Wednesday marks 20 years since deadly tornado swept through Spencer
The tornado swept through the town on May 30, 1998, causing $18 million in damage, killing 6 people and injuring more than 150 others.
Category Archives: US Senate
Kim Kardashian West goes to the White House to talk pardon
This combination photo shows President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Moon Township, Pa., on March 10, 2018, left, and Kim Kardashian West at the NBCUniversal Network 2017 Upfront in New York on May 15, 2017. Kardashian West arrived at the White House for a meeting with presidential senior adviser Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law.
Group rallies in front of Cornyn’s office over family separation policy
AUSTIN - Laurie Felker Jones immediately thought of her two kids when she learned about the Trump administration's family separation policy. "When I heard about what was happening, it was very easy to look at my children and understand what It's like when they're afraid and understand what it's like to be there for them or when we can't be there for them for some reason," she said.
PHOTO: Book cover of ‘This Fight Is Our Fight’ by Elizabeth Warren.
On a Tuesday evening in February 2017, I stood up on the floor of the U.S. Senate and launched into a review of the record of President Donald Trump's nominee for Attorney General, Senator Jeff Sessions. Part way into my speech, I started reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King.
Hamden homeowners are hoping for a helping hand to restore their property
More than two weeks after the storm Hamden residents are looking for assistance to repair and clean up the damage." Mark Baselice said, "There's so many tree that came down we can't afford to take these out."
Trump signs bill for terminal patients to try unproven drugs
President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday aimed at helping people with deadly diseases try experimental treatments, calling it a "fundamental freedom" that will offer hope and save lives. Joined by families dealing with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, and other diseases, Trump signed the so-called Right to Try bill and said he never understood why the issue had lagged for years and Congress hadn't acted sooner.
Missouri governor out amid probes stemming from extramarital affair
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, a sometimes brash political outsider whose unconventional resume as a Rhodes scholar and Navy SEAL officer made him a rising star in the Republican Party, resigned Tuesday amid a widening investigation that arose from an affair with his former hairdresser. The 44-year-old governor spent nearly five months fighting to stay in office after the affair became public in January in a television news report that aired immediately following his State of the State address.
Top Republican disputes Trump’s – spy’ claim
"The FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do, said Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. "The FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do, said Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. WASHINGTON - There is no evidence that the FBI planted a "spy" on President Trump's 2016 campaign, a senior House Republican said Wednesday, directly contradicting Trump's repeated insistence that the agency inserted a "spy for political reasons and to help Crooked Hillary win." Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee and a longtime Trump supporter, was briefed last week by the Justice Department and FBI following reports that investigators relied on a U.S. government informant in its investigation into Russian election meddling.
Department of Veterans Affairs
Peter O'Rourke, the chief of staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs, will step in and lead the agency while President Donald Trump's pick for a new VA head is confirmed by the Senate. Robert Wilkie, whose nomination to lead VA was unexpectedly announced by Trump in an offhand manner at a White House on May 18, has been temporary head of the veterans' agency since former chief David Shulkin was fired in March.
Florida is ‘ground zero’ to win House, Democratic chair Tom Perez says
Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, second from right, holds a roundtable with Democratic officials including U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, right, and Florida Democratic Chair Terrie Rizzo, third from right, at the Carpenters' union building in Orlando, May 30, 2018 Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, second from right, holds a roundtable with Democratic officials including U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, right, and Florida Democratic Chair Terrie Rizzo, third from right, at the Carpenters' union building in Orlando, May 30, 2018 Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez heard impassioned pleas from party officials about issues ranging from housing to health care at a roundtable in Orlando on Wednesday.
How Trump’s Election Shook Obama: ‘What if We Were Wrong?’
Riding in a motorcade in Lima, Peru, shortly after the 2016 election, President Barack Obama was struggling to understand Donald J. Trump's victory. He had read a column asserting that liberals had forgotten how important identity was to people and had promoted an empty cosmopolitan globalism that made many feel left behind.
DNC gives Florida Democrats grant to mobilize Puerto Ricans
The Democratic National Committee is giving Florida Democrats a $100,000 grant for mobilizing Puerto Rican voters across the state during what is expected to be a fiercely-fought U.S. Senate race. Perez held a round-table discussion about the tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans who have moved to Florida since last fall's devastating Hurricane Maria.
Senators Urge Trump to Take Tougher Action Against China in S. China Sea
The Trump administration should take tougher action to counter Chinese militarization in the South China Sea, a bipartisan trio of senators has urged in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The letter, sent by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey along with his Republican colleagues Sens. Marco Rubio and Cory Gardner, expressed "grave concerns" over Beijing's actions and stated that "we believe there is strong bipartisan congressional support for taking significant actions in response to the Chinese government's continuing militarization of the South China Sea."
Prosecutor dropping computer-tampering case against Greitens
Greitens res... . Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens leaves the podium after announcing his resignation at a news conference, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at the state Capitol, in Jefferson City, Mo.
#WhereAreTheChildren: Here are the facts about the a losta minors who attempted to cross the border
The Trump administration is pushing back against reports that a government agency "lost" nearly 1,500 unaccompanied minors who attempted to cross the border into the United States. An official at the Department of Health and Human Services who oversees programs that place unaccompanied minors with families told a Senate committee last month that a department office "was unable to determine with certainty the whereabouts of 1,475 unaccompanied alien children."
Is Roseanne Barr what America has Become?
The cancellation of Roseanne Barr's situation comedy reboot at ABC/Disney is not, as some of my more serious acquaintances on social media are saying, unimportant. Barr's attack via Twitter on former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett , is an important moment in American cultural history.
More women than ever run for Senate, but hurdles remain
Women running for office are due to hit another threshold with a record number of candidates for the U.S. Senate, but actually winning those seats and changing the face of the chamber are a different matter. Many of the women jumping into Senate races face uphill campaigns.
Fitzgerald: HBO’s John McCain documentary is TV done right
FOR COURAGE AND CONVICTION: U.S. Sen. John McCain, left, receives the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal from former Vice President Joe Biden last year. This is not a TV review column, thankfully, because "bleak" would not begin to capture the assessment here of what passes for entertainment these days.
How has the Senate Intelligence Committee stayed united on the Russia probe that split the House?
Congress's last chance to tell Americans - in a bipartisan way - how Russia interfered in the 2016 election rests with 15 senators who meet twice a week behind closed doors. The Senate Intelligence Committee has become a rare symbol of unity on the divisive issue of Russia's role in the presidential race - quite a feat for a panel with members ranging from conservative Trump ally Tom Cotton, R-Ark., to liberal Trump critic Kamala Harris, D-Calif.
Romney defends against attacks from opponent in Senate debate
Romney parried the criticism from his opponent, state Rep. Mike Kennedy, and praised the president's handling of several issues including China on trade. Mr. Trump has endorsed Romney, which the former governor of Massachusetts said shows the president "respects people who call them like they see them."