U.S. House Republicans vote to gut independent ethics office against wishes of top GOP leaders

House Republicans on Monday voted to eviscerate the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent body created in 2008 to investigate allegations of misconduct by lawmakers after several bribery and corruption scandals sent members to prison. The ethics change, which prompted an outcry from Democrats and government watchdog groups, is part of a rules package that the full House will vote on Tuesday.

House GOP guts ethics panel

House Republicans voted Monday night in favor of a proposal that would weaken Congress' outside ethics watchdog and remove its independence. Republican Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte's proposal would place the independent Office of Congressional Ethics -- an initial watchdog for House members but without power to punish members -- under oversight of those very lawmakers.

Democrats, stop blaming Putin and look in the mirror

Will Bunch has worked at the Daily News for 20-plus years and is now senior writer. Since 2005, he's written the uber-opinionated, fair-but-dangerously unbalanced opinion blog "Attytood," covering a range of topics ; it's been named best blog in the state by the Associated Press Managing Editors and best blog in the city by Philadelphia Magazine.

House GOP Shoots Down Move to Scrap Appropriations Committee

House Republicans on Monday night rejected a proposal that would have dissolved the Appropriations Committee and put its discretionary spending authority in the hands of the authorizing committees, among other sweeping proposed changes to House rules. The proposal, from Rep. Devin Nunes , R-Calif., was strongly condemned ahead of the closed-door meeting by House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen , R-N.J., who said adopting the Nunes amendment to a rules package would take the unified Republican Congress in the "wrong direction."

Donald Trump takes dig at Rahm Emanuel over Chicago homicides

NEW YORK – President-elect Donald Trump says Rahm Emanuel, Chicago's mayor and President Barack Obama's former chief of staff, should ask for federal assistance if he can't bring down the city's rising homicide tally. The nation's third-largest city had 762 homicides in 2016 - the most in two decades and more than the largest cities, New York and Los Angeles, combined.

Report: Dems target eight Trump nominees in bid to delay process, get picks to disclose more info

Senate Democrats reportedly plan to attack eight of Republican President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks and stretch their confirmation process from days to perhaps months, despite having essentially no chance of blocking their nominations. The Democratic senators are vowing to make good on their vow unless the nominees start disclosing personal financial information, according to The Washington Post .

Perdue Is Trump’s Lead Pick for Agriculture Secretary

Sonny Perdue III, the former governor of Georgia, is president-elect Donald Trump's leading candidate to be his U.S. secretary of agriculture, according to a person familiar with the matter. Perdue, 70, would succeed secretary Tom Vilsack.

Mike Pence May Be Damaged Goods Before Stepping Into White House

Since our corporate media has become sitting ducks feeble in the lobby of Trump Tower, you probably have no idea there's another lead crisis happening in the Midwest. East Chicago, Indiana, a low-income neighborhood predominately made up of Hispanics and African Americans, received notice in July, 2016 that the West Calumet apartment complex had 218 times the "allowable" limit of lead in its ground soil and air.

Ige promises action on Hawaii Island vacancies

Applications for candidates to fill one of the two Hawaii County seats on the University of Hawaii Board of Regents were due Sept. 30. The seat was vacated by the early September resignation of Barry Mizuno, who died Nov. 26. But a lack of a quorum on the Regents Candidate Advisory Council has left the applications still to be evaluated.

House Republicans move to slash powers of ethics watchdog

House Republicans move to slash powers of ethics watchdog Democrats, watchdogs criticize Monday night move as a 'sneak attack' on independent agency. Check out this story on scsun-news.com: http://usat.ly/2iYDGoh WASHINGTON - One day before the new Congress convenes, House Republicans voted Monday night to rein in an independent ethics office that investigates potential wrongdoing by lawmakers.

Dems Miss an ObamaCare Opportunity

As Republicans prepare to make good on their promises to dismantle and bury ObamaCare, Democrats have settled on a strategy for a final defense of the controversial law: a conference call with reporters. In communicating indignation to their grassroots voters and donors, however, Democrats are passing on a means of effectively defending ObamaCare from the coming GOP onslaught.

Two council newcomers sworn in Englewood Cliffs

Two council newcomers sworn in Englewood Cliffs ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS--Ellen Park and William Woo were sworn to council terms on Sunday Check out this story on northjersey.com: http://northjersy.news/2hIg2i7 Ellen Park is sworn in by Congressman Bill Pascrell to the Englewood Cliffs Council at their Sine Die and Reorganization Meeting on Jan. 1, 2017. Holding the bible is Park's husband, Richard.

Democrats to target Trump nominees

WASHINGTON Democratic senators plan to aggressively target eight of Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees in the coming weeks and are pushing to stretch their confirmation votes into March an unprecedented break with Senate tradition. Such delays would upend Republican hopes of quickly holding hearings and confirming most of Trump's top picks on Inauguration Day.