Senators seek data on Americans caught up in surveillance

In this April 7, 2017, file photo, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Paul and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are asking the nation's top intelligence official to release more information about the communications of American citizens swept up in surveillance operations.

U.S. Treasury rejects Exxon Mobil request to drill in Russia

The Trump administration has rejected a request from Exxon Mobil to waive U.S. sanctions against Russia to allow the company to resume oil drilling around the Black Sea. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday in a brief statement that the administration "will not be issuing waivers to U.S. companies, including Exxon, authorizing drilling prohibited by current Russian sanctions."

Utah poll: Evan McMullin leads Orrin Hatch in potential Senate matchup

A new poll revealed that former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin would defeat incumbent Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch in a potential matchup in a US Senate race, Salt Lake City's KSL-TV reported . The poll by JMC Analytics and commissioned by The Centrist Project, an organization that is recruiting candidates for public office in 2018, found that 33 percent of Utah residents would vote for McMullin and 29 percent would vote for Hatch, while 11 percent would vote for a Democrat if the election were held today.

Rogue Twitter account that criticized Trump at the centre of abuse of power probe

The U.S. Homeland Security Department's inspector general said on Friday he was investigating possible abuse of authority in a case that triggered a lawsuit against the department by Twitter Inc. Inspector General John Roth described the probe in a letter to Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who had asked for an investigation due to concerns about free speech protections. In a lawsuit on April 6, Twitter disclosed that it received a summons in March from the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, an agency within Homeland Security, demanding records about an account on the social media platform identified by the handle @ALT_uscis .

Federal ‘Witch Hunt’ Against Trump Critic On Twitter Sparks Investigation

The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security has launched an internal investigation into federal efforts to "unmask" the owner of a Twitter account critical of immigration policies. Inspector General John Roth informed Sen. Ron Wyden in a letter Friday that his office is conducting a probe to determine whether behavior by federal officials concerning the Twitter account was "improper in any way" or if there was an "abuse of authority."

California cities ready to fight Trumpa s call to punish so-called a sanctuary citiesa

California cities are mobilizing to fight the Trump administration's effort to strip federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities, which do not enforce federal immigration policy. Even as the Justice Department on Friday advised eight local governments and the state of California that they were at risk of losing federal dollars if they don't cooperate, several cities had already directed their lobbyists to oppose such efforts.

Jeff Sessions again degrades Hawaii and the U.S. justice system to defend Trump’s Muslim ban 2.0

At his Senate confirmation hearing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied under oath that he had never had contact with the... Despite promising to release his tax returns in a televised debate with Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump continues to show that... Jeff Sessions is really all in on calling one of the 50 United States an "island in the Pacific" as a way to attack the legitimacy of a duly appointed and confirmed federal judge who sits in Hawaii. In an interview with MSNBC's Ali Velshi, Sessions did not back down from defending that indefensible position.

Hillary Clinton warns: Trump won’t defend LGBT rights

Hillary Clinton said Thursday night that she doubts the Trump administration will help defend the LGBT rights that President Obama and other Democrats fought for over the last eight years. "I think we have to face the fact that we may not ever be able to count on this administration to lead on LGBT issues," she said in New York in a speech to The Center , an LGBT group.

W. Memphis plant inauguration today

A new $15 million manufacturing plant and testing laboratory in West Memphis with close ties to the Clean Line Energy project, which is roundly opposed by Arkansas' delegation in Congress, officially opens today. Production at the plant began earlier this month with about 30 workers.

GOP Plan To Trim Insurance Benefits Might Not Tame Premiums

As House Republicans try to find common cause on a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, they may be ready to let states make the ultimate decision about whether to keep a key provision in the federal health law that conservatives believe is raising insurance costs. Conservatives from the House Freedom Caucus and members of a more moderate group of House Republicans, the Tuesday Group, are working on changes to the GOP health overhaul bill that was pulled unceremoniously by party leaders last month when they couldn't get enough votes to pass it.