GOP, Democrats say progress made in Illinois budget talks

CHICAGO – Gov. Bruce Rauner and majority Democrats were pushing competing plans to ensure schools stay open and government operations continue, though there were signs late Tuesday that the two sides could reach a deal on stopgap spending as Illinois approaches a second year without a full state budget. Legislative leaders left a nearly three-hour meeting with the Republican governor saying they had made progress and would meet again Wednesday morning.

Final Benghazi report: No ‘smoking gun’ pointing to Clinton

House Republicans on Tuesday concluded their $7 million, two-year investigation into the deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya, with fresh accusations of lethal mistakes by the Obama administration but no "smoking gun" pointing to wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton, then secretary of state and now the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee. In this Sept.

Dems demand gun votes, loudly, in 2-minute House session

" House Democrats continued their disruptive demands for votes on gun control Tuesday, though this time the commotion lasted less than two minutes. Less than a week after staging a near 26-hour sit-in on the House floor that garnered widespread attention, a half-dozen Democrats stood in the nearly empty chamber and loudly demanded recognition during a session held strictly for procedural business.

The 5 most serious accusations from Republicans’ Benghazi report

Remember that heated hearing last fall where Hillary Clinton sat in front of Congress for 11 hours and defended her handling of the Benghazi terrorist attacks? Well, a report from that investigation is out, capping the two-year process that is the ninth overall investigation into Benghazi. There is no smoking gun, but the report does conclude that Clinton and the Obama administration more broadly should have realized how in-danger our diplomatic posts in Libya were at the time of the 2012 attack and done more to protect them and the four Americans -- including Ambassador Christopher Stevens -- who were killed.

Republicans release Benghazi report

Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee are divided over whether to directly blame then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the events that killed four Americans in Libya in 2012. One committee member, Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas, calls Clinton's actions ``morally reprehensible'' and says ``you have every right to be disgusted'' by the response from her and others.

House Republicans’ report faults Obama on Benghazi attacks

Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee faulted the Obama administration Tuesday in a report on the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The panel's chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, and other Republicans accuse the Obama administration of stonewalling important documents and witnesses.

House Republicans fault US military response to Benghazi

House Benghazi Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., speaks during a TV news interview with MSNBC, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, to discuss the release of his final report on the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where a violent mob killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. House Benghazi Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., gestures during a TV news interview with MSNBC, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, to discuss the release of his final report on the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where a violent mob killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Conservatives blast Clinton, Obama for ‘tragic failure of leadership’

Two top Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee blasted Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration Tuesday for "a tragic failure of leadership" in the runup to the deaths of four Americans in the U.S. outpost in Libya in 2012. Reps.

Former ‘Bachelor’ turned Colorado politician?

Former "Bachelor" star Ben Higgins found love on the ABC reality show - and his next made-for-TV conquest might be even more of a challenge. The software salesman is mulling a run for a seat in the Colorado legislature, which would be documented in a new "Bachelor" franchise spin-off show announced last week, optimistically titled "Ben And Lauren: Happily Ever After," starring Higgins and show winner-turned-fiancee Lauren Bushnell.

Will any of Oklahomaa s House GOP members be ousted Tuesday? –

All five Oklahoma Republican U.S. House members face primary opponents on Tuesday but ousting an incumbent is easier said than done, even in a year of voter anger directed at Washington. Most of those Oklahoma challengers are underfunded and the track record of insurgents nationally is not good.

Dems: Clinton never personally denied Benghazi security

In this Oct. 22, 2015 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Clinton never personally denied any requests from diplomats for additional security at the U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, according to Democrats on a select House panel who absolved the former secretary of state and the U.S. military of wrongdoing in the deadly Sept.

Medicaid expansion will impact public-private partnerships for charity hospitals

Perhaps more than in any other state, the expansion of Medicaid to give thousands of Louisiana residents no-cost health insurance stands to have a profound impact on health care - whether it's better or worse than the system that was already established to cover the needs of the poor. Louisiana on Friday is set to become the 31st state in the country to expand Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Supreme Court to rule on use of race in redistricting

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether Republican lawmakers relied too heavily on race when they redrew North Carolina's congressional districts to give the GOP a powerful advantage in the swing state. The justices will hear the case in the fall - almost certainly too late to affect November's elections.

Study: Trump budget, tax plans add at least $10T to debt

A new Washington study says Donald Trump 's tax and budget plans would make the national debt skyrocket by $10 trillion or more over the coming decade, mostly because of his ambitious and expensive tax cuts. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says Democrat Hillary Clinton 's agenda - which relies on tax increases to pay for proposals such as making the Affordable Care Act more generous - would increase the debt by about $250 billion over 10 years.

Sen. Joe Donnelly calls for no-fly list gun sales ban

U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly says Congress should pass gun control legislation preventing felons, people with mental illness and those on the government no-fly list from purchasing firearms. The Indiana Democrat has been a strong supporter of gun rights while in Congress and has previously been endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

Ugly dog has her day at California contest

SweePee Rambo and owner Jason Wurtz celebrate Friday after winning the 2016 World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. A 17-year-old Chinese Crested Chihuahua with legs bowed out like a frog and an oozing sore is the winner of this year's World's Ugliest Dog contest.

Morning Press: Bridge crunch, oil by rail, more stores for marijuana

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, the roughly 1.5-mile segment of I-5 from state Highway 500 down to the state line during peak traffic hours is the most congested segment of road in the entire state. "About 89 percent of crashes on I-5 are due to congestion," said Dennis Mitchell, Region 1 traffic engineer for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

New Haven program aims to curb gap in food security

In order to make sure one less child goes hungry over the summer, officials and volunteers gathered Saturday to kick off the city's Free Summer Meals program. From June 27 to Aug. 26, low-income children 18 and under will be eligible to receive meals at 91 different sites throughout the city.