Florida teen charged with 17 murders legally bought AR-15

An orphaned 19-year-old with a troubled past and his own AR-15 rifle was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Thursday morning after being questioned for hours by state and federal authorities following the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. in five years. Nikolas Cruz, still wearing a hospital gown after being treated for labored breathing, and weighing in at 5-foot-7 and 131 pounds, was ordered held without bond and booked into jail.

Trump suggests 25 cent increase in gas tax, senator says

President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that a 25 cent increase in gas and diesel taxes would be needed to help pay for the administration's new infrastructure plan, according to Democratic Sen. Tom Carper. In a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers at the White House, Trump noted that the federal gas tax hasn't been raised since 1993, said Carper, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Heartbreak: First victim of Florida school shooting named

Jaime's photo was among the dozens of pictures parents shared on Facebook, hoping someone from the school community would have information about their children. In this frame grab from video provided by WPLG-TV, law enforcement personnel arrest an unidentified man , following the shooting.

US Senate Weighs Competing Immigration Proposals

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., listens as Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks about immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Feb. 7, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The U.S. Senate could vote on several immigration reform proposals Thursday, as lawmakers weigh competing plans that address issues such as protecting young undocumented immigrants, boosting border security and changing the rules for family-based immigration.

Bipartisan immigration pact among several Senate proposals

A group of senators reached a bipartisan agreement aimed at balancing Democrats' fight to offer citizenship to young "Dreamer" immigrants with President Donald Trump's demands for billions to build his coveted border wall with Mexico. Though the compromise was announced Wednesday by 16 senators with centrist views on the issue and was winning support from many Democrats, it faced an uncertain fate.

Romney postpones announcement on Senate race after shooting new

Mitt Romney is preparing to announce a bid for Utah's Senate seat held by retiring Orrin Hatch, a position some hope the 2012 GOP presidential nominee will use to continue his biting criticism of President Donald Trump. Romney, who once called Trump "a phony" who was unfit for office, is not expected to address the president in an announcement video he has prepared for release online, according to people with direct knowledge of his plans.

Officials say Florida high school shooter was expelled student

A heavily armed young man barged into his former high school about an hour northwest of Miami on Wednesday, opening fire on terrified students and teachers and leaving a death toll of 17 that could rise even higher, authorities said. Students huddled in horror in their classrooms, with some of them training their cellphones on the carnage, capturing sprawled bodies, screams and gunfire that began with a few shots and then continued with more and more.

Gov. Rick Scott on Shooting: ‘Absolutely Pure Evil’

Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday described the shooting at a South Florida high school that killed 17 students and adults as "absolutely pure evil" - and the state will pay funeral costs for the victims and counseling for survivors. "As soon as you hear something like this is happening, the first thing you start thinking about the families," Scott, a two-term Republican, told reporters at a late-night news conference in Parkland, Fla.

Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander, Johnny Isakson just endorsed Grassley’s immigration amendment

Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Johnny Isakson of Georgia quietly endorsed Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley's, R-Iowa, White House-aligned immigration amendment late Wednesday. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., one of the co-sponsors of the Grassley amendment, announced on PBS Newshour that his Georgia colleague and another conservative lawmaker would vote in support of a proposal that is in line with President Trump's list of immigration policy agenda items in return for giving a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and 1 million other illegal immigrants.

Bipartisan Senate group reaches immigration deal, but votes unsure

A group of bipartisan senators Wednesday struck a much-anticipated deal on a narrow immigration compromise -- but it remains unclear whether the proposal could garner the elusive 60 votes needed to advance legislation in the Senate. According to a draft obtained by CNN, the bill would offer nearly 2 million young undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children before 2012 a path to citizenship over 10 to 12 years.

Former student opens fire at Florida high school, killing 17

A former student opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at a Florida high school Wednesday, killing at least 17 people and sending hundreds of students fleeing into the streets in the nation's deadliest school shooting since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. The shooter, who was equipped with a gas mask and smoke grenades, set off a fire alarm to draw students out of classrooms shortly before the day ended at one of the state's largest schools, officials said.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on December 15, 2017.

"I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that fails to fulfill these four pillars - that includes opposing any short-term 'Band-Aid' approach," Trump said in a statement. The president was referring to the four pillars contained in the White House's immigration framework: a "lasting solution" for young immigrants living illegally in the US, building a border wall, scrapping the diversity visa lottery and reforming family-based immigration.

The Next Democratic President Will Legalize Weed

Porn star who alleged Trump affair: I can now tell my story - NEW YORK - Stormy Daniels, the porn star whom President Donald Trump's personal attorney acknowledges paying $130,000 just before Election Day, believes she is now free to discuss her alleged sexual encounter with Trump. Stormy Daniels Warns Trump & Lawyer: You Breached Our Agreement, Now I'm Free to Talk! - Stormy Daniels has suddenly changed her position and is ready to spill all the tea regarding her alleged affair with Donald Trump, and it all has to do with the president's personal attorney allegedly breaching Police respond to report of shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Florida - live updates - CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.