorsuch's assurances that 'no man is above the law' are likely to be tested right away, writes David Adler. The sincerity of the assurances made by Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the course of confirmation hearings that the president "is not above the law," is likely to be tested if, as expected, he is approved by the Senate for the vacant seat on the High Tribunal.

The Latest: Gorsuch talks of 1 case that lingered

Graphic shows profile information for Supreme Court nominee and selected opinions; 2c x 9 inches; 96.3 mm x 228 mm; Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch, left, shares a laugh with Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb.as he arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 21, 2017, for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Latest: FBI investigation complicates Gorsuch nomination

Some liberal interest groups and advocates are calling on the Senate to put off confirmation of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee while the FBI is investigating possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe tweeted Tuesday morning that it's a "sensible rule" to withhold approval for nominee Neil Gorsuch for as long as the investigation continues.