Government shutdown, health bill rescue at stake in Congress

Bipartisan bargainers are making progress toward a budget deal to prevent a partial federal shutdown this weekend, a major hurdle overcome when President Donald Trump signaled he would put off his demand that the measure include money to build his border wall with Mexico. Republicans are also vetting proposed changes to their beleaguered health care bill that they hope will attract enough votes to finally push it through the House.

Trump backs away from demand for border wall money

President Donald Trump appears to be stepping back from demanding a down payment for his border wall, which could remove a major obstacle to a bipartisan deal on must-pass spending legislation just days ahead of a government shutdown deadline. Trump told a gathering of around 20 conservative media reporters Monday evening that he would be willing to return to the funding issue in September.

Opinion: Whata s missing in Congress right now? Just leadership and courage

In this photo taken Feb. 28, 2017, a flag flies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Lawmakers return to Washington this week to a familiar quagmire on health care legislation and a budget deadline dramatized by the prospect of a protracted battle between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over his border wall.

Attorneys general: Restore guidance to aid student borrowers

Attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia are faulting Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for rolling back Obama-era guidance they say is helping protect student loan borrowers. In a letter sent Monday, Democratic attorneys general Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Lisa Madigan of Illinois called on DeVos to restore the memos instituted by the Education Department last year under former President Barack Obama.

the Drive: Obama returns; Syrians sanctioned; double execution set for tonight

President Barack Obama lifted the veil on his retirement Monday at a University of Chicago forum, engaging students with a message calling on them to use empathy and listen to those with whom they disagree. “I have to say that there's a reason why I'm always optimistic when things look like they're sometimes not going the way I want.

Obama made his return after leaving the White House, and he didn’t wear a tie

Former President Barack Obama made his first public remarks since leaving the White House wearing a white shirt, dark suit jacket and, noticeably, no tie. "So uh what's been going on while I've been gone?" he joked on Monday at the University of Chicago while taking his seat, a reference to both his public absence and his successor.

Obama Says He ‘Did Not Transform’ Chicago ‘In Any…

Former President Barack Obama delivered his first public address since leaving the White House at the University of Chicago Monday morning. During his opening remarks, Obama noted that for "three years," he did his "best" to reverse economic disparity in the communities he represented as the junior United States Senator from Illinois, but admitted he ultimately fell short of his goal.

Trump ramps up pressure on Democrats over border wall funding

US president Donald Trump is putting fresh pressure on congressional Democrats to pay for a wall on the US-Mexico border as a funding deadline looms - even if that pressure risks a possible government shutdown. As Mr Trump approaches the symbolic 100-day mark for his administration this week, he is juggling a renewed healthcare push with his demands that a must-pass government funding bill should include money for the wall.

Hash Browns Recalled Over ‘Extraneous Golf Ball Materials’

On 21 April 2017, McCain Foods, USA announced they were recalling some of their hash browns due to "extraneous golf ball materials" found in some packages. The company has issued a press release detailing the scope of the recall, which affects hash browns manufactured on 19 January 2017 that apparently harvested and packaged fragments of golf balls along with potatoes.

Drop the push for the wall and wea ve got a budget deal, Democrats tell Trump

In this Wednesday, April 19, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office in Washington. With a budget deadline looming, he plans a whirlwind of activities seeking to highlight accomplishments while putting fresh pressure on congressional Democrats to pay for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, even if that pressure risks a government shutdown.

Nearing 100 days, Trump says his presidency is ‘different’

He's startled world leaders with his unpredictability and tough talk, but won their praise for a surprise strike on Syria. "It's a different kind of a presidency," Trump said in an Oval Office interview with The Associated Press, an hour-long conversation as he approached Saturday's key presidential benchmark.

California Gears Up to Fight Trump on Car Emissions

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at overturning environmental regulations and reviving the coal industry. Trump also railed against a so-called "War on Coal" as well as general federal regulations in his speech prior to signing the order, promising to strike down regulations in every industry by the "thousands."