Ex-CIA chief: Worries grew of Trump campaign contacts to Russia

Former CIA director John Brennan said on Tuesday he had noticed contacts between associates of Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia during the 2016 election and grew concerned Moscow had sought to lure Americans down "a treasonous path." Brennan, who headed the agency until Trump became president in January, also told a congressional hearing that he personally warned the head of Russia's FSB security service in a phone call last August that meddling in the election would hurt relations with the United States.

Morning Spin: City Council could address gun ranges, valet parking and the United dragging Wednesday

Darnell Hopkins, 63, of South Holland shoots a gun during a class at Glenwood Gun & Pistol Range in Glenwood on Jan. 5, 2016. There are currently no commercial gun ranges in Chicago, but a new proposal easing some of the restrictions on gun ranges in the city might change that.

Budget office to gauge health bill effect on coverage, cost

Congressional Republicans are about to learn more about whether their drive to dismantle President Barack Obama's health care law has been worth the political pain they've been experiencing. The Congressional Budget Office planned to release its estimate Wednesday of what impact the GOP's House-passed health care overhaul would have on coverage and premiums.

Things aren’t adding up at Interior headquarters

Returning power to the people has been a recurring theme of the Trump administration since the president delivered his inaugural address back in January. When Congress rolled back the Bureau of Land Management's new resource management planning rule in March, lawmakers cited diminished opportunities for state and local government input as a big reason.

Poor and disabled big losers in Trump budget; military wins

Eric Ueland, Republican staff director, Senate Budget Committee holds a copy of President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 federal budget, before distributing them to congressional staffers on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. less Eric Ueland, Republican staff director, Senate Budget Committee holds a copy of President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 federal budget, before distributing them to congressional staffers on Capitol Hill in ... more Budget Director Mick Mulvaney speaks about President Donald Trump's proposed fiscal 2018 federal budget in the Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017.

Cabinet members head to Capitol Hill to defend Trump budget

Top officials in President Donald Trump 's Cabinet are heading to Capitol Hill to defend his plans to cut domestic programs and parry Democratic criticism of his tax proposals. Budget Director Mick Mulvaney appears Wednesday before the House Budget panel while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will testify at the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee .

‘Climate change musical’ is cited as tax waste at budget reveal. Wait, what?

Budget director Mick Mulvaney speaks to the media about President Trump's proposed budget May 23. Tuesday morning, during a White House conference on President Trump's proposed 2018 federal budget , Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney invoked a musical that, seven years ago, won a government grant worth nearly $700,000. When asked if the administration considered climate change programs to be taxpayer waste, Mulvaney replied, "The National Science Foundation last year used your taxpayer money to fund a climate change musical.

Trump advisers weigh privatizing some public assets to build new infrastructure

In his proposed budget released Tuesday, President Trump called for spending $200 billion over 10 years to "incentivize" private, state and local spending on infrastructure. The Trump administration, determined to overhaul and modernize the nation's infrastructure, is drafting plans to privatize some public assets such as airports, bridges, highway rest stops and other facilities, according to top officials and advisers.

Trump’s food stamp cuts face hard sell in Congress

President Donald Trump's proposal to slash food stamps by a third will be a hard sell in Congress, even as Republicans have tried repeatedly to scale back the program's $70 billion annual cost. Democrats will oppose any changes to the program, which is designed as a temporary safety net for Americans who find themselves unable to adequately feed themselves or their families.

Firebrand conservative Rep. Jim Jordan to forgo bid for House Oversight chairmanship

Rep. Jim Jordan doesn't usually shy away from a fight, but the conservative Ohio Republican has decided to forgo a bid for chairman of a powerful House committee. Firebrand conservative Rep. Jim Jordan to forgo bid for House Oversight chairmanship Rep. Jim Jordan doesn't usually shy away from a fight, but the conservative Ohio Republican has decided to forgo a bid for chairman of a powerful House committee.

With big spending cuts, Trump’s budget highlights clash of values

To the Trump team, the president's budget proposal is rooted in unassailable values: respect for the people "who are actually paying the taxes," as White House budget director Mick Mulvaney puts it. In President Trump's $4.1 trillion fiscal 2018 budget plan, released Tuesday, that approach translates into deep cuts in social safety-net programs that Mr. Mulvaney suggests discourage work and hinder economic growth.

Trump administration dropping nuclear waste burial test

The U.S. Department of Energy is abandoning a test meant to determine whether nuclear waste can be buried far underground because of changes in budget priorities, the agency said Tuesday. A spokeswoman said in a statement that the agency doesn't intend to continue supporting the Deep Borehole Field Test project, which was meant to assess whether nuclear waste could be stored in approximately 3-mile-deep holes.

Stephens film series features heroes of capitalism

Kyle Massey at Arkansas Business reports on an announcement today that Warren Stephens , the CEO of Stephens Inc. , has produced a film series and related media, "This is Capitalism." Stephens explains that capitalism has gotten a bad rap.

Trump’s $4T budget arrives on Capitol Hill

President Donald Trump on Tuesday sent Congress a $4.1 trillion spending plan that relies on faster economic growth and steep cuts to programs for the poor in a bid to balance the government's books over the next decade. The proposed 2018 budget immediately came under attack by Democrats and even some of GOP allies declared it dead on arrival.

Washington lawmakers heading into second special session

Lawmakers will head into a second special session as they continue to work toward reaching agreement on a two-year state budget that satisfies a state Supreme Court mandate on education funding. The first special session was set to adjourn Tuesday, after which Gov. Jay Inslee has already said he will call them back for a second special session.

The Latest: Many in GOP cool to Trump’s budget plan

Another senior Republican lawmaker, Fred Upton of Michigan, questioned inclusion of money for Trump's border wall, remarking: "I thought Mexico was going to pay for the wall, why is this in our budget?" House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin dismissed such criticism as typical rhetoric and praised the budget because it balances over 10 years. Independent economists say the budget relies on unrealistic projections of economic growth, but Ryan sidestepped that question, saying faster growth would "help so many of our problems."

Trump Seeks $3.6 Trillion in Cuts to Reshape Government

President Donald Trump would dramatically reduce the U.S. government's role in society with $3.6 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years in a budget plan that shrinks the safety net for the poor, recent college graduates and farmers. Trump's proposal, to be released Tuesday, claims to balance the budget within a decade.