Congress sends bill to Trump to avert government shutdown

Congress has approved a bill keeping the government open through Dec. 7, as lawmakers move to avert a government shutdown looming next week. Trump's signature would avert a partial government shutdown set to begin Monday, weeks ahead of the Nov. 6 elections that will determine control of Congress.

Dianne Feinstein at center of replay of controversy that got her elected

A quarter-century ago, a national controversy over a Supreme Court nominee's alleged sexual misconduct triggered the wave that swept Dianne Feinstein and three other women into the Senate. It was initially in a letter received by the California lawmaker that Christine Blasey Ford accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in 1982.

Sexual assault testimony in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing triggers trauma, reports

The political became personal for many this week, as Christine Blasey Ford's testimony of sexual assault reopened old wounds for other victims - including two women who dramatically confronted a key US senator Friday in a Capitol elevator. The two pressed Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, about the message he'd be sending victims like themselves if he voted to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after hearing Ford's claim that he sexually assaulted her.

Kavanaugh hearing runs red hot with partisan anger

A hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh devolved into a partisan fist-fight on Thursday as Democrats and Republicans - and Mr Kavanaugh himself - sparred over explosive allegations that he had sexually assaulted an acquaintance while both were teenagers. Senator Orrin Hatch, of Utah, called the hearing a "national disgrace", while Texas Senator John Cornyn said it was the most "embarrassing scandal for the US Senate since the McCarthy hearings" in the 1950s.

House Judiciary panel subpoenas Andrew McCabe memos,…

The House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Thursday for former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's memos as well as the supporting documents the FBI used in its application to conduct surveillance on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Republicans requested McCabe's memos from the Justice Department over the summer and were told they would not be shared, according to several lawmakers.

Lawmakers Advance Legislation Raising Penalties for Appropriations Violations

A House panel on Thursday voted along party lines to advance a measure that would strengthen enforcement of a law against agencies defying congressional appropriators, but Democrats argued the bill is a "solution in search of a problem." The Anti-Deficiency Reform and Enforcement Act , introduced by Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Mich., prescribes stricter penalties for more serious violations of the Anti-Deficiency Act, including the firing of federal employees who break the law "knowingly" or with reckless disregard for it.

Tritch Ranks High In In-District Donations

Solid fundraising won't guarantee victory in November, but Courtney Tritch's Congressional campaign is doing well by recent standards. If money is any indication, Tritch appears to be positioning herself as the strongest Democratic challenger in Indiana's 3rd District over the past five election cycles, dating back to 2010 when Tom Hayhurst raised $807,593 during his entire campaign when he lost to then-state senator Marlin Stutzman.

GOP finally wavering on Brett Kavanaugh? First Republican calls for FBI investigation

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Rosenstein’s Day of Reckoning with the President

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was reportedly convinced that he'd be fired following a bombshell New York Times report that described comments he apparently made about President Trump privately last year. But whether or not Rosenstein emerges from a meeting with Trump on Thursday with his job intact, House Republicans are salivating at the thought of exploiting The Times' story to tighten the noose on the Justice Department.

Ford, Kavanaugh and a Senate hearing: A viewer’s guide

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday turns on the credibility of its two star witnesses, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who says he sexually assaulted her. But there is much more electrifying the atmosphere in the cramped hearing room and the nation beyond the cameras.

Poll: ‘Blue wave’ may swamp Republican nominees for governor, U.S. Senate in Pa.

Democratic voter enthusiasm could swamp and then sink the Republican campaigns for the U.S. Senate and governor in Pennsylvania, according to a new Franklin & Marshall College Poll. The "blue wave" projected to help the Democratic Party in the midterm general election is being propelled in great part by President Trump's actions and administration, according to G. Terry Madonna, the poll's director.

Ryan says Congress shouldn’t ‘step in the way’ on Rosenstein Source: AP

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday that Congress "shouldn't step in the way" ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Ryan's comments Wednesday came after the conservative House Freedom Caucus pushed for Rosenstein to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.

Kavanaugh Denies Two Additional Accusations to Senate Judiciary Committee

Republican investigators for the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday asked Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about two new allegations against him, according to a transcript of a conference call released by the committee. In the transcript released Wednesday, Kavanaugh denied an allegation that he assaulted a woman he was dating in 1998 while working for independent counsel Ken Starr that investigators said stemmed from an anonymous complaint sent to Colorado GOP Sen. Cory Gardner.

Scot Lehigh: Republicans must hit the pause button on Kavanaugh

There's simply no way around this any longer: Republicans must put the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on hold while the FBI investigates the latest accusations about him . Those allegations, from Julie Swetnick of Washington, D.C., are not merely of teenage sexual boorishness, but also of efforts to incapacitate girls with alcohol or drugs so they could be sexually exploited.