Teacher victory: Kentucky House overrides tax increase veto

With the chants of hundreds of teachers ringing in their ears, Kentucky House lawmakers voted Friday to override the Republican governor's veto of a two-year operating budget that increases public education spending with the help of a $480 million tax increase. The vote came as thousands of teachers rallied inside and outside the Capitol, forcing more than 30 school districts to close as Kentucky continued the chorus of teacher protests across the country.

As Paul Ryan’s approval climbs, he decides to depart

While Republicans still like Paul Ryan, his imminent departure as Speaker - next January or perhaps sooner - won't break too many up. Polls running from a year ago to more recently show may Americans have become disillusioned with the friendly, wonky, optimistic Wisconsin native who walked down the gangway of that aircraft carrier in 2012 into our national life as the newly-introduced vice presidential running mate of Mitt Romney.

FBI more interested in suing Apple than accessing San Bernardino evidence, members of Congress say

The FBI was more interested in forcing Apple to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's cellphone rather look at other options in a time-sensitive investigation, a group of bipartisan members of Congress said Friday. In a letter to FBI Directory Christopher Wray, the representatives said the bureau was more interested in squeezing Apple than cracking the case.

APNewsBreak: Indiana GOP locked candidate out of database

In this Aug. 9, 2017, file photo, Indiana Rep. Todd Rokita speaks during a news conference outside of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. Rokita likely violated ethics laws as Indiana's secretary of state by repeatedly accessing a Republican donor database from his government office, prompting party officials to lock him out of the system until he angrily complained, three former GOP officials told The Associated Press.

Struggle to replace Ryan could blow up Congress budget deal

A six-month budget truce stitched together by Congress in March could unravel if Republican leaders vying to replace U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan indulge party conservatives who want to renege on critical parts of the pact. At issue is a resurgent move by conservative Republicans to rescind, or cut about $60 billion in non-defense domestic spending increases that were key to winning Democratic votes.

Backpage.com CEO pleads guilty, will testify against others

In this Jan. 10, 2017 file photo Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent subcommittee on Investigations looking into Backpage.com. Ferrer will serve no more than five years in state prison under a plea agreement announced Thursday, April 12, 2018.

Missouri governora s troubles could trickle down to statea s competitive Senate contest

Missouri's U.S. Senate contest could be tied to the fate of the state's Republican governor, Eric Greitens, who is facing calls to resign after a shocking report detailing an alleged nonconsensual sexual encounter with his former hairdresser. The highly competitive race, in which both parties are heavily invested in winning, could determine which side controls the upper chamber in Congress next year.

Pompeo vows to confront Russia, dodges Mueller questions

Aiming to quell concerns before what is likely to be a narrow confirmation vote, Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo vowed on Thursday to ramp up efforts against Russia in "each place we confront them." But he ducked and dodged when asked whether he supports President Donald Trump's pounding criticism of the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Muslim lawmakers call on senators to oppose Pompeo

Democratic Reps. Keith Ellison and Andr Carson are calling on Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaders to oppose the confirmation of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, citing his "history of anti-Muslim sentiment and discrimination."

House retirements show how Trump is splitting GOP

Those leaving office without a clear next political step tend to come from places where Trump is less popular. On the flip side, Republicans are more likely to leave the House to seek higher office if Trump was more popular in their districts.

Congress grilled Zuckerberg. What’s next?

Three hours into Mark Zuckerberg's second day of hearings on Capitol Hill, a Republican lawmaker offered "a little bit of advice" to the Facebook CEO: Be careful, or we might just have to regulate you. "Congress is good at two things: doing nothing, and overreacting," Rep. Billy Long, a Republican representing Missouri, told Zuckerberg in a hearing Wednesday.

Republican takes lead in race to replace Rep. Darrell Issa, while Democrat slips

A new poll shows that Republican Assemblyman Rocky Chavez has taken a clear lead over 15 other candidates running to replace Rep. Darrell Issa in Congress and has overtaken Democrat Doug Applegate, the previous frontrunner. In a SurveyUSA poll by 10News and The San Diego Union-Tribune, Chavez has support of 16 percent of likely voters, putting him ahead of Applegate, a lawyer, who was favored by 12 percent of voters and is in second place.