Collins hopes for compromise in new gun control bill

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins is working with a bipartisan group of senators on an alternative bill that she hopes will break the partisan gridlock in Congress over gun control. Her proposal, coming in the wake of the horrific massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando by a gunman pledging allegiance to ISIS, would bar gun sales to those on the government's no-fly list.

Retrain miners to do what?

U.S. Department of Labor officials announced they are sending another $4.3 million in federal money to West Virginia for out-of-work miners. National Dislocated Worker Grant funding will be given to WorkForce West Virginia, which it says it will use to continue service for 1,700 Mountain State residents already enrolled in the program, and about 300 newly displaced coal miners.

Governor Brown Announces Appointments

Amilia Glikman, 39, of Sacramento, has been appointed chief counsel at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, where she has been assistant chief counsel since 2015 and served as an attorney from 2012 to 2015. She served as an attorney at the Sacramento County Superior Court from 2010 to 2012 and was an associate at Downey Brand LLP from 2002 to 2010.

Congressman Higgins Presents Bronze Star to the Family of Sergeant George Dennis

At the national Panther Veteran Organization reunion, Congressman Brian Higgins presented the family of United States Army veteran Sergeant George Dennis with a Bronze Star and other medals earned while serving in World War II. The Bronze Star is awarded to members of the military distinguishing themselves by heroic service while engaged in an action against an armed enemy.

Sanders endgame focused on keeping his – revolution’ alive

The Vermont senator is executing an intricate endgame to the Democratic primary that he hopes will continue to inspire the 12 million voters who flocked to him, while drawing lines in the political sand that Hillary Clinton and other establishment leaders won't dare to cross. But come January, he will face an existential test: Can his self-proclaimed revolution survive the move from stadiums roaring with adoring fans to the wood-paneled congressional hearing rooms and private political offices of Washington? Sanders' allies believe their colleague, a 25-year veteran of the House and Senate, returns to his job as a senator in Washington with new power to influence and shape policy on the issues he built his campaign on.

Can Colorado officials break through to the feds on train horn noise?

The head of the Federal Railroad Administration got an earful Friday from a couple dozen northern Colorado elected leaders who have had their fill of trains blasting their horns at all hours of the day and night. Mayors and council members from Fort Collins, Greeley and Longmont, among others, asked FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg for ways to lessen the impact of the agency's 2005 train horn rule , which requires engineers to sound a four-blast pattern at all crossings.

Tennessee’s Blackburn visits NH, defends Trump’s call for suspension of Muslim immigration

While many Republicans are distancing themselves from Donald Trump, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a 14-year U.S. House member from Tennessee, is not in that category -- not by a long shot. Blackburn, in New Hampshire to headline a state GOP fundraiser on Friday night, not only strongly endorses Trump, but she said in an interview that she would not back away if the presumptive presidential nominee asked her to be his running mate - the subject of speculation in some media reports.

Cory Booker calls Ohio Democrats to action

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker speaks at the Ohio Democratic Party's Northeast Ohio luncheon on June 17, 2016 in the Westin Downtown Cleveland hotel. CLEVELAND, Ohio - New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker delivered a message Friday to the Ohio Democratic Party's Northeast Ohio luncheon that focused on policies "that actually produce returns on investment."

The Latest: Legislators, tribes demand IHS transparency

The Latest on a U.S. Senate hearing being held in South Dakota to discuss legislation aimed at fixing shortcomings at hospitals serving Native Americans : Issues of transparency and accountability have dominated the discussion at a U.S. Senate committee hearing on federal legislation aimed at fixing shortcomings at hospitals serving members of Native American tribes. The hearing Friday in Rapid City, South Dakota, of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee came as the Indian Health Service implements a series of agency-wide reforms, some of which address severe quality-of-care deficiencies recently found at hospitals on some reservations.

Lawmakers fume after VA ditches power to fire employees

The Department of Veterans Affairs has angered and frustrated lawmakers by deciding to stop using their authority to fire senior employees, an authority Congress gave the VA in response to the wait-times scandal of 2014. "Everyone knows VA isn't very good at disciplining employees, but this decision calls into question whether department leaders are even interested in doing so," House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said Friday.

Democratic congresswoman has an interesting theory about Trump’s relationship with the Clintons

You hear this theory floated jokingly by conservative #NeverTrumpers now and again, but no one really believes it. And when you do hear it, it's more of an "If Trump were trying to lose to the Clintons, what would he be doing differently right now?" rhetorical point, not a semi-serious accusation.

Caving to Post-Orlando Fear, House Betrays Civil Liberties

Late Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives blocked an amendment that would have prohibited warrantless surveillance of Americans' electronic communications and banned the government from forcing technology companies to install backdoors to encrypted devices. The amendment to the House's annual military spending bill, introduced by Reps.

U.S. Rep. David Jolly to run for re-election, drop out of Senate race

U.S. Rep. David Jolly, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate is expected to run for re-election instead. [Miami Herald] U.S. Rep David Jolly will drop out of the U.S. Senate race and run for re-election instead, taking on likely Democratic nominee Charlie Crist, confirmed former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker "David Jolly's passion is to serve the people of Pinellas," Baker said.

Jim Gilmore showed Rick Santorum how it’s done

The former governor of Virginia was seen as perhaps the least competitive major candidate during the heat of the Republican primary process. Gilmore almost consistently placed last in polling and qualified to appear in only two debates until he ended his campaign in February.

Sanders vows to help Clinton fight Trump

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday vowed to work with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump, but he didn't end his presidential bid or endorse the presumptive Democratic nominee. "The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly," Sanders said in a much-anticipated live-stream address.