Koch network launches effort to kill Republican border tax plan

Billionaire industrialist Charles Koch is launching a campaign to sink a border tax under consideration by Republican leaders in Congress, a move that could complicate the lawmakers' efforts to find a way to pay for President Donald Trump's proposed wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group founded by Charles Koch and his brother David, plans to use its network of wealthy political donors and activists to kill the proposal, which aims to raise $1.2 trillion over 10 years on goods coming into the United States, according to officials from the group, which gathered this weekend for a conference.

Nation-Now 24 mins ago 2:07 p.m.New tax proposed by GOP could hike prices on cars, clothes and gas

Donald Trump's proposal to levy a new tax on imports from Mexico isn't the only plan that could pinch your pocketbook. A GOP proposal to scrap a tax deduction on imported goods could lead to price hikes of as much as 15% on products ranging from jeans to jeeps, according to projections by a major retail trade association.

Republicans divided over border wall as Trump era begins

Congressional Republicans leave their annual policy retreat divided over paying for President Donald Trump's border wall, one of several thorny issues looming to trip them up as the GOP adjusts to full control of Washington. Lawmakers welcomed a speech from Trump endorsing their goals on repealing and replacing former President Barack Obama's health care law and overhauling the loophole-ridden tax code.

GOP Plots Next 200 Days at Retreat but Trump Has His Own Ideas

President Donald Trump is greeted by Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan as he arrives to speak at a congressional Republican retreat in Philadelphia, Jan. 26, 2017. The ambitious 200-day agenda that the Wisconsin Republican and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell presented included goals related to an Affordable Care Act replacement, tax code reform, Obama-era regulatory rollback and, at the request of President Donald Trump, an infrastructure package.

A new Obamacare abortion battle is brewing

A fight over taxpayer funding for abortion that nearly blew up the Affordable Care Act seven years ago is brewing once again. Conservative groups are warning members of Congress they will oppose an Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill if it doesn't include language to effectively prohibit any federally subsidized health plans from covering abortion.

GOP lawmakers hope for message of unity, focus from Trump

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., joined by, from left, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of La., and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, as he announced that he has invited President Donald Trump to address a Joint Session of Congress on Feb. 28. PHILADELPHIA - Congressional Republicans are hoping for a message of unity and focus from Donald Trump in his first appearance before them as president. Trump was to speak Thursday to House and Senate GOP lawmakers at their annual policy retreat.

Congressional Republicans prepare to hear from Trump

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., joined by, from left, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of La., and Rep. Mimi Walters, R-Calif., meets reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, as he announced that he has invited President Donald Trump to address a Joint Session of Congress on Feb. 28.

Trump signals changes to US interrogation, detention policy

President Donald Trump 's renewed embrace of torture in the fight against Islamic extremism sets up a heated dispute with a long line of opponents both at home and abroad of Bush-era interrogation policies and CIA-run "black site" prisons. "We have to fight fire with fire," Trump told ABC in an interview aired Wednesday after The Associated Press and other news organizations obtained a copy of a draft executive order that signals sweeping changes to U.S. interrogation and detention policy.

Democrats Are Trying to Divide President Trump From Republicans in Congress

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, as he is joined by the Congressional leadership and his family while he formally signs his cabinet nominations into law, in the President's Room of the Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, January 20, 2017. Defeated and in the minority, Democrats in Congress have few options to push their own agenda.

Speaker Ryan: – Every Parent Should Have The Chance To Choose a Decent School’

At a rally to celebrate National School Choice Week, House Speaker Paul Ryan said every parent should have the right to send their children to the school of their choice. "Every parent should have the chance to choose a decent school for your child," Ryan said, surrounded by children from Sacred Heart Catholic School in D.C. who carried signs emblazoned with messages such as "Put Kids First" and "Got Choice?" Ryan praised President Donald Trump's pick for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, and said the scholarship program to allow low-income children in the District of Columbia to attend private and religious schools, which was ended by President Barack Obama, would be expanded by the Republican-led Congress.

Trump declares his Inauguration ‘National Day of Patriotic…

President Donald Trump is joined by the Congressional leadership and his family before formally signing his cabinet nominations into law, in the President's Room of the Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, January 20, 2017. From left are Vice President Mike Pence, the president's wife Melania Trump, their son Barron Trump, and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

The Latest: Lawmakers slam ethics official over Trump tweets

Lawmakers from both parties are admonishing a federal ethics official who sent a series of tweets commenting on President Donald Trump's potential conflicts of interest. Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee say the tweets by Walter Shaub Jr., director of the Office of Government Ethics, were inappropriate and could compromise the agency's objectivity.

Trump Signs Executive Order Reinstating Ban On Funding And Promoting Abortions Overseas

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday reinstating a Republican policy that would ban U.S. aid to groups that provide or promote abortions overseas. U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order on U.S. withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership while flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington January 23, 2017.

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President Donald Trump's blunt declaration during his stark inaugural address now becomes a yardstick to judge his administration's ability to fundamentally reshape America's politics and global posture. The first weekday of the new White House opens a new chapter in the story of Trump the politician.

Cautious welcome from congressional Republicans to Trump era

President Donald Trump turns to House Speaker Paul Ryan as he is joined by the Congressional leadership and his family as he formally signs his cabinet nominations into law, in the President's Room of the Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. President Donald Trump is joined by the Congressional leadership and his family as he formally signs his cabinet nominations into law, in the President's Room of the Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.

WashPost Slams ‘Vigilante Censorship’ of Anti-Police Art in US Capitol

In a Tuesday article titled, "The House unceremoniously yanks down a student's artwork," the Washington Post editorial board condemns the removal of an incendiary painting from a U.S. Capitol hallway portraying police officers as animals attacking blacks, with the Post hyperbolically dubbing the move as "vigilante censorship," and tying the "unseemly stampede" and "sad precedent" of its removal to the "alt-right." The painting, after being removed previously by Republican members of Congress only to have the Congressional Black Caucus re-hang it, was again taken down after a ruling by the Capitol architect that it is not suitable for public display.

Inaugural cheers, fireworks: Trump sweeps in for his big day

Ready for his big moment, Donald Trump swept into Washington on a military jet Thursday for three days of inaugural festivities and pledged to unify a nation that is divided and clamoring for change. Washington braced for an onslaught of crowds and demonstrators - with all the attendant hoopla and hand-wringing.