Schwarzenegger says he’s not running for U.S. Senate

He said Sunday that he is not interested in running for the U.S. Senate, after rumors bubbled last week that he was considering a campaign for the seat currently held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein. "I'm deeply flattered by all of the people who have approached me about running for Senate, but my mission right now is to bring sanity to Washington through redistricting reform like we passed here in California," Schwarzenegger wrote on his Facebook page early Sunday morning.

The Latest: Senators ask attorney general, FBI for briefing

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee are asking the attorney general and FBI director for a briefing on the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California sent a letter late Wednesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey requesting a briefing the week of Feb. 27. Congress is out of session next week for the Presidents' Day holiday.

Water level drops at threatened California dam; evacuees might not return home until it’s repaired

OROVILLE, Calif. – Nearly 200,000 people who were ordered to leave their homes after a California spillway threatened to unleash a 30-foot wall of water may not be able to return until significant erosion is repaired, authorities said Monday.

The Latest: Sheriff: Evacuation may not end until fixes made

A state school official says any school forced to close because of evacuations may be able to recover attendance funding, the main revenue source for local districts. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson says he has directed his staff to help affected school administrators to apply for waivers due to school closures.

Gorsuch meets with Democrats

In this Jan. 31, 2017 file photo, Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. WASHINGTON -- Republicans and conservative groups stepped up their campaign to secure confirmation of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee as the federal judge courted two Senate Democrats crucial to his winning a seat on the high court.

Congress deluged with phone calls

An avalanche of phone calls is thundering across Capitol Hill as the Senate considers a slew of President Donald Trump's nominations, causing staffers to work continuously to field requests, complaints and other messages during an already busy time in the congressional calendar. Matt House, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said that as many as 1.5 million calls per day have been pouring into the Senate this week, according to data from Schumer's technical staff.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Democrats offered legislation and protests Monday to try to force a repeal of President Trump's executive order banning most Syrian refugees and citizens from six other Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. Congressional Democrats seek to repeal Trump's refugee travel ban Democrats offered legislation and protests Monday to try to force a repeal of President Trump's executive order banning most Syrian refugees and citizens from six other Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. Check out this story on pal-item.com: http://usat.ly/2jO7Bk1 WASHINGTON - Democrats offered legislation and protests Monday to try to force a repeal of President Trump's executive order banning most Syrian refugees and citizens from six other Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is ... (more)

Jeff Sessions vote expected next Tuesday, despite the ACLU’s request for delay

A Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General is expected to proceed Tuesday, according to a Senate staffer, despite requests by a civil liberties group to delay it in order to question the senator about executive actions signed by President Trump this week. The American Civil Liberties Union wrote to Sen. Charles Grassley and Sen. Dianne Feinstein , respectively the chairman and ranking member of the judiciary committee , asking them to cancel Tuesday's pending committee vote on Mr. Sessions nomination and to instead hold another round of questioning.

Here are the California lawmakers skipping Donald Trumpa s inauguration a ” and the ones who arena t

The state of California has a 53-member House of Representatives delegation and, like all other states, two senators. Here is a list of all 55 members of the California Congressional delegation, and whether or not they are planning to attend Friday's inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States.

Matt Welch:

Code Pink may get a bad rap, disrupting as it does seemingly every significant event on Capitol Hill. But the most hysterical performances at Tuesday's serially interrupted Senate confirmation hearing for attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions came not from scrappy protesters, but from the august senators within.

Sessions would recuse himself from Clinton probe

Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. WASHINGTON >> The Latest on the Senate confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump's selection for attorney general : Sen. Jeff Sessions said that if he is confirmed as attorney general, he would recuse himself from investigations of Hillary Clinton's email server after making comments during the presidential election about the matter.

Democrats push to have Congressional Black Caucus members testify at Sessions hearings

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according... California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has pressed Chairman Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, to include Rep. John Lewis and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus in the confirmation hearings for Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III to be attorney general. Grassley has agreed-in a separate but equal kind of way .

Donald Solem had few peers as political organizer, adviser

Donald Solem, the political organizer and campaign quarterback who ran successful drives on behalf of countless civic issues from school bonds to parking garages, seemed to make friends with everyone who shook his sizable hand. He was a large man with a broad smile, a cheery manner and keen insight into getting voters to see things his way.

Nation 29 mins ago 5:36 a.m.NAACP president, members arrested protesting Jeff Sessions’ Attorneya

NAACP president Cornell William Brooks was arrested Tuesday night after staging a sit-in protest at the Mobile, Alabama, office of Republican senator Jeff Sessions, who is Donald Trump's Attorney General nominee. Alabama NAACP president Bernard Simelton and other NAACP members were also arrested.