Trump and Putin raise possibilities of another meeting

President Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow - if he gets a formal invitation from Vladimir Putin, the White House said. Russian President Putin said he's game for a trip to Washington - but his answer came only after Trump retracted his invitation for a fall sit-down.

Tariffs put political squeeze on Greg Pence as Cummins strongly opposes them Source: Cox Media Group

The top executive of engine maker Cummins has one description for the tariffs the United States has imposed on steel, aluminum and other imports. "Let's be clear: a tariff is a tax, plain and simple," CEO Tom Linebarger wrote in an opinion piece published in The New York Times Wednesday.

Trump backs GOP candidates in Michigan’s Senate primary, Ohio…

President Donald Trump on Friday declared his support for Republican candidates in Tennessee, Michigan and Ohio, wading into a pair of races in Midwestern states he won in 2016 and a conservative state in which he remains popular. Trump also said he would ramp up his campaigning for House and Senate Republicans in the coming weeks, noting he has asked White House chief of staff John Kelly and other aides to draft a list of the 25 most competitive congressional races so he can get more involved.

Paul Ryan backs Rep. Jason Lewis, who faces revelations from…

A Minnesota congressman locked in a tight re-election battle is finding it difficult to escape his past remarks as a conservative talk-radio host, but he won tentative support this week from House Speaker Paul Ryan as Democrats attack him for those utterances. CNN, delving into a trove of old recordings, has surfaced numerous controversial statements from Republican Rep. Jason Lewis, who is in his first term representing a suburban district south of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Listen: Susan Ferrechio Talked About The Latest Congressional News As The House Goes On Recess

Rosenstein impeachment push by GOP, Congress goes on recess, Jordan runs for speaker and the latest on the Kavanaugh nomination. Ryan, McCarthy and Pelosi have a full slate of fundraisers planned for the summer recess, which begins Thursday - With control of the House up for grabs this fall - and their own political futures on the line - GOP and Democratic leaders will be frantically crisscrossing the country in August to raise money and rally the faithful.

Eastern Washington US House race takes harsh turn Source: AP

Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is sharply attacking her presumed Democratic opponent in the run-up to August's primary, calling Lisa Brown "dangerously liberal" as the incumbent heads into what is expected to be a tough re-election campaign. A television ad on behalf of McMorris Rodgers, the highest-ranking woman in House leadership, said Brown was soft on sex offenders while in the state Legislature.

Chicago releases plan for court-monitored police reform

Chicago and state officials released a plan Friday to carry out far-reaching police reforms under federal court supervision more than a year after a U.S. Justice Department investigation found a deep-rooted history of civil rights violations by the police department. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to release a 200-page report covering numerous topics, ranging from police recruitment and training to the use of force and misconduct investigations.

Poll: GOP Ron DeSantis, Dem Gwen Graham Lead in Fla. Governor’s Race

Poll results released Friday show that the race for Florida governor could come down to Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Gwen Graham, Politico reported. The Mason-Dixon Polling and Research survey showed Rep. DeSantis with a comfortable lead over Adam Putnam, Florida's agricultural commissioner.

Pressure to oppose new offshore oil drilling grows on GOP Congress members in Southern California

Oil rigs off the coast of Huntington Beach, which offer a home for marine life below the surface, are seen during a new eco-tour put on by IEX Helicopters out of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, on Thursday, June 28, 2018. The Heli-Marine Expedition takes tours above Southern California coastline to search for dolphins, whales and other sea creatures.

E.J. Dionne: Trump just buries his old lies with new ones

When the history of the Trump era is written, this quotation from our president will play a prominent role in explaining the distemper of our moment and the dysfunction of his administration. Trump was talking about media coverage of his trade war, but he was also describing his genuinely novel approach to governing: He believes that reality itself can be denied and that big lies can sow enough confusion to keep the truth from taking hold.

Mayor Emanuel, Attorney General Madigan to unveil draft plan Friday…

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan plan to announce a proposed court agreement Friday afternoon that would govern reforms in the troubled Chicago Police Department . A news conference is scheduled for 2 p.m., and city officials are holding briefings for attorneys and other stakeholders beforehand, sources said.

Is Trump’s Space Force on life support or still taking off?

Launched from the USS John Paul Jones, a Standard Missile-6 demonstrated its ability to intercept ballistic missiles in their final seconds of flight during live fire tests July 28-Aug. 1, 2015. President Trump's dream of a "Space Force" to protect American satellites either had a setback or made "significant progress" this week, depending on your perspective.

Wayne Forest neighbors are seeking rights

Private property owners in and around Wayne National Forest have taken their cause all the way to the nation's capital in an effort to protect their land and mineral leasing rights. Representatives from the National Association of Royalty Owners and the Landowners for Energy Access and Safe Exploration met in July with Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, Congressmen Bill Johnson and Bob Gibbs , the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of the Secretary, and the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and Energy and Mineral Resources, to discuss private property rights of land and mineral owners adjacent to Wayne National Forest parcels.

There’s trouble in Arizona

The polarization of politics has become so bad that some liberal Democrats in Arizona are criticizing one of their party's candidates for the U.S. Senate for refusing to join calls to eliminate the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. And, some far-left complainers say, U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., is wrong to support increased penalties for illegal immigrants caught repeatedly by ICE.

Senators warn Europe against flouting US Iran sanctions

A group of Republican senators on Thursday warned European nations not to try to flout U.S. sanctions on Iran that will soon be re-imposed after President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear accord. The 10 senators, all of whom opposed the 2015 agreement, said in a letter to the ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany that they would be "particularly troubled" by any efforts to evade or undermine the sanctions.