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.

US to decide best site option for nuclear weapons production Source: AP

The federal agency that oversees the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile is expected this week to release a report on the best site option for the United States as it looks to ramp up production of the plutonium cores that trigger nuclear warheads. At stake are hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars in federal funding that would be needed to either revamp existing buildings or construct new factories to support the work.

Here’s how Ohio’s primaries shook out

Democratic Party voters turned out in larger numbers than past primaries this year - but does that signal a blue wave crashing in November? Hello, all! Did you vote yesterday? You probably want to know how that all turned out, eh? Or heck, maybe you were like me and stayed glued to the Hamilton County Board of Elections' site all night. Either way, let's take a look at how the whole thing went.

GOP moves ahead with judicial nominee Ryan W. Bounds for the 9th Circuit over Democrats’ objections

Senate Republicans pressed ahead with one of President Trump's appeals court picks Wednesday despite opposition from both home-state senators, in what Democrats said marks a new low in the GOP's push to fill the courts with conservative judges. Both Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley, Oregon's two Democratic senators, are opposing Ryan W. Bounds , a lawyer Mr. Trump has tapped to sit on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

CIA Director Nominee: ‘I Would Not Restart Under Any Circumstances…

During her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, CIA Director Nominee Gina Haspel said Wednesday that she would not restart any interrogation program at the CIA. "I would not restart under any circumstances an interrogation program at CIA - under any circumstances," Haspel told the committee under questioning from Sen. Martin Heinrich .

Amid #MeToo, more colleges host women as graduation speakers

In this May 12, 2017, file photo, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who delivered the 2017 Virginia Tech commencement address, listens during the ceremony on the school's campus in Blacksburg, Va. Sandberg is scheduled to deliver the commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Friday, June 8, 2018.

Trump To Allow Year-Round Sales Of High-Ethanol Gas

President Donald Trump will allow year-round sales of renewable fuel with blends of 15 percent ethanol as part of an emerging deal to make changes to the federal ethanol mandate. Republican senators and the White House announced the deal Tuesday after a closed-door meeting, the latest in a series of White House sessions on ethanol.

Outsourcing at Kansas revenue department imperils dozens of IT jobs

Dozens of information technology employees face layoffs at the Kansas Department of Revenue in conjunction with a $50 million, 10-year contract to outsource development and operation of a new tax management computer system. The technical services deal with CGI, which has not previously been reported, would require a portion of agency employees targeted for layoffs to work side-by-side with CGI consultants prior to dismissal in August.

The Latest: Trump ‘appreciates’ Kim’s release of 3 Americans

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks with Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray at the State Department, Monday, May 7, 2018 in Washington. . FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2017 file photo, people walk by a TV news program reporting North Korea's missile launch, in Tokyo, Japan.

Fox News smears Senate Democrats by linking them to 9/11 mastermind…

Fox News on Wednesday linked Senate Democrats who oppose President Donald Trump's nominee for CIA director to alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. An article published on the Fox News website claims that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is "like the Senate intelligence panel's Democrats" because both oppose the confirmation of Gina Haspel to head the CIA.

Haspel faces Senate grilling over CIA’s interrogation program

The fate of Gina Haspel's nomination to be the first female director of the CIA may come down to her performance in a situation she's never before encountered: a Senate confirmation hearing. When Haspel goes before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Republicans are bracing for what they expect will be a contentious, politically fraught hearing where Democrats will grill the nominee on her time in the CIA -- in particular the period after September 11, 2001, when she supervised one of the CIA's black sites, and her role in the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes.

Republicans Get Their Wish in W.Va., Ind., Ohio Primaries

Republicans breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday night as primary contests for the U.S. Senate produced a trio of candidates they consider effective challengers to Democratic incumbents in states President Trump won in 2016. The races in West Virginia, Indiana and Ohio were the first in what will be a months-long string of crowded primaries for Republicans in key battleground states, lasting until Wisconsin and Arizona vote in August.

Attorney general beats ex-con in W. Va. GOP Senate primary

GOP voters in Indiana, meanwhile, chose wealthy businessman Mike Braun over two sitting congressmen to lead the party's charge against a vulnerable Democratic senator in the fall. President Donald Trump and his allies cheered the West Virginia result Tuesday night, which helped avert a potential political disaster for a GOP already bracing for major losses in the November midterm elections.