Trump attack puts Sessions in bind

Trump's scathing criticism in an interview with The New York Times immediately sparked new questions about whether the nation's top cop, one of the president's earliest supporters, enjoys his confidence and support. Sessions on Thursday made it clear he has no plans to leave his post, and several Republican lawmakers rushed to his defense.

McCain rivals praise senator after brain cancer diagnosis

John McCain McCain rivals praise senator after brain cancer diagnosis McCain absence adds to GOP agenda's uncertainty Overnight Defense: Trump gets briefing at Pentagon on ISIS, Afghanistan 's brain cancer elicited expressions of sympathy across the government, even from fellow senators and public officials who have been the targets of his famous temper. One of the most heartfelt expressions of sympathy on Wednesday night, when news broke of his diagnosis of brain cancer, came from Sen. Ted Cruz McCain rivals praise senator after brain cancer diagnosis Senate heads to new healthcare vote with no clear plan Cruz offers bill to weaken labor board's power MORE Cruz has been one of McCain's chief antagonists in recent years.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Fighting to make sure that the little guy gets crushed

The last thing Republicans on Capitol Hill apparently want the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to do is actually protect financial consumers. That would explain the angry GOP reaction whenever the bureau announces new rules, such as one this week to stop big financial institutions from imposing mandatory arbitration agreements on consumers who have legal grievances.

Rep. Yarmuth: Republicans Know That Individual Insurance Market…

Rep. John Yarmuth told a July 20, 2017 news conference that Democrats will pursue a "government-organized or a government-run alternative" to the Obamacare's failed insurance co-ops "essentially, a public option of sorts," he said. "I don't know many people in the insurance industry who will contend that the individual insurance market is viable without government involvement," Rep. John Yarmuth , the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, told a news conference on Thursday.

Maxine Waters is joking about 2020 – but not about Trump

Yet the buzz surrounding the long-serving California Democrat has reached a fever pitch this year, as she's lobbed bomb after bomb at President Trump. Waters is emerging as the president's harshest congressional critic, enraging Trump's conservative supporters and electrifying the Democrats' liberal base, some of whom are pushing -- only slightly tongue-in-cheek -- for Waters to launch her own White House bid.

Remembering Ralph Regula, the ‘Constituent Congressman’

Mike Hanke, retired editor and general manager of the Canton Repository, knew Regula from the days when -- as a new reporter -- he covered the congressman's run for the first of what would be 18-terms in the U.S. House. "He was a very kind and gentle individual, but I would say that I think he is probably going to be remembered for his constituency service.

Jewish Ohio Senate candidate condemns Anti-Defamation League

Earlier this week The Anti-Defamation League released a guide called: "From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate." WASHINGTON - Josh Mandel, the Ohio treasurer who is running for the Republican nomination for US senator, expressed solidarity with figures listed by the Anti-Defamation League as having a "hateful impact" on the political scene.

Embassy officials visit US student held in China over taxi row

Mother of Guthrie McLean, 25, who has yet to be allowed to visit her son, says he is 'enduring' in captivity US embassy officials on Thursday visited the American university student detained in China over an altercation with a taxi driver, as family and friends continue to lobby for his release. Guthrie McLean, a 25-year-old student at the University of Montana, is being held at a detention centre in Zhengzhou, Henan province.

Louisiana debt collection agency brings in $92M over 3 years

A debt collection office created by Louisiana lawmakers to go after delinquent accounts has drawn $92 million in payments since it began its work three years ago, the state's revenue secretary said Thursday. That's about a 17 percent rate of collection of the nearly $528 million in back-owed debts that have been sent to the Office of Debt Recovery for collection since the 2014-15 budget year, according to data from Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson, who oversees the collection office.

US seeks Syrian solution, but Assad doesn’t have to go first

The U.S. is seeking a political resolution to the crisis in Syria and won't insist on Syrian President Bashar Assad's immediate ouster, President Donald Trump's homeland and counterterrorism adviser said Thursday. "I don't think it's important for us to say Assad must go first," Tom Bossert said at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual gathering of intelligence and national security officials and experts.

Even with Trump warning, Mueller likely to probe finances

President Donald Trump's growing anxiety about the federal Russia probe has spilled into public view with his warning that special counsel Robert Mueller would be out of bounds if he dug into the Trump family's finances. But that's a line that Mueller seems sure to cross.

Trump struggled to put out fires this week

This week - which was Made in America Week by the way - Donald Trump climbed into a fire truck and proclaimed, "where's the fire?" multiple times, while Vice-President Mike Pence awkwardly stood next to him, laughing: The fire was consuming Republican health reform plans, which again went up in smoke when they couldn't agree on the latest iteration of the healthcare bill. "For seven years I've been hearing repeal and replace from Congress - I've been hearing it loud and strong.

Washington Legislature letting clock run out on session

The political rancor at the state Legislature is likely to go right to the bitter end, as the possibility arose that lawmakers wouldn't even officially adjourn and would instead just let the clock run out at midnight Thursday on the third special session. Legislative leaders had previously said they were likely to adjourn earlier in the day after negotiations broke down Wednesday on a water rights bill that was tied to passage of a new construction budget for the state.

Ron DeSantis to Trump: Cut Obamacare subsidies to pressure Congress

President Trump should use healthcare subsidies for Congress as leverage over lawmakers in Obamacare repeal talks, according to Florida Republican. "If you make them live under Obamacare, my guess is that they will vote to quickly repeal Obamacare," Rep. Ron DeSantis said Thursday on the House floor.

Tests find no detectable levels of toxins in drinking water

Tests on drinking water revealed no detectable traces of arsenic and lead after the toxins were found in groundwater at a coal-fired power plant in Tennessee, a utility company said Thursday. Memphis, Light, Gas & Water said in a statement that tests conducted by an independent lab on 10 wells that supply water to a pumping station near the Allen Fossil Plant came up below detectable limits for the toxins.

Wisconsin working on incentives to lure Foxconn to state

In this Thursday, May 27, 2010, file photo, a worker looks out through the logo at the entrance of the Foxconn complex in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Two Republican state lawmakers said Thursday, July 20, 2017, that Wisconsin could announce it has landed a deal for Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer Foxconn to locate in the state as soon as the end of the month.

Former U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula Passes Away At Age 92

The district Regula represented before his 2009 retirement included all of Stark and Wayne counties and parts of Ashland and Medina counties. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio offered his condolences on Regula's passing, in part, saying, ""Without Ralph, there would be no Cuyahoga Valley National Park.