People Are Questioning Donald Trump’s Motives For Pardoning Legendary Boxer Jack Johnson

On Thursday, President Donald Trump granted a posthumous presidential pardon to legendary boxer Jack Johnson, the first African-American boxing heavyweight champion. Johnson, who died in 1946, was convicted of violating The Mann Act in 1913 after taking his white wife, Lucille Cameron, across state lines for what the white jury called "immoral purpose."

In turnabout, Minnesota senator becomes lieutenant governor

A high-ranking Minnesota state lawmaker thrust into the lieutenant governor's office following U.S. Sen. Al Franken's resignation moved abruptly Friday to resign her state Senate seat and take the oath of office as lieutenant governor, a swift reversal for the longtime Republican senator who had resisted the job and its duties. Senate President Michelle Fischbach's ascent was automatic after Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton appointed then-Lt.

Harvey Weinstein won’t testify at New York grand jury, lawyer says

Harvey Weinstein's defense attorney says Weinstein won't appear before the New York grand jury meeting Wednesday to hear testimony on the sex-crimes charges against him. Attorney Ben Brafman issued a statement Wednesday saying he advised Weinstein to skip the grand jury hearing because of a lack of time to prepare.

Senate approves sexual harassment bill for Congress

The Senate gave swift approval Thursday to a bill that revamps the system for handling sexual harassment complaints on Capitol Hill. "We are completely overhauling the sexual harassment policies of the Congress," she said of the bill, crafted with Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

Congressional leaders get briefings on Russia probe

FBI Director Christopher Wray departs the Capitol through a basement corridor after House and Senate lawmakers from both parties met for a classified briefing about the federal investigation into President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 24, 2018.

Trump pardons late boxer Jack Johnson a century later

President Donald Trump has granted a rare posthumous pardon to boxing's first black heavyweight champion, clearing Jack Johnson's name more than 100 years after what many see as his racially charged conviction. "I am taking this very righteous step, I believe, to correct a wrong that occurred in our history and to honor a truly legendary boxing champion," Trump said Thursday during an Oval Office ceremony.

US bill would force tech companies to disclose foreign software probes

U.S. tech companies would be forced to disclose if they allowed American adversaries, like Russia and China, to examine the inner workings of software sold to the U.S. military under proposed legislation, Senate staff told Reuters on Thursday. The bill, approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, comes after a year-long Reuters investigation found software makers allowed a Russian defense agency to hunt for vulnerabilities in software that was already deeply embedded in some of the most sensitive parts of the U.S. government, including the Pentagon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and intelligence agencies.

Groups urge vetoes over environmental trust fund ‘raid’

Environmental and conservation groups urged Gov. Mark Dayton on Thursday to cancel $98 million in projects funded by what they consider an improper raid on a trust fund that depends on state lottery proceeds. The wastewater infrastructure projects for smaller communities, and some other projects, are part of a $1.5 billion public works borrowing bill.

Federal prisons director stepped down due to strained relationship with Jared Kushner, Jeff Sessions

The director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Mark Inch, stepped down from his post last week due to his strained relationship with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to a report Thursday. Inch, a retired Army major general, claimed that he had been barred from weighing in on important decisions by Kushner and Sessions, and noted there was a disregard for "departmental norms" when he announced he was resigning, the New York Times reports .

Mitch McConnell Explains How ‘Cocaine Mitch’ Tweet Softened His Image Before Midterms

Rather than resonating with young people, Hillary Clinton's 2016 rallying cry of " Pokemon Go to the polls " came off as painfully forced. President Trump's " Little Rocket Man " tweets likewise left the general American population with turned heads, wondering, After coal baron and convicted felon Don Blankenship saw his senate candidacy squashed in West Virginia's primaries earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted an homage to Netflix's Narcos .

Analysis: Trump’s tactics both catalyst and drag on North Korea talks

WASHINGTON As talks between the United States and North Korea about a historic nuclear summit picked up pace last month, President Trump, ever the real estate developer, was eager to discuss one particular detail of the potential gathering: its location. Before ruling out the Demilitarized Zone as a site for the meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, Trump envisioned a "great celebration" emanating from the austere, barbed-wire-lined border that has cleaved the Korean Peninsula since the Eisenhower administration.

Trump Cancels Summit With North Korean Leader

WASHINGTON - President Trump has cancelled the upcoming summit between the United States and the North Koreans in a new letter released on Thursday. Mr. Trump writes in the letter that he was "very much looking forward to being there with you.

APNewsBreak: Ethics complaint filed over Gianforte assault Source: AP

The head of the Montana Democratic Party on Thursday asked for a congressional ethics investigation into whether Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte lied to the police and the public when he assaulted a reporter last year. The request by the party's executive director, Nancy Keenan, comes exactly one year after Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said Gianforte "body slammed" him for asking a question the day before Gianforte won a special election for Montana's only U.S. House seat.

A banner week for GOP’s agenda to ease burdens on banks

On Thursday, President Trump signed the biggest rewrite of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law since President Barack Obama signed it after the 2008 financial crisis. President Trump and congressional Republicans, with the help of some Democrats, are enjoying a sudden burst of progress in their agenda to lighten regulations on the financial industry.

APNewsBreak: Ethics complaint made over 2017…

The head of the Montana Democratic Party on Thursday asked for a congressional ethics investigation into whether Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte lied to the police and the public when he assaulted a reporter last year. The request by the party's executive director, Nancy Keenan, comes exactly one year after Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said Gianforte "body slammed" him for asking a question the day before Gianforte won a special election for Montana's only U.S. House seat.

President Trump scraps summit meeting with Kim Jong Un Source: Cox Media Group

After days of uncertainty about a planned June 12 summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump on Thursday told Kim in a letter that because of hostile statements from the Pyongyang regime in recent days, the summit in Singapore would not take place. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is in appropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," the President wrote in his letter to Kim.