Senate confirms Ross as commerce secretary

The Senate on Monday confirmed billionaire investor Wilbur Ross as commerce secretary, helping President Donald Trump fill out his economic team. Ross has said the Trump administration will work quickly to redo the North American Free Trade Agreement, the pact with Canada and Mexico that has boosted trade but still stings laid-off workers across the Midwest.

Trump offers mixed messages on immigration

President Donald Trump, signaling a potential shift on a signature issue, indicated Tuesday in a private meeting with news anchors that he's open to immigration legislation that would give legal status to some people living in the U.S. illegally and provide a pathway to citizenship to those brought to the U.S. illegally as children. But hours later, in his first address to Congress, he pledged to vigorously target people living in the U.S. illegally who "threaten our communities" and prey on "innocent citizens."

Ap Fact Check: Trump claims credit for jobs that predate him

TRUMP: "Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and many others have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs." THE FACTS: Many of the announcements reflect corporate decisions that predate Trump's presidential election, making it unlikely that his administration is the sole or even the primary reason for the expected hiring.

Trump says he’s open to ‘compromise’ immigration bill

President Donald Trump, signaling a potential shift on a signature issue, indicated Tuesday that he's open to immigration legislation that would give legal status to some people living in the U.S. illegally and provide a pathway to citizenship to those brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The president, in a lunch with news anchors ahead of his address to Congress on Tuesday night, said, "The time is right for an immigration bill as long as there is compromise on both sides."

Trump signs executive order on black colleges

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at signaling his commitment to historically black colleges and universities, saying that those schools will be "an absolute priority for this White House." HBCU presidents are hoping Congress will bolster Trump's actions to strengthen the schools with dramatically increased funding in the upcoming federal budget.

Trump looks for reset with speech to Congress

With his image projected upon a huge screen, U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S., February 24, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque) Donald Trump gets a chance to put the rocky start to his presidency behind him on Tuesday night with a speech to the US Congress where he will lay out his plans for the year including a healthcare overhaul and military buildup.

Hans Parisis: Wait Until 2008 to See Growth Results From Trump Strategy

President Donald Trump will give his first address to a joint session of Congress and will do the same thing as President Barack Obama did on February 24, 2009 after he was elected as president for the first time. It's a fact that newly elected presidents often deliver this type of speech instead of a formal State of the Union address, as it gives them a full year instead of a few weeks to fully assess the state of the economy.

U.S. House speaker vows Republican unity on healthcare overhaul

The White House and Congress are working together to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Tuesday, adding there are "no rival plans." Ryan, who has said a formal plan would be unveiled after U.S. lawmakers returned to Washington this week, told reporters that Republicans would ultimately be unified in their efforts to overhaul the law, known as Obamacare.

Trump blames Obama for protests and grades himself a ‘C or a C plus’ on getting his message out

President Trump believes former President Barack Obama "is behind" nationwide protests against the new administration's policies, he said Tuesday morning, taking an unusual swipe at his predecessor. He leveled the charge on Fox News a day after former President George W. Bush appeared to criticize Trump for disparaging the media, and said any ties between Trump's team and Russia should be investigated.

Rep. Turner calls Comey hearing ‘highly speculative’

On a day that saw FBI Director James Comey testify before the House Intelligence Committee, Erin Burnett made the issue the focus of her evening news program by welcoming a man who was in the room as the testimony was given. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio is a Republican member of the Intelligence Committee, and cautioned anyone from forming opinions based solely on what Comey shared Monday morning.

China’s coal consumption falls for 3rd year in a row

" China's consumption of coal fell in 2016 for a third year in a row, official data showed Tuesday, as the world's top carbon polluter has emerged as a global leader in addressing global warming. The National Bureau of Statistics said the consumption of coal, a major source of heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, fell by 4.7 percent last year, according to preliminary calculations.

Justice department suddenly rescinds support for opposition in key part of Texas voter ID law

The U.S. Justice Department said Monday it is abandoning its longstanding opposition to a key aspect of Texas' toughest-in-the-nation voter ID law, costing voting rights groups their most important ally and possibly encouraging other conservative states to toughen their own election rules with President Donald Trump in charge. It's a dramatic break from the agency's position under President Barack Obama, which spent years arguing that the voter ID law passed in 2011 by Texas' Republican-controlled Legislature was intended to disenfranchise poor and minority voters.