Under Brownback, Kansas government kept shrinking
The number of non-university state employees in Kansas has shrunk about 25 percent between 2002 and 2016. Here's a closer look at the numbers.
Category Archives: US Senate
Senate seeks to interview FBI informantin Russian nuclear bribery case
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday sought permission to interview an FBI informant who helped agents uncover a major corruption scheme by Russian nuclear officials seeking to aggressively expand their American business under the Obama administration. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, , sent a letter Wednesday night to Toensing seeking to interview her client, saying he was troubled that the Obama administration in 2010 approved the Uranium One deal giving Moscow control over 20 percent of AmericaA s uranium supply when the FBI knew of corruption inside the Russian nuclear industry.
a Whole Bunch of Donald’s Staff Owe Us the Same:
Two prominent staffers on Arizona Republican Kelli Ward's primary campaign against sitting Sen. Jeff Flake have officially issued an apology to everyone in the state for helping to legitimize Ward as a serious political candidate.
Senate Republicans cruise toward passage of budget plan
Senate Republicans are on track to pass a $4 trillion budget plan that shelves GOP deficit concerns in favor of the party's drive to cut taxes. The nonbinding budget plan, slated for a vote late Thursday, would set the stage for tax legislation later this year that could pass through the Senate without fear of a filibuster by Democrats - and add $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years.
Trump kicks issues to Congress, is erratic trading partner
President Donald Trump is proving to be an erratic trading partner as he kicks thorny policy issues to Congress and then sends conflicting signals about what he really wants.
Obamacare deal hits the skids in Senate
A bipartisan deal to fund Obamacare payments stalled in the Senate Wednesday after President Trump derided the payments as "bailouts," but Republicans behind the package are trying to keep the deal alive. In addition to Trump, who tweeted that he opposes the agreement Wednesday morning, members of Senate leadership on Wednesday cast skepticism about the deal brokered by Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., to fund the insurer payments for two years in exchange for changes to the law.
How fake news spreads on Facebook, and why it’s so difficult to stop
But what if, to spread misinformation on the giant social network, all you needed was a basic grasp of the internet, a credit card, and an email account? US President Donald Trump threatened to challenge broadcast network licenses after an NBC report, despite not having the power to. Jacinda Ardern is the new Prime Minister of New Zealand after NZ First leader Winston Peters announced a coalition government with the NZ Labour Party.
When the Budget Resolution Isn’t About the Budget
Georgia GOP Sen. David Perdue is teaming up with a Democratic colleague, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, on amendments to the budget resolution that declare the process is basically absurd. When Sen. John McCain removed the suspense by announcing he would vote for the budget resolution moving through the Senate, the Arizona Republican made clear the ridiculousness of the exercise.
Democrats Drop Congeniality as They Fire Away at Sessions
From left, Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal talk Wednesday as Sessions arrives for the Senate Judiciary oversight hearing on the Justice Department. Attorney General Jeff Sessions took an unusual path to the witness table before Wednesday's Justice Department oversight hearing.
Trump’s Fluid Views on Policy Drive Headaches in Senate
President Donald Trump, seen here Monday at the White House Rose Garden with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has rankled senators with his shifting policy views. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray went to bed Tuesday evening thinking they had hit a home run.
Opinion: Working Around Trump on Issues That Matter
Sens. Charles E. Grassley and Richard J. Durbin sponsored a bipartisan bill that would reduce mandatory sentences for low-level drug offenders. The kiss-and-make-up press conference with President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was one of the most awkward dates in the history of, well, dates, as my Roll Call colleague Walter Shapiro pointed out.
How candidates might fare in 2020
We're still 1,112 days away from the next presidential election, but that isn't stopping your first look at what to expect in the New Hampshire primary. A new poll from the University of New Hampshire -- more than two years before the primary will take place -- at least starts to give a landscape of the status quo before candidates start declaring their bids.
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders face off in tax code debate
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, defended the recently unveiled GOP plan to overhaul the tax code in a Wednesday night debate against U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. "This debate is very very simple, Bernie and the Democrats want every one of you to pay more taxes," Cruz said during the program, which was hosted by CNN.
Senator and veteran: Trump playing ‘sick political game’ with military deaths
A Democratic senator who received the Purple Heart after losing both her legs in the Iraq War lambasted President Donald Trump for playing a "sick political game" with the deaths of fallen US service members. During an interview on CNN's "Erin Burnett Outfront," Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois said she had "utter disgust" for the way Trump has politicized his interactions with Gold Star soldiers.
Alaskan picked to lead regional EPA office
Gov. Bill Walker says Hladick will leave his state role Nov. 1. Mike Navarre, the outgoing mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, will succeed Hladick. In joining the EPA, Hladick will oversee a region that includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington and about 270 tribes.
D.C. Buzz: Murphy rolls back on a – rule out’
Chris Murphy, D-Conn. and Sen. Maggie Hassan D-NH participate in a news conference regarding healthcare and President Trump's effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act., on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.
Washington’s misguided and small-minded response to the opioid epidemic
Heroin users prepare to shoot up on a street in the South Bronx area of New York City on Oct. 7. Rep. Tom Marino withdrew his name from consideration to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy on Tuesday. He did so in the wake of a Washington Post-"60 Minutes" investigation revealing that he was the prime mover behind legislation weakening the Drug Enforcement Administration's abilities to go after drug distributors even as deaths from prescription drug abuse continued to rise.
The Latest: Judge asks group to justify right to sue Trump
President Donald Trump, right, sitting next to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., left, speaks during a meeting with members of the Senate Finance Committee and members of the President's economic team in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017.
Senator accidentally spills Dr. Pepper on Cruz in hearing
A SIXTH shooting victim is identified by police in Delaware after three people were shot dead and two hospitalized in a Baltimore granite company - and police say 'armed and dangerous killer' is still on the run Man who described planning his 16-year-old friend's suicide as 'awesome' before buying her a rope to hang herself, tying the noose and recording her death on his cellphone will be tried for MURDER When you die you KNOW you're dead: Scientists discover the mind still works after the body shows no sign of life and reveal people have heard their own death announced by medics Father pleads guilty to raping and murdering his 14-year-old daughter eight years after her body was found buried in the backyard of his former rental home 'Tourniquet killer' who slaughtered four women and girls - including a nine-year-old - will be executed by lethal injection tonight Trump's 'fake news' claim ... (more)
A look back at the original Alaska Purchase
Wednesday marks the 150th anniversary of the US taking possession of Alaska following the 1867 purchase of the territory from Russia. The idea of an "Alaska Purchase" saw a renaissance last month, when the phrase was borrowed to describe the possibility of sweeteners in the GOP health care bill meant to woo Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.