US Navy, Donald Trump planning biggest fleet expansion since Cold War

With President-elect Donald Trump demanding more ships, the Navy is proposing the biggest shipbuilding boom since the end of the Cold War to meet threats from a resurgent Russia and saber-rattling China. The Navy's 355-ship proposal released last month is even larger than what the Republican Trump had promoted on the campaign trail, providing a potential boost to shipyards that have struggled because budget caps that have limited money funding for ships.

Schumer wants report on train conductor sleep apnea tests

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says testing train engineers for sleep apnea could save lives and that the public deserves to know whether the tests are being done. The New York Democrat on Sunday is calling on federal transportation authorities to complete a review of which railroad systems are currently testing engineers for sleep apnea and which ones aren't.

Trump son-in-law moves to distance self from business ties

Jared Kushner, President-elect Donald Trump's son-in-law and one of his closest advisers, is taking steps to distance himself from his sprawling New York real estate business in what is the clearest sign yet he is planning to take a position in the new administration. Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, must clear a series of hurdles before he takes any post in Washington.

Return of the poor man’s Harvard

Karl Grossman is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York/College at Old Westbury who has specialized in investigative reporting for 45 years. He is the host of the TV program "Enviro Close-Up," the writer and presenter of numerous TV documentaries and the author of six books.

Hal Boyd: Bring the popcorn for a Hatch vs. Huntsman Jr. race

America's multinational juggernauts are clearly capitalizing on the former Utah Governor's grasp of global affairs. Yet, as Huntsman weighs a senate bid in 2018, likely challenging Sen. Orrin Hatch, Huntsman's vast international experience may ironically be as much a political liability as an asset.

Several Donald Trump picks’ ethics reviews incomplete

Republicans are intent on getting as many of Trump's choices through the arduous confirmation process as quickly as possible. Several of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest, the government's ethics office says, even as Republican senators move quickly to hold at least nine confirmation hearings next week.

Brady Campaign Demands Sessions’ Plan to Reduce Gun Violence

Brady Campaign president Dan Gross issued the following statement calling on President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Senator Jeff Sessions, to respond to the tragedy in Fort Lauderdale with a plan to reduce gun violence. Sessions' nomination hearings before the Senate begins next Tuesday.

Kansas lawmakers eye possible tax increases as session starts

The question as Kansas kicks off its annual legislative session this week isn't whether lawmakers will raise taxes but rather which taxes - or more precisely, whose? The state faces a projected budget shortfall of more than $900 million for the next 18 months. There's broad consensus among lawmakers that tax increases will play some role in the solution.

Another leading Alabama Democrat endorses Jeff Sessions

Sue Bell Cobb, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, has endorsed Sen. Jeff Sessions in a letter to Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Montgomery Advertiser describes Cobb as "one of Alabama's most prominent Democrats."

In emotional farewell speech, Michelle Obama praises diversity

U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama stops for selfies during her annual visit to the Toys for Tots event at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Dec. 7, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS WASHINGTON First Lady Michelle Obama made an impassioned case for embracing diversity and welcoming all religious groups in a not-so-veiled message to her husband's successor two weeks ahead of Inauguration Day. In what was billed as her last formal speech before President Barack Obama leaves office, the first lady said Friday at an event honoring high school counselors that the United States belonged to people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Iowa, Nebraska senators re-introduce immigration hold bill

Senators from Nebraska and Iowa have re-introduced a bill requiring immigration officials to hold in custody anyone who has entered the country illegally and charged with a crime resulting in injury or death of another person. Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Deb Fisher and Ben Sasse of Nebraska introduced Sarah's Law in June but it failed to advance.

Ethics Reviews Incomplete for Several of Trump’s Picks

Several of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest, the government's ethics office says, even as Republican senators move quickly to hold at least nine confirmation hearings next week. In a letter to Senate leaders, the director of the Office of Government Ethics described the current status of several nominees, some of whom are billionaires and millionaires, in the ethics process and expressed concern about the lack of ethics reviews just days from committee hearings.

Questions surround school trust lands in Bears Ears National Monument

Board members of the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration held an emergency session Friday to discuss what to do about 109,000 acres of school trust lands contained within the new Bears Ears National Monument. Tom Bachtell, SITLA's vice chairman, said the board had yet to "receive and comprehend the information necessary" to make an informed decision in the interest of the trust's beneficiaries regarding a land swap.

Trump and Schumer: From potential allies to antagonists

In this May 12, 2016, file photo Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., looks from behind a poster of then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, while he speaks with reporters about Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington. In the weeks after November's election, President-elect Trump and incoming Senate Democratic Leader Schumer sounded like potential allies.

Trump Formally Nominates Former Sen. Coats as Intelligence Director

President-elect Donald Trump nominated former Indiana Senator Dan Coats as U.S. director of national intelligence, giving the retired lawmaker oversight of the spy agencies that have drawn skepticism from Trump. Coats, 73, probably would face close questioning by both Republicans and Democrats about how he views the intelligence community's conclusions that Russia hacked Democratic Party computer systems in order to meddle in the U.S. presidential campaign, which Trump has repeatedly questioned.