Paul Ryan’s Steamroller

An outtake from the Paul Ryan photo shoot that was inspired by his Facebook photos showing him working out with P90X creator Tony Horton If Donald Trump is elected president and Republicans hold onto Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan is bluntly promising to ram a partisan agenda through Capitol Hill next year, with Obamacare repeal and trillion-dollar tax cuts likely at the top of the list. And Democrats would be utterly defenseless to stop them.

In polarized Congress, Murray and Crapo talk up bipartisanship in campaigns

In her first television advertisement this week, Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray touted her work on budget issues with Republican House Leader Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. In this photo on Dec. 10, 2013, Ryan, who then served as House Budget Committee chairman, and Murray, who headed the Senate Budget Committee, announced a tentative agreement between Republican and Democratic negotiators on a government spending plan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

GOP distances itself from Trump — again

Donald Trump -- struggling to move past a week of one controversy after another -- is making clear that he's willing to go it alone in the final weeks of the campaign. As the Republican nominee tries to recover from one of his toughest stretches, few prominent GOP leaders -- other than those who advise him or are on his payroll -- seem willing to launch a full-throated rescue effort.

VIEWERSa GUIDE: Low-key VP candidates get debate spotlight

Kesling told News 2 This Morning that if this were a movie script that it would be rejected because directors would call what happened too h FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2016, file photo, tables are in place for the media for the Oct. 4 vice presidential debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Va.

White House lashes out at Congress after 9/11 bill vote

The White House lashed out at Congress on Thursday, a day after Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly overrode President Barack Obama's veto of a bill to allow families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. The White House turned to mockery as top GOP leaders expressed buyer's remorse and vowed to fix the bill.

Gridlock in Congress may presage more of the same to come

A bitterly divided Congress adjourned Thursday for the election, having accomplished little more than the bare minimum, with lawmakers looking ahead to a lame-duck session and a weighty to-do list already piling up for next year. A must-pass spending bill, agreed to after an unnecessarily protracted struggle and repeated rounds of partisan finger-pointing, extends government funding until Dec. 9 and addresses the Zika crisis with $1.1 billion months after President Barack Obama initially requested federal aid.

The most irrelevant VP picks in modern history?

The vice presidential debate Tuesday could carry with it the same impact that Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Tim Kaine have each brought to their respective tickets: inconsequential. Political experts have said for years that voters make their choice based solely on presidential candidates and not the No.

The Latest: Ryan confirms that debate prep helps

House Speaker Paul Ryan appeared Wednesday before the Economic Club of Washington to discuss economic policy and, inevitably, politics. Two days earlier, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump debated Hillary Clinton and was panned for a poor performance and inadequate preparation.

Senate passes spending bill after separate Flint aid deal

The Senate on Wednesday passed a GOP-sponsored spending bill that Democrats had previously blocked because it didn't contain aid for Flint to recover from its water crisis. Lawmakers passed the bill 72-26 to keep the government funded through Dec. 9. The House is also aiming to pass the legislation Wednesday so that they can leave Washington for a six-week recess focused on campaigning ahead of the election.

New York Times’ Huetteman Delivers Anti-Conservative Mockery in Three Acts

As the country heads into an election where control of both Congress and the White House hangs in the balance, reporter Emmarie Huetteman wrote a " three act " comedy in loosey-goosey style mocking conservatives, for Friday's New York Times : " What the House Spends Time On, Before Its Recess ." Paul Ryan can't find his agenda, "Democrats are thrilled" at the prospect of being penalized for June's sit-in, and a defeated conservative representative is compared to a "recalcitrant student trashing the principal's office after he learns he's been expelled."

Senate Democrats oppose GOP spending bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, on Thursday introduced a Republican-drafted bill that would prevent a government shutdown at the end of the month, but it is being opposed by Democrats after bipartisan negotiations stalled late this week. Senate Republicans and Democrats have been haggling for days over what should be included in the stop-gap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution , with leaders at times indicating a deal was close.

Black lawmakers urge Justice Department to do more about police shootings

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus stood before the doors of the Department of Justice on Thursday and demanded a greater reaction from Attorney General Loretta Lynch to repeated instances of police shooting black men. Their trip down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol was a response to the deadly shootings of black men by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma , and Charlotte, North Carolina .

Turnbull lauds prospect of ‘defeat of Daesh’ after high-level Washington talks

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has emerged optimistic about gains in the fight against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq, following a meeting with the US defence secretary Ash Carter in Washington. "There is a very real prospect of the defeat of Daesh in the battlefield, ending their so-called caliphate," Mr Turnbull told reporters gathered outside the White House.

How the Reaction to Trump Could Be Good for the Climate

Four months ago, at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference, in Bismarck, North Dakota, Donald Trump laid out his vision of America's energy future. "A Trump Administration will focus on real environmental challenges, not phony ones," the Republican nominee for President told his audience, apparently alluding to climate change.

The Export-Import Bank Provision That Could Be A Problem In Government Funding Negotiations

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan agrees that conservatives don't have much leverage in upcoming government funding battles, which might mean that conservatives get rolled. WASHINGTON - Thirty-six conservative advocacy groups warned on Friday that a potential Export-Import Bank provision in the upcoming bill to keep the government funded could provide Congress with unexpected controversy as lawmakers look to get out of Washington and back to the campaign trail.

Donald Trump has two new reasons for refusing to publicly disclose tax returns

Donald Trump and his campaign have given a variety of reasons for refusing to release the candidate's tax returns. Now they have two new ones: the tax filings are too voluminous for voters to digest, and the files would distract attention from his campaign message.

Obama, McConnell strike hopeful tone on budget, Zika – Mon, 12 Sep 2016 PST

Striking a conciliatory tone after an Oval Office sitdown, President Barack Obama and the top Senate Republican declared themselves hopeful Monday that an agreement can be reached to keep the government running and to provide money to take care of the worsening Zika crisis. WASHINGTON - Striking a conciliatory tone after an Oval Office sitdown, President Barack Obama and the top Senate Republican declared themselves hopeful Monday that an agreement can be reached to keep the government running and to provide money to take care of the worsening Zika crisis.

Obama to meet with leaders of Congress

President Barack Obama is meeting with the top four leaders of Congress ahead of a month's-end deadline to fund the government or face a shutdown, and with money all but gone to address the worsening Zika crisis. The White House meeting Monday afternoon is likely to focus on an emerging legislative compromise to address both issues.