Trump picks acting director Robert Wilkie to head Veterans Affairs

President Donald Trump said Friday he has chosen Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to permanently lead the beleaguered department, a surprise announcement that appeared to catch Wilkie off guard. Wilkie, a former Pentagon undersecretary for personnel and readiness, has led the department since Trump fired David Shulkin in March amid an ethics scandal and mounting rebellion within the building.

Trump nominates acting VA secretary Wilkie for permanent job

In a surprise announcement that caught the candidate off-guard, President Donald Trump said Friday he'll nominate acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to permanently lead the beleaguered department. Trump spilled the news about Wilkie at a White House event on prison reform as he introduced Cabinet members in attendance.

Laurie Holt holds a photograph of her son, Joshua Holt, at her home,…

The U.S. State Department has expressed concern over the welfare of a Utah man jailed in Venezuela, a day after he managed to upload a video to Facebook saying inmates at his prison had seized the complex and were trying to kill him. As we have reported previously , 26-year-old Joshua Holt traveled to Venezuela in 2016 to marry Thamara Caleno Candelo, whom he met online.

US Senate confirms Haspel to be first woman CIA director

The U.S. Senate confirmed Gina Haspel May 17 to be director of the CIA , ending a bruising confirmation fight centered on her ties to the spy agency's past use of waterboarding and other brutal interrogation techniques. Haspel, who will be the first woman to lead the CIA , is a 33-year veteran at the agency currently serving as its acting director.

When Trump Attacks Democrats Mostly Stay Quiet

Politico : "After laying into Sen. Jon Tester in late April, Trump is reveling in a new round of attacks on the 10 senators up for reelection in states that the president won in 2016. Always more of an attack dog toward his enemies than a defender of his allies, Trump is laying into 'Sleepin'' Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, calling Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania a 'disaster' and blaming Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio for 'catch and release' immigration policies."

Senate votes to confirm Haspel as first female CIA director

CIA nominee Gina Haspel testifies May 9 during a confirmation hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. On a 54-45 vote that split both parties, the Senate on Thursday confirmed her as the first female director of the CIA.

In film, McCain says Americans deserve more from Washington

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other lawmakers stop by an event on Capitol Hill during the debut a documentary film about Sen. John McCain, in Washington, Thursday, May 17, 2018. McCain, currently away from the Senate, was diagnosed in last July with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Long-awaited OIG report recommends criminal prosecution of FBI and DOJ

The long-expected report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice has moved into its final phase. DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz has found, according to the Wall Street Journal, "reasonable grounds" to believe that federal laws were broken by the FBI and DOJ it their probes of Hillary Clinton.

Gina Haspel confirmed as first female CIA chief despite interrogation row

The US Senate has confirmed Gina Haspel as the CIA's first female director despite her role in one of the darkest chapters in the spy agency's history. Ms Haspel was a controversial choice because of her role in a former CIA programme to brutally detain and interrogate terror suspects at covert sites abroad following the 9/11 attacks.

Mueller investigation enters 2nd year, where is it headed?

On the anniversary of Robert Mueller taking over the investigation into possible Russian collusion in the 2016 election, AP Reporter Eric Tucker reflects on the case: who has been questioned, who has been charged and what is yet to come. WASHINGTON - It was one year ago Thursday when Robert Mueller, the former FBI director, was appointed as special counsel to take over the Justice Department's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

McConnell Warns That Senate Is In Play

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told the Washington Post that control of the Senate is "absolutely" in play in the midterm elections, identifying the nine battleground states he believes will decide the outcome in November. Said McConnell: "I always think it's better to be candid and not try to spin people into thinking this isn't going to be a challenging election.