McConnell calls for ending Senate tradition that gives…

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday told The New York Times that he thinks the "blue slip" practice should be scrapped for circuit court nominations, a move that would eliminate Democrats' only leverage against President Donald Trump's picks to the nation's second-highest courts. "My personal view is that the blue slip, with regard to circuit court appointments, ought to simply be a notification of how you're going to vote, not the opportunity to blackball," McConnell told The Times, adding that he still favors keeping the practice in place in its current form for district court judges.

EPA head: No renewable fuel promise made to ex-Trump adviser

Pruitt is telling senat... A Rhode Island man accused of fatally shooting his mother in the intensive care unit of New Hampshire's largest hospital is set to be arraigned on murder charges. A Rhode Island man accused of fatally shooting his mother in the intensive care unit of New Hampshire's largest hospital is set to be arraigned on murder charges.

White House: Trump to dine with Schumer and Pelosi

President Donald Trump will have dinner with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday night, the latest overture by the Republican president to work with his adversaries. The White House said that Trump had invited the two Democratic leaders to dinner, more than week after the president reached an agreement with Schumer and Pelosi - despite objections from Republicans - on a three-month agreement to raise the debt ceiling, keep the government running and speed hurricane relief to states.

Mueller probe is said to have ‘red-hot’ focus on social media42 minutes ago

Russia's effort to influence U.S. voters through Facebook and other social media is a "red-hot" focus of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the 2016 election and possible links to President Donald Trump's associates, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Mueller's team of prosecutors and FBI agents is zeroing in on how Russia spread fake and damaging information through social media and are seeking additional evidence from companies like Facebook and Twitter about what happened on their networks, said one of the officials, who asked not to be identified discussing the ongoing investigation.

After Irma, America Should Scrap the Jones Act

Another big hurricane, another temporary waiver of the Jones Act -- the 1920 law mandating that goods and passengers shipped between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flagged ships, constructed primarily in the U.S., owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by them or by U.S. legal permanent residents. Circumstances did indeed demand a new stay on this dumb law -- but it would be better to get rid of it altogether, as Senator John McCain and others have argued.

Trump says rich may pay higher taxes, after bipartisan meeting with House moderates

Trump says rich may pay higher taxes, after bipartisan meeting with House moderates President Trump suggested that rich people may be taxed higher under a plan he would negotiate with congressional Democrats. Check out this story on eveningsun.com: https://usat.ly/2w7m2tP WASHINGTON - President Trump is again trying his hand at bipartisanship - and even suggested that rich people may be taxed higher under a plan he would negotiate with congressional Democrats.

Longest serving New Mexico senator leaves bipartisan legacy

Pete V. Domenici, the son of Italian immigrants who rose to become a power broker in the U.S. Senate, died Wednesday in New Mexico. The Republican was known for reaching across the partisan divide and his work on the federal budget and energy policy over a career that spanned more than 30 years.

Witness: Sen. Menendez’s friend paid for $8K private flight

In this Sept. 6, 2017, file photo, Sen. Bob Menendez arrives to court for his federal corruption trial in Newark, N.J. Menendez, New Jersey's Democratic senior senator, is charged with accepting gifts and campaign donations from Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen over several years in exchange for pressuring government officials to help with Melgen's Medicare dispute, his company's port security contract in the Dominican Republic and the visas.

Sanders bill expands Medicare for all, lacks details on cost

Americans would get health coverage simply by showing a new government-issued card and would no longer owe out-of-pocket expenses like deductibles, according to legislation Sen. Bernie Sanders released Wednesday. But the Vermont independent's description of the legislation omitted specifics about how much it would cost and final decisions about how he would pay for it.

Clinton’s tome won’t help her party rebound

Was this book necessary? Hillary Clinton's anguished, angry memoir of her presidential campaign, "What Happened," was unveiled this week, with television appearances and a 15-city lecture tour to follow. "I love Hillary," Al Franken, the senator from Minnesota, said a few weeks ago.

Bill targets federal policy on shipyard worker reimbursement

Maine Sen. Susan Collins is introducing an amendment she says would repeal a U.S. Department of Defense policy she believes is unfair to some shipyard workers. Collins, a Republican, says her proposal would repeal the defense department's long-term temporary duty policy for shipyard workers who are conducting off-yard maintenance.

Bernie Sanders’ ‘Medicare for All’ would increase taxes, offer coverage without copays

The Sanders bill goes into detail about the type of coverage offered, which would pay for emergency surgery, prescription drugs, mental healthcare and eye care without a copay. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is introducing a bill Wednesday that would expand the Medicare program to all Americans, covering a range of medical services paid for by higher taxes.

Sanders introduces ‘Medicare for All’ bill in move toward single-payer system

On Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a bill that would guarantee health care coverage for all Americans, a measure that already has the support of at least 15 other Democratic senators. Sanders' Medicare for All Act would allow all individuals to receive coverage by expanding the program.

Key Words: Manchin recalls Pence’s unfavorable comparison of tax code to Bible

Joe Manchin, one of the so-called red-state Democrats invited to a bipartisan White House dinner Tuesday billed as the kickoff of an effort to revamp the tax code, recalled Vice President Mike Pence's unfavorable comparison of the federal system of taxation with the Bible during a recent visit to West Virginia, Manchin's home state. Pence, Manchin recalled, observed that: Pence spoke about taxes in late August at a state chamber of commerce event at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.

Governor: – Work to do’ for Florida to recover after Irma

Parts of Florida inched back toward normal with workers restoring power, clearing roads and replenishing gas supplies, even as teams scoured the state's southernmost islands and authorities warned of mass devastation. Residents drifted back from shelters and far-away havens Tuesday to see Hurricane Irma's scattershot destruction.