With Senate passage, bill to prevent shutdown goes to House

The Senate approved legislation to temporarily fund the government, a key step toward averting a federal shutdown after President Donald Trump backed off his demand for money for a border wall with Mexico. Senators passed the measure, which would keep government running to Feb. 8, by voice vote without a roll call Wednesday night.

Barack Obama pays visit to D.C. children’s hospital, as Santa

Former President Barack Obama received a warm welcome on Wednesday when he arrived at Children's National Medical Center in Northwest DC, dressed as Santa Claus. The hospital called the visit a "surprise" in a tweet, and a video they posted showed a gathered crowd in the hospital hallway cheering for the 44th president.

Newt: Trump Won’t Quit Fighting for Border Security

Democrats may be winning a short-term victory on keeping the government open, but President Donald Trump is "probably trying to get past the Christmas season," and he will keep fighting for border security, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday. "I have always thought having been through shutdowns when I was speaker, I don't think shutting government down on Christmas Eve is particularly big win for anybody," Gingrich told Fox News' "Fox and Friends."

The U.S. Postal Service anticipates that Monday will be its busiest…

The U.S. Postal Service anticipates that Monday will be its busiest day online, which would allow most priority and first-class to reach its destination by Thursday before any possibility of a shutdown. WASHINGTON - If Congress and the White House don't make a deal this week to stave off a partial government shutdown , Saturday - three days before Christmas - could be the start of the third shutdown since President Trump took office less than two years ago.

Trump delivers Thanksgiving message to U.S. service members

President Donald Trump has delivered a Thanksgiving message to American service members on duty around the world, telling them by telephone, "Your courage truly inspires us." Trump told members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard that he and first lady Melania Trump wanted to express their "profound gratitude."

Oldest US Pearl Harbor survivor dies aged 106 just months after he…

Oldest US Pearl Harbor survivor dies aged 106 just six months after he was honored at the White House on memorial day The oldest survivor of the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor which plunged the US into WWII has died aged 106. As recently as last May he had traveled to Washington, D.C., where he was honored on Memorial Day by President Donald Trump .

House Judiciary Committee subpoenas James Comey and Loretta Lynch

The House Judiciary Committee has issued subpoenas for former FBI director James Comey and former attorney general Loretta Lynch to appear for closed-door interviews in a probe of how federal law enforcement officials handled investigations of Hillary Clinton's emails and the Trump campaign's alleged Russia ties. The orders direct Comey to appear on Dec. 3, while Lynch is to appear on Dec. 4, to speak with members of the House Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Reform Committees.

Trump issues Thanksgiving threat to close US-Mexico border

President Donald Trump meets and poses for a photo with members of the U.S. Coast Guard stationed at United States Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet in Riviera Beach, Fla., on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018. The U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat passes President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018.

Trump says U.S. in ‘very strong’ negotiations in Afghanistan

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States was "in very strong" peace negotiations in Afghanistan but he did not known whether they would be successful. "I really think the people of Afghanistan ... are tired of fighting," Trump told reporters after delivering a Thanksgiving holiday message to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, scene of one of America's longest-ever wars.

Trump hints could make first visit to Afghanistan

U.S. President Donald Trump hinted on Thursday he may visit Afghanistan, scene of one of America's longest wars but a country he has yet to visit almost two years into his presidency. Delivering a Thanksgiving holiday message by teleconference to troops in Afghanistan, Trump told a U.S. Air Force general he would see him back in the United States, before adding: "Or maybe I'll even see you over there.

Resentencing set next month in 2006 slaying of teenager

A man is scheduled to be resentenced next month in the murder of a teenager a dozen years ago in what eastern Pennsylvania authorities called a case of mistaken identity. The Morning Call reports that a Northampton County judge set a Nov. 16 date for the sentencing of 29-year-old Paul Serrano III - his third in the murder of 15-year-old Kevin Muzila of Bethlehem a week before Christmas in 2006.

Kavanaugh, Rosenstein Confrontations Are High Stakes

That day, the fates of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and much else, may be decided. The New York Times report that Rosenstein, sarcastically or seriously in May 2017, talked of wearing a wire into the Oval Office to entrap the president, suggests that his survival into the new year is improbable.

Siblings of Arizona GOP congressman back rival in stunning ads

Videos show brothers and sisters of Paul Gosar, previously condemned for comments about George Soros, telling voters to choose Democrat David Brill in midterm election Six siblings of a Republican congressman from Arizona seeking re-election in November's midterms have publicly endorsed his Democratic opponent - all but ensuring an awkward Thanksgiving family dinner this year. Paul Gosar, who first entered Congress in 2011 with the backing of the populist Tea Party movement and is known for his hardline views on immigration, is odds-on favorite to retain his seat in the rural, conservative state when he faces Democrat David Brill this fall.

It’s all about you, pollster warns Trump of voters’ concerns in lead up to midterm election

GOP to release over 70 interviews House interviews in Russia probe, which includes members of the Trump campaign, FBI agents, and various intelligence officials A top Republican pollster told the White House the determining factor in the election would be how voters feel about President Trump In a post-Labor Day briefing at the White House, a top Republican pollster told senior staff that the determining factor in the election wouldn't be the improving economy or the steady increase in job creation. It would be how voters feel about Trump.

11 killed and nearly 70 wounded in Chicago weekend shootings

At least 11 people were shot and killed and about 70 others were wounded over the weekend in Chicago, in a spasm of gun violence that police attributed mostly to gangs and that the president's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, used to criticize the city's Democratic leadership. By comparison, at least seven people were killed and 32 were wounded during the long Memorial Day weekend, which is often one of the most violent weekends of the year for the city, the Chicago Tribune reported.