North Dakota backs away from checking cars headed to pipeline protest

North Dakota law enforcement will not make spot checks on vehicles headed to the camp where activists are protesting a pipeline project near a Native-American reservation, the governor's office said on Wednesday, backing away from a previous plan. The decision indicated the state will not actively enforce Monday's emergency order to evacuate the camp issued by Governor Jack Dalrymple, who had cited a coming blizzard.

How did Trump, Pence rescue 1,000 jobs at Carrier?

"Has Donald Trump kept one of his campaign promises to Indiana?" asked WRTV in Indianapolis last night after word broke that Carrier would keep 1,000 jobs in place rather than send them to Monterrey, Mexico. The major manufacturer had planned to close out 1,400 positions, and workers had hoped that Trump and his running mate Mike Pence could act quickly to save as many of them as possible.

Trump transition points toward presidency with new norms

In this Oct. 19, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during the third presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at UNLV in Las Vegas. Trump, that most unconventional of presidential candidates, last spring pledged that he would act perfectly presidential when the time was right.

Reckoning for Pelosi as House Democrats vote for leader

" Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi faces a challenge to her job as frustrated House Democrats meet to select a new slate of leaders. Pelosi is likely to be re-elected easily Wednesday despite disenchantment among some in the Democratic caucus she has led since 2002.

Trump tapping Washington, Wall Street veterans for top jobs

Steven Mnuchin, national finance chairman of President-elect Donald Trump's campaign, walks to lunch at Trump Tower, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in New York. Steven Mnuchin, national finance chairman of President-elect Donald Trump's campaign, walks to lunch at Trump Tower, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in New York.

GOP leaders set for House vote on medical research bill

Republican leaders are ready to push through the House a compromise medical research bill that's prompted complaints from Democrats and consumer groups but seems all but certain to sail through Congress with momentum built by victories that it delivers for both parties and the White House. The legislation envisions spending $6.3 billion over the coming decade, including $4.8 billion for National Institutes of Health research.

After meeting with Trump, Barletta considering secretary of labor post

Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., smiles as he talks with reporters after a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in New York. U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, gets on an elevator after arriving for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower, Tuesday, in New York.

Carrier says it has deal with Trump to keep jobs in Indiana

Air conditioning company Carrier Corp. said Tuesday it had reached a deal with President-elect Donald Trump to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in Indiana. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence planned to travel to the state Thursday to unveil the agreement alongside company officials.

This mom in Congress wants to help breast-feeding moms. Shea ll get a vote Wednesday.

Dalvery Blackwell, co-founder of the African American Breastfeeding Network, talks with young mothers as she holds a baby from an attendee at a monthly gathering that promotes breast-feeding at a YMCA in Milwaukee. On Wednesday, the U.S. House will vote on a bill that would require the federal government to conduct more research into health risks faced by women who use medications while breast-feeding.

Trump expected to pick Mnuchin, Wilbur for Treasury, Commerce heads

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name his former campaign finance chief Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary and investor Wilbur Ross as Commerce secretary as early as tomorrow, a top transition source confirms to NBC News. The picks will add two billionaire businessmen to a cabinet that's thus far largely been filled out by Washington lawmakers and political insiders.

Creators of U.S. consumer agency rise to defend it in court

Nov 29 The U.S. lawmakers who helped bring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau into being rose to defend it on Tuesday, urging the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to review a ruling that poses an existential threat to the agency. In an amicus brief, 21 current and former members of Congress said the whole court should review a decision reached by three of its judges in October that the CFPB's sole director has too much power and that the President should have power to fire the director.

Trump picks Mnuchin as treasury secretary

Elaine Chao's record at the Labor Department suggests she'd have a light hand when it comes to safety regulation as transportation secretary and would seek to shift responsibility from the federal government to... Trump has a follow-up meeting Tuesday with the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, who has become a symbol of the internal divisions agitating the transition team. Reaching deep into conservative territory, President-elect Donald Trump chose Georgia Rep. Tom Price to oversee the nation's health care system on Tuesday, picking a fierce "Obamacare" critic who also has championed... President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday received only his third top-secret intelligence briefing since his election four weeks ago.

Mayor Emanuel Announces Major Expansion of Chicago’s Large Lots Program

Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced a major expansion of the City's Large Lots land sale program that will expand it into more than 30 communities across Chicago. The program, which sells vacant City-owned land to nearby homeowners for $1, is expanding to include approximately 4,000 lots on the South and West sides of the city.

Updated Intel Bill Mandates FBI Report on Cyber Recruiting

An updated draft of a must-pass intelligence policy bill released Tuesday includes a mandate for the FBI to report on efforts to integrate cyber expertise into its investigations. The report, due to congressional intelligence committees in six months, should include clear benchmarks about efforts to recruit and retain agents with skills in encryption, cryptography and big data analytics, according to the draft Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2017 released by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif.