Benefits cheat caught trotting up stairs at work in Birmingham

Devastating moment Israeli missile obliterates Iranian rocket launcher and nearby soldiers in Syria as Netanyahu tells Tehran they 'crossed a red line' when they shelled the Golan Heights 'Lying, negligent' nurse is charged in death of ex-national security adviser H.R. McMaster's father at Philadelphia senior care facility in shocking abuse case Mother, 43, admits letting her blind, autistic son die in a field in his underwear, but could serve just 120 days behind bars after murder charge was dropped 'I think it's time to wrap it up': Pence tells Mueller he's had a year to run his Russia probe but won't say it's a 'hoax' Now Avenatti obtains Michael Cohen's EMAILS and posts one showing how he still identified as Trump's lawyer in April - despite Giuliani saying he no longer represented the President Rudy Giuliani leaves his law firm permanently to fight for Trump - the day after ... (more)

Lawmakers release thousands of Russian Facebook ads

Democrats on the House intelligence committee have released more than 3,500 Facebook ads that were created or promoted by a Russian internet agency, providing the fullest picture yet of Russia's attempt to sow racial and political division in the United States before and after the 2016 election. Most of the ads are issue-based, pushing arguments for and against immigration, LGBT issues and gun rights, among other issues.

McCain calls on Senate to reject Haspel as CIA chief

Following testimony by Gina Haspel at her confirmation hearing, Sen. John McCain called on the Senate to reject her nomination to be President Donald Trump 's director of the CIA. Haspel, appointed by Trump to replace new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , faced tough questions from the Senate intelligence committee Wednesday about concerns with her involvement in past CIA interrogations.

House bill would revive mothballed Nevada nuclear waste dump

The House is moving to approve an election-year bill to revive the mothballed nuclear waste dump at Nevada's Yucca Mountain despite opposition from home-state lawmakers. Supporters say a bill slated for a vote Thursday would help solve a nuclear-waste storage problem that has festered for more than three decades.

Report: Legal marijuana linked to opioid-use declines amid drug crisis

Some states allowing medical marijuana and recreational pot saw declines in opioid prescribing as authorities pushed urgent efforts to combat the historic American drug crisis. Medicaid patients, for example, are getting about 5.9 percent fewer prescription painkillers in medical marijuana states.

Campaign 2018: Hispanic activists show support for Dean Heller

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller this week unveiled a "Juntos con Heller" campaign with a coalition of 254 Hispanic activists committed to helping the Republican win re-election. U.S. Sen. Dean Heller this week unveiled a "Juntos con Heller" campaign with a coalition of 254 Hispanic activists committed to helping the Republican win re-election.

Dayton makes case for K-12 funding

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton shows a photo of his dog to students in Denise Ducharme's first-grade class while visiting Ben Franklin Elementary School Wednesday, May 9, 2018, in Rochester. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton responds to questions from first-graders from Denise Ducharme's first-grade class while visiting Ben Franklin Elementary School Wednesday, May 9, 2018, in Rochester.

Senate Democrats force vote to reinstate net neutrality

More than a dozen Democratic senators called publicly Wednesday for reinstating net neutrality protections, and moved to force a vote on the proposal. The issue galvanizes Democrats and is poised to pass the Senate, but it faces an uphill battle in the House and would likely be vetoed by President Donald Trump if it somehow gets to his desk.

In W.Va., it’s Manchin vs. Morrisey for U.S. Senate

Having roundly defeated U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and former coal mining executive Don Blankenship in West Virginia's U.S. Senate Republican primary Tuesday night, Morrisey set his political sights on U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin in the Nov. 6 general election. He invoked Manchin's name close to a dozen times as Morrisey defeated Jenkins and Blankenship, garnering 44,888 votes or 35.6 percent of the vote count, according to the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office.

Trump is returning to campaign roots with rally in Indiana Source: AP

Taking the reins as party leader, President Donald Trump is returning to his campaign roots with big-stage events allowing him to target vulnerable Senate Democrats and mobilize his most fervent supporters on behalf of Republicans. Trump was set to rally supporters in Elkhart, Indiana, on Thursday night, two days after state Republicans nominated former state lawmaker Mike Braun to challenge vulnerable Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly.

Haspel Won’t Condemn Waterboarding But Says It’s Over

Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the CIA, promised she wouldn't resort to waterboarding and other harsh techniques that she once helped supervise, but she repeatedly refused to disavow their past use as immoral or ineffective. "Having served in that tumultuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment, clearly and without reservation, that under my leadership, on my watch, CIA will not restart a detention and interrogation program," Haspel told the Senate Intelligence Committee at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

What Gina Haspel didn’t tell us at her high-stakes CIA hearing

Don't ask Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's nominee to run the agency, because she doesn't have a clear answer -- or, at least, not one she was willing to offer publicly and under oath on Wednesday. Called upon repeatedly during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill to address whether the CIA's post-9/11 detainee interrogation techniques were morally objectionable, Haspel demurred, refusing over and over again to address the question directly and without qualification.

House takes up bill to revive Nevada nuclear waste dump

This April 9, 2015, file photo shows the south portal of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump near Mercury, Nev. The House is moving to approve an election-year bill to revive the mothballed nuclear waste dump at Nevada's Yucca Mountain despite opposition from home-state lawmakers.

Trump is returning to campaign roots with rally in Indiana

Republican Senate candidate Mike Braun thanks supporters after winning the republican primary in Whitestown, Ind., Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Braun faced Todd Rokita and Luke Messer in the Republican primary race.

A Parkland shooting survivor was invited to a fancy event. The guest list got awkward.

The infamous White House intern who had an affair with President Bill Clinton, leading to his impeachment in 1998, was invited to a luncheon and then summarily disinvited, reports The Huffington Post . The annual event , The Town & Country Philanthropy Summit, was held Wednesday morning in New York.

RFA Statement on White House Meeting on RFS

WASHINGTON May 8, 2018; Emily Druckman writing for the RFA reported that this morning, President Trump convened a meeting at the White House with Sens. Chuck Grassley , Joni Ernst , Ted Cruz , and Pat Toomey , for yet another discussion on the Renewable Fuel Standard . As a result of the meeting, it appears consensus was reached regarding allowing the year-round use of E15, a positive step forward for the ethanol industry.

Two Democratic senators want Senate committee to investigate Cohen payments

Two Democratic senators have sent a letter to telecom company AT&T demanding information on payments the company made to a consulting firm owned by Michael Cohen, Donald John Trump McConnell trolls Blankenship on Twitter: 'Thanks for playing, Don' Pittenger loses GOP primary fight Blankenship concedes GOP Senate primary in W. Va. MORE FCC chair meets Sprint, T-Mobile execs This week: Senate tees off net neutrality showdown Dem senators urge FDA to remove powerful opioids from the market MORE and Richard Blumenthal wrote to AT&T on Wednesday requesting information on the deal, which Blumenthal says could have been used to influence President Trump on his administration's policies favoring the abandonment of net neutrality.