The Latest: Some gun-rights groups hold counter-protests

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, center, and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, far right, join demonstrators during a "March for Our Lives" protest for gun legislation and school safety Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Houston. Turner has told several thousand people demonstrating for stricter gun control that adults have a responsibility to stand up and protect all children.

Rural Maine counties to receive aid for economic development

Maine's U.S. senators say the federal government is providing more than $200,000 to three Maine counties to help with economic development in mostly rural parts of the state. Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King say the grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration will also help support small businesses and job growth.

Here is the White House response to March for Our Lives

As rallies geared up in all 50 states for the March of Our Lives, the White House said keeping children safe is a top priority for President Donald Trump. Keeping our children safe is a top priority of the President's, which is why he urged Congress to pass the Fix NICS and STOP School Violence Acts, and signed them into law.

Palmetto Politics: All of Trump’s S.C. presidential campaign staff signed non-disclosure agreements

President Donald Trump on the night he won the South Carolina Republican primary, Feb. 20, 2016, in Spartanburg. AP Photo/Paul Sancya President Donald Trump on the night he won the South Carolina Republican primary, Feb. 20, 2016, in Spartanburg.

Former VP Biden: America in battle for “the soul” of nation

Former Vice President Joe Biden, still grieving the loss of his son to cancer and unsure whether he'll run for president in 2020, said Friday that America is in a battle for the nation's soul. The Democrat spoke before more than 1,500 people at Southern Connecticut State University, hours after he was in Maryland to accept the Naval Academy Alumni Association's Distinguished Graduate Award on behalf of Republican Sen. John McCain.

Parkland students join lawmakers and gun safety advocates to call for change ahead of Saturday march

Students who survived the Parkland shooting last month joined with teachers, lawmakers and other stakeholders for a press conference on Capitol Hill today as part of their buildup to this weekend's March for Our Lives on the National Mall. Parkland student Aalayah Eastmond, who attended with her mother Stacey-Ann, urged lawmakers to take action, noting it's been more than a month since the shooting.

Republicans Still Don’t Get Trump

If so, the GOP has an odd way of showing affection. Green cites a lack of Republican criticism of Trump, the president's continued popularity within the party, and Trump's rescue of incumbent Nevada senator Dean Heller from a primary challenge.

Trump undercuts $30 billion Gateway rail project in NY

The deal was struck last week in an ornate room just off the House floor, where two New Yorkers discussed a big infrastructure project in their home town as dignitaries milled around a St. Patrick's Day luncheon. President Donald Trump's message to Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., was simple, King recounted Thursday: Federal money would flow to the $30 billion Gateway project, but Trump had to be in control.

Trump’s impulses put White House credibility on the line

Days of conflicting and misleading statements from President Donald Trump and his top aides have fueled new questions about the White House's credibility, sowing mistrust and instability within the West Wing and leaving some congressional Republicans wondering if they have a good faith negotiating partner in the president. One former congressional GOP leadership aide said it was becoming impossible for Republicans to negotiate anything with White House officials, given the president's willingness to undermine his own team's public and private assurances.

Biden’s SCSU speech worth the wait for fans

Former Vice President Joe Biden was quickly forgiven by a crowd of more than 1,500 at Southern Connecticut State University on Friday night, after arriving more than an hour late for the lecture he was scheduled to deliver. Biden was in Annapolis, Md., earlier in the day, accepting the Naval Academy Alumni Association's Distinguished Graduate Award on behalf of Sen. John McCain, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to a battle with glioblastoma, the same aggressive brain cancer Biden's son Beau died from in 2015.

Oregon attorney general considers investigating Facebook

Oregon's attorney general says she is reviewing whether to launch an investigation of Facebook, including whether it violated a state law that protects online customers' private information. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum told The Associated Press that she and several other state attorneys general are drafting a letter to Facebook, asking about a leak of Facebook customers' data without their knowledge or consent.

Trump signs $1.3 trillion budget after threatening veto

President Donald Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending measure Friday averting a government shutdown at midnight, acting just hours after saying he was considering a veto. Trump complained that the legislation does not fully fund his plans for a border wall with Mexico and does not address some 800,000 "Dreamer" immigrants who are now protected from deportation under a program that he has moved to eliminate.

McCain presses Trump CIA nominee over her record on interrogations

Senator John McCain on Friday pressed President Donald Trump's nominee to be CIA director, Gina Haspel, for information about her ties to the agency's past use of harsh interrogation techniques, underscoring challenges she faces winning confirmation. FILE PHOTO: Gina Haspel, a veteran CIA clandestine officer picked by U.S. President Donald Trump to head the Central Intelligence Agency, is shown in this handout photograph released on March 13, 2018.

Trump threatens to veto budget, raising risk of government shutdown

U.S. President Donald Trump made a surprising threat on Friday to veto Congress' newly passed $1.3 trillion spending bill, a move that raised the specter of a government shutdown ahead of a midnight deadline to renew funding for federal agencies. In a tweet on Friday morning Trump said he was displeased about immigration issues in the bill, even though the White House had given assurances on Thursday that he would sign it.