Ex-prosecutor helping Donald Trump with pick

A former top Bay State federal prosecutor has been making recommendations to the White House on who the next Massachusetts U.S. Attorney should be, but another with ties to the Trump administration says a decision isn't likely until late summer. "I've made recommendations.

Spending bill win claimed by both sides

President Trump tried to portray his White House as the true winner of the spending bill debate despite Democrats' declaring victory, even as Republicans' Obamacare replacement plan barely clung to life yesterday. "This is what winning looks like," said Trump from the Rose Garden, rattling off the increased military and border security funding and other highlights of the spending bill he advocated for.

Herald report on VA errors raises concerns with Seth Moulton

SEMPER FI: Bay State Rep. Seth Moulton has written a letter to the chairman of the House Veterans Affair committee after hearing the story of Brian Callahan, above, and others in the Herald this week. Staff photo by Christopher Evans U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton - alarmed by a Herald special report showing that the Boston VA benefits office bungled one in six traumatic brain injury claims - is calling for the House Veterans Affairs Committee to "fully examine" the issue, and is concerned the problem could extend nationwide.

Governor, legislative leaders disagree over possible special election

There's increasing disagreement between Gov. Gary Herbert and fellow GOP legislative leaders over how to handle a special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz, if the Republican congressman steps down before his term ends. Chaffetz, who two weeks ago surprised Utahns by saying he would not seek re-election and may not serve out his full term, could announce around Memorial Day that he's leaving Congress as early as June, sources told the Deseret News.

Official says Justice will aggressively pursue hate crimes

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is committed to prosecuting those who commit religious hate crimes, a Justice Department official said Tuesday as Democratic senators questioned whether the Trump administration's rhetoric and policies have contributed to a spike in such offenses. Eric Treene, the department's special counsel for religious discrimination, offered no theories for what has caused a recent rise in religious hate crimes, but said Sessions has urged the nation's federal prosecutors to pursue those cases as part of his tough-on-crime agenda.

The Latest: White House says Trump will sign spending bill

The White House budget office says in an official policy statement that the administration is pleased with additional money for the Pentagon and border security, though it's "concerned" that lawmakers ignored Trump's request that the spending increases be accompanied by spending cuts elsewhere in the budget. The statement arrived on the eve of a House vote on the measure.

Congressman asks United CEO, “Why do you hate the American people?”

Congressmen were described as "angry" today when they grilled executives from several different airlines during hearings in the House. Prominently featured was Oscar Munoz, the United CEO best known for recent dragging and beatdown services which are never mentioned in the rewards program brochures.

Trump: US needs September a shutdowna to fix Senate a messa

President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that the U.S. government "needs a good shutdown" in September to fix a "mess" in the Senate, signaling his displeasure with a temporary spending bill that Republican congressional leaders - and Trump himself - are praising as a major accomplishment. On Twitter and then in a White House ceremony, Trump issued contradictory statements ahead of key votes in Congress on the budget bill to keep the government running into the fall.

Trump’s Pressure on Tech Outsourcers Might Be Paying Off

President Trump has long promised to crack down on tech firms that undercut American workers by bringing in less expensive foreign labor. Last month, he signed an executive order that promised extra oversight of the H-1B visa system that speeds the entry of high-skilled tech workers into the US.

Republicans still don’t know whether they have enough votes to pass Obamacare repeal

The fate of the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare remains in flux as House Republicans scramble to get enough votes for it to pass through a divided Republican Party before lawmakers head home for a week-long recess. Republicans still don't know whether they have enough votes to pass Obamacare repeal The fate of the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare remains in flux as House Republicans scramble to get enough votes for it to pass through a divided Republican Party before lawmakers head home for a week-long recess.

Is he for or against regulation? Trump swings in 1 day

In this Friday, April 21, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks at the Treasury Department in Washington, where he signed an executive order to review tax regulations set last year by his predecessor, as well as two memos to potentially reconsider major elements of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reforms passed in the wake of the Great Recession. While Republicans in Congress craft a bill to unwind the tighter financial rules that took effect after the 2008 crisis, President Donald Trump is looking in another, seemingly opposite direction: He's entertaining the idea of restoring the Depression-era firewall between commercial banking and its riskier investment side.

Monuments under the microscope: Subcommittee debates designations

An undated photo of an Ancestral Puebloan ruin site within the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument. The Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a two-hour plus oversight hearing on the merits and detriments of monument designations, particularly Bears Ears and Grand Staircase in Utah comprising more than three million acres.

Russia wasn’t the only election hacker: Jason Sattler

Russia wasn't the only election hacker: Jason Sattler Democrats will need more than anti-Trump energy in 2018 to overcome GOP intervention in democracy. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2pqNYnd Democrats came close to upsets in two special House elections in Republican districts, and now Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., has announced she is retiring.

Stephen Colbert hits Trump below the belt

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events After Infowars founder Alex Jones said in March that Rep. Adam Schiff "looks like the archetypal c---sucker," Jones's ex-wife tried to submit the remark as evidence in a child custody trial . When Fox News's Jesse Watters said of Ivanka Trump last week that he "really liked how she was speaking into that microphone," he took an abrupt "vacation" while the outrage died down.

As Congress touts spending deal, Trump calls for shutdown

As Congress touts spending deal, Trump calls for shutdown The president tweeted his defense of a short-term spending deal criticized on the right. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2qtNlYt President Trump speaks during an event with the Independent Community Bankers Association at the White House on May 1, 2017.

U.S. lawmakers press United on man dragged off plane

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz and UAL President Scott Kirby prepare to testify at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on 'Oversight of U.S. Airline Customer Service,' in the aftermath of the forced removal on April 9 of a passenger from a UAL Chicago flight, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 2, 2017. United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz prepares to testify at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on 'Oversight of U.S. Airline Customer Service,' in the aftermath of the forced removal on April 9 of a passenger from a UAL Chicago flight, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 2, 2017.

NYC set to receive $25.7m from feds for securing Trump Tower

Heavily armed New York City Police officers stand outside the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City on April 26. NEW YORK - New York City is in line to receive the $25.7 million in federal funding it has been seeking for the cost of securing Trump Tower during the presidential transition, under a bipartisan budget deal struck by federal lawmakers ... (more)