Members of Congress sued over rainbow ‘pride flags’

U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, has vowed to fight a federal lawsuit attempting to force him and three other congressional colleagues to remove "Pride Flags" from their Washington, D.C., offices. The lawsuit was filed July 18 in Washington by Chris Sevier, who describes himself in the lawsuit as a "former judge advocate general, combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, D.C. lobbyist, overseas missionary, whistleblower and recording artist."

Schiff, Trump tangle again on Twitter

A Twitter feud broke out July 24 between President Donald Trump and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, with the president calling Schiff sleazy and Schiff responding that "your comments and actions are beneath the dignity of the office." "Sleazy Adam Schiff, the totally biased congressman looking into 'Russia,' spends all of his time on television pushing the Dem loss excuse!" the president tweeted in the morning.

House-approved budget funds border wall, increases military spending

The House has passed a $788 billion spending bill that combines a $1.6 billion down payment for President Trump's controversial border wall with Mexico with a whopping budget increase for the Pentagon. The 235 to 192 vote both eases a large backlog of unfinished spending bills and gives Mr. Trump and his House GOP allies political wins heading into the August recess.

Trump headed to Long Island to trumpet MS-13 crackdown

Trumpeting his administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and violent crime, President Donald Trump is traveling to Long Island to urge Congress to dedicate more funding to the fight. Trump is set to speak Friday afternoon at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, New York, close to where the ultra-violent street gang MS-13 has committed a string of gruesome murders, including the massacre of four young men in April in a Central Islip park.

Collins, Murkowski-and McCain

The rushed, secretive, reckless effort to get a "win," any win, by undoing the Obama health care plan is at an end-for now. It is over because the 48 Democratic and independent senators led by Chuck Schumer refused to be peeled off or to support a measure that was opposed by most of the public and by all professional groups involved in health care.

Top Lawyer For Civil Rights At Justice Department Leaving After Roughly 6 Months

Thomas Wheeler, who has been leading the Justice Department's civil rights unit, informed staffers there Thursday that he would be leaving the post, according to two sources familiar with the communication. The job put Wheeler, an Indiana lawyer who's personally and professionally close to Vice President Mike Pence, in the middle of a number of controversies, including the Trump administration's turnaround on guidance regarding transgender students, the decisions to close investigations of police officers without criminal charges and shifting legal positions on voting rights and other cases.

McCain Votes No, Dealing Potential Death Blow To Republican Health Care Efforts

In a moment of unexpected high drama, Republicans were stymied once again in their effort to repeal Obamacare - and they have John McCain to thank for it. McCain, who was diagnosed with brain cancer and returned to Washington to advance the health care bill, turned around and bucked his party's leadership - and President Trump - by joining two moderate Republicans and every Democrat in voting against the so-called "skinny repeal" of the Affordable Care Act.

John McCain: Here’s why I voted no and killed the ‘skinny repeal’

Senator John McCain was one of three Republican "no" votes against the GOP health care plan early Friday morning, and is being hailed as the man who killed the so-called Obamacare "skinny repeal." "We should not make the mistakes of the past that has led to Obamacare's collapse, including in my home state of Arizona where premiums are skyrocketing and health care providers are fleeing the marketplace," McCain said in a statement.

House leaders block Defense Department from buying uniforms for Afghan army

The House on Thursday voted to block the Defense Department from buying Afghan army uniforms as part of its annual defense spending bill. The amendment, passed by voice vote without debate, would prohibit any 2018 funding to be used in the Pentagon's efforts to equip the Afghan National Army after a Pentagon auditor announced a criminal probe of the uniform purchases this week.

Senate narrowly defeats ‘skinnya

The Senate narrowly defeated a bill early Friday that would repeal limited portions of Obamacare as Republican Sen. John McCain cast the deciding vote against the plan. The vote was a major blow to GOP Senate leaders and it was not immediately clear what they would do next.

GOP Obamacare repeal bill fails in dramatic late-night vote

BREAKING: The Senate has dealt a devastating setback to the Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare, defeating a GOP "skinny repeal" bill early Friday morning. Sens. John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins joined with Democrats to oppose the measure.

Capito, Manchin reject Trump tweet on transgender soldiers

West Virginia's two U.S. senators both agreed with statements made by the decorated Vietnam War veteran Sen. John McCain about the president's social media post reversing a policy allowing transgender people to serve in the military.

Senate Republicans reject last-ditch ‘skinny repeal’ of Obamacare

Senators early Friday narrowly rejected a dramatically slimmed-down Obamacare repeal bill, even after being promised by GOP leaders that the measure would never actually become law. The strategy was a desperate and ultimately unsuccessful gambit by Republican leaders, who had run out of options after failing to convince their majority to pass legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a promised new healthcare plan.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says he’s willing to bring the Senate GOP’s bill to conference

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he's willing to take Senate Republicans'"skinnier" attempt at repealing certain parts of the Affordable Care Act to conference. If moving forward requires a conference committee, that is something the House is willing to do," he said in a statement on Thursday.

From left, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and …

Three Republicans senators,John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, held a press conference Thursday saying they cannot vote for the GOP health care bill in its current form. WASHINGTON - With their ranks in chaos, Senate Republican leaders appeared ready to work late into the night Thursday to devise a slimmed-down repeal of the Affordable Care Act by sometime Friday, as Democrats slammed the secretive process as a sham and key Republican senators threatened to block the effort.

The Latest: Ryan says House willing to negotiate with Senate

The Republican-run Senate has rejected a GOP proposal to scuttle President Barack Obama's health care law and give Congress two years to devise a replacement. Ryan's announcement Thursday evening is meant to ease doubts among Senate Republicans about voting for a minimal repeal bill.