Senators introduce VA accountability bill after 2-month stall

Nearly two months after the House passed legislation that would allow Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin to fire bad workers more quickly, the Senate on Thursday introduced its own version of the bill - one with bipartisan support. The bill, a deal between Senate Republicans and Democrats, signals the most likely opportunity that Congress has to pass VA accountability legislation following the 2014 scandal when veterans were found to be waiting long periods for health care.

If youa re not appalled by Comeya s firing, youa re not paying attention

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday defended President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned the president's decision and called for a special prosecutor to lead the Russia investigation. And Republican Sen. Marco Rubio essentially shrugged.

What Others Say

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester recently made good on his promise to introduce legislation aimed at halting future mining on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park. Many Park County residents applauded Tester for introducing the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act, which would permanently remove federal mineral rights on some 30,000 acres of public land in the Custer Gallatin National Forest near Yellowstone National Park and the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness.

Governor’s Fishing Opener at St. Cloud

As more 500,000 Minnesotans gear up to go fishing this weekend, Gov. Mark Dayton is getting ready to host Minnesota's 70th Annual Governor's Fishing Opener on the Mississippi River in St. Cloud. Headquartered at St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center, the weekend's events will feature fishing, family fun activities, and a community picnic in downtown St. Cloud on Lake George featuring live music, local craft beer gardens, and local food.

Warm Your Bones With The Ambient Heat Of This Latest Merrick Garland Hot Take

Consider, if you will, Merrick Garland - a one-time distinguished Supreme Court nominee now fated to endlessly be the set-up in a joke whose punchline never arrives. Garland, of course, is best known for being the central figure in one of the Republican-controlled Senate's grandest indignities, the history of which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been desperate to revise .

The White House Says FBI Employees Lost Faith In James Comey. The FBI Says That’s Not True.

In justifying President Donald Trump 's firing of James Comey , the White House claimed that federal agents had lost faith in their former FBI director. But the current acting head of the bureau told members of Congress on Thursday that simply isn't true.

The Latest: Trump spokeswoman suggests Rosenstein lead probe

A spokeswoman for President Donald Trump is suggesting that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein , who wrote a memo justifying FBI Director James Comey 's firing, be selected to take over the Russia investigation. Appearing on NBC's "Today" show, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls Rosenstein a person "who sets the gold standard within the legal system."

Will Foreign Mischief In U.S. Elections Become ‘The New Normal’?

Washington has a big problem to solve: Can it stop cyber-mischief, trolls and disinformation from becoming as much a part of American elections as yard signs, straw hats and robocalls? National security officials warn that unless the United States takes strong steps to prevent or deter meddling, foreign nations - especially Russia - won't quit. "They're going to continue to do it," former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate subcommittee on Monday.

Senate intel panel subpoenas Michael Flynn documents

The Senate intelligence committee subpoenaed former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn for documents related to the panel's investigation into Russia's election meddling. Sen. Richard Burr, the Republican chairman, and Sen. Mark Warner, the committee's Democratic vice chairman, issued a joint statement saying the panel decided to issue the subpoena after Flynn, through his lawyer, declined to cooperate with an April 28 request to turn over the documents.

The little-known deputy AG who helped engineer Comey’s firing must now restore probe’s credibility

In the center of the controversy engulfing the upper echelons of the Justice Department, there's a little-known, Harvard-educated lawyer whose name is suddenly on everyone's lips: Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. Rosenstein was the man FBI Director James Comey spoke with recently when he needed more resources for his investigation into possible ties between President Trump's campaign staff and Russia, according to press reports.

The Latest: Tillerson arrives in Alaska for Arctic meeting

The secretary of state is in Fairbanks for a meeting with the world's eight Arctic nations amid concerns about the future of the sensitive region after President Donald Trump called for more oil drilling and development. Rex Tillerson landed on Wednesday afternoon and immediately held a meeting with a congressional delegation as well as Arctic representatives from Alaska's indigenous people.

Comey’s firing isn’t like the ‘Saturday Night Massacre’

Long ago and far away, when I was a young special assistant first to Attorney General William French Smith and then to Attorney General Edwin Meese, the young staff would automatically stand up whenever William Webster, then director of the FBI, walked into a room. At the Friday morning round-table briefings in the attorney general's massive conference room, when Webster addressed the group, everyone leaned in.

US cuts congressional bill deportation delays for immigrants

U.S. authorities have said they are reducing the amount of time they will delay deporting the few immigrants in the country illegally awaiting congressional decisions to legalize their immigration status after lawmakers file so-called "private bills" supporting their last-ditch bids to remain in the country. In a letter to lawmakers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Thomas Homan said the agency will only hold off deporting immigrants with legislation pending on their behalf for up to six months with the possibility of one 90-day extension.

US mine blast: Ex-coal CEO Blankenship at end of prison term

Former coal executive Don Blankenship jumped back on Twitter on Wednesday, renewing his feud with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin on the day Blankenship was to finish a one-year prison sentence arising from the deadliest U.S. mine explosion in decades. Even before the U.S. Bureau of Prisons listed Blankenship as leaving a halfway house in Arizona, the ex-Massey Energy CEO rattled off a series of tweets.

Miami billionaire plans political fund to defend unauthorized immigrants

To counter the Trump administration's aggressive deportation policy, a billionaire Miami healthcare mogul plans to spend the next couple of years raising - and spending - serious cash to defend unauthorized immigrants in court. a nonprofit political organization in coming days to aid existing groups that provide legal services to unauthorized immigrants facing removal from the U.S. "Immigrants are key to the fiber and the economic survival of our country," Fernandez said in an interview with the Miami Herald.

Trump defends Comey firing, says both parties will thank him

President Donald Trump defended his firing of FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday, asserting in a flurry of tweets that both Democrats and Republicans "will be thanking me." Trump did not mention any effect the dismissal might have on FBI and congressional investigations into contacts between his 2016 election campaign and Russia.

Comeya s Firing Could Be the Beginning of the End of TrumpFrank Rich

Former FBI Director James Comey during the House Intelligence hearing on Russian actions during the 2016 election campaign on March 20, 2017. Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture.