AP NewsBreak: Miss. Sen. Thad Cochran resigning April 1

Longtime Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi said Monday he will resign because of health problems - triggering what could be a chaotic special election to fill the seat he has held for a generation. Cochran, who turned 80 in December and has been in poor health, has been a sporadic presence on Capitol Hill in recent months.

Republicans not shrugging off Trump’s talk of metal tariffs

In this Jan. 25, 2018 photo, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to reporters as he arrives at the office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is moderating bipartisan negotiations on immigration, at the Capitol in Washington. Republicans in Congress have learned to ignore President Trump's policy whims, knowing whatever he says one day he'll change by the next.

Murphy to discuss background checks at White House meeting on

From left, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., meet with reporters following weekly policy luncheons where they discussed school safety measures in response to the Parkland, Fla., assault that left 17 dead, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. less From left, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., meet with reporters following weekly policy luncheons where they ... more Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol February 27, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Intel chief says “national cry” needed to combat Russian election meddling

In an open session of the Senate committee's annual Worldwide Threat Assessment hearing on Tuesday, all six intelligence chiefs told Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, that they stood by the conclusions of a January 2017 assessment that said the Russian government -- at President Vladimir Putin's instruction -- "That this is going to happen, and the resilience needed for us to stand up and say we're not going to allow some Russian to tell us how to vote, how to run our country," Coats, who leads the nation's 17 intelligence agencies, said. "I think there needs to be a national cry for that."

US intel sees signs of Russian meddling in midterms

Three of the nation's top intelligence officials confirmed Tuesday that they have seen evidence of Russian meddling in the upcoming midterm elections - part of what they say is Moscow's escalating cyber assault on American and European democracies. "We have seen Russian activity and intentions to have an impact on the next election cycle," CIA Director Mike Pompeo told the Senate intelligence committee.

Looking back at the longest filibusters in U.S. history

Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi, of California, garnered attention Wednesday with her rather impressive eight-hour filibuster on the House of Representatives floor. The 77-year-old Minority Leader of the House easily shattered the previous record of 5 hours and 15 minutes set by Missouri Rep. Champ Clark in 1909, according to The Hill.

Eugene Robinson: Trump and his minions can’t out-leak the FBI

President Trump prepares to sign the Executive Order on Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty during the National Day of Prayer event at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington D.C., on May 4, 2017. WASHINGTON -- Presidents don't win fights with the FBI.

Comey defends FBI, takes aim at ‘weasels and liars’

Comments come as Trump expected to clear way for publication of classified memo that Republicans say shows improper use of surveillance by agency Former FBI director James Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill June 8, 2017 in Washington, DC. WASHINGTON - Former FBI director James Comey has defended the agency on Twitter, writing, "All should appreciate the FBI speaking up.

What shutdown? Frustrated voters shrug as pols point fingers

On the ground in communities across America, many voters barely noticed the latest spasm of dysfunction in Washington. Those who did were angry and frustrated with their elected leaders but were also growing numb to the near-constant crises that have dominated the Donald Trump-era politics.

Trump aides: No DACA talks until government re-opens

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responds to a question from the news media during a press conference as the Senate continues work on ending the government shutdown in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2018. WASHINGTON - Aides to President Trump said Saturday they are willing to negotiate with Democrats on the fate of an immigration program, but only after a congressional vote to fund the government and end the shutdown.

Polls suggest Trump and GOP could bear the shutdown blame

As lawmakers pointed fingers on Capitol Hill and entered into a government shutdown, recent polls show Republicans and President Trump would bear most of the blame. But Republicans still think they have the winning message despite the Senate blocking a short-term spending bill Friday night .

Polls suggest Trump and GOP could bear the brunt of blame in a shutdown

U.S. President Donald Trump stands in the colonnade as he is introduced to speak to March for Life participants and pro-life leaders in the Rose Garden at the White House on January 19, 2018 in Washington, DC. The annual march takes place around the anniversary of Roe v.

Trump takes hard line on a dreamers,a but remains interested in a deal

DECEMBER 07: Demonstrators from The Seed Project stage a protest in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center to demand immigration reform and a renewal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program December 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. Made up of undocumented immigrant youth or 'dreamers,' The Seed Project is in the nation's capitol 'to say that we won't accept a government budget without protection for all undocumented youth.'

After rocky first month, Trump ends first year with strong finish

If President Donald Trump's first month in office was notable for its mixture of chaos and dysfunction, the last month of 2017 showed a constant combatant who had reason to believe that his refusal to back down paid off with passage of a sweeping tax overhaul. Senator Dean Heller reacts as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans to discuss healthcare at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 19, 2017.

Trump Seizes On Reports FBI’s Deputy Director Plans To Retire In Early 2018

President Trump used Twitter Saturday to suggest that Andrew McCabe, the FBI's increasingly embattled deputy director, was holding onto his position in a race against time to claim full pension benefits. McCabe's retirement has been rumored in Washington, D.C., circles for some time, but the president seemed to be responding to a report published Saturday afternoon by the Washington Post that McCabe plans to retire after he becomes eligible to receive full pension benefits in March 2018.

House passes spending bills; Senate expected to follow

WASHINGTON - Congress Thursday appeared poised to effectively evade the last-minute threat of a government shutdown, with the House passing a bill to keep the government open through Jan. 19 and the Senate poised to follow suit later Thursday or early Friday. The spending bill - which included a $2.85 billion down payment aimed at keeping the federal Children's Health Insurance Program operational as well as reauthorizing federal surveillance powers - passed after House leadership was able to convince a group of Defense hawks including Rep. Mike Turner, R–Dayton, to overcome their reservations about the spending bill.

House GOP scrambles to rally votes for spending bill

In this Oct. 24, 2001, file photo, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. is shown in an aerial view. The GOP-led Congress is hoping to approve a must-pass spending bill as the clock ticks toward potential government shutdown this weekend.

Opinion: After taxes, Trump is suddenly expendable

President Donald Trump on Wednesday reveled in Congress' passage of a massive $1.5 trillion tax reform bill, claiming that, once he signed it into law, it would propel economic growth. WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 20: U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Republican lawmakers, celebrates Congress passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with Republican members of the House and Senate on the South Lawn of the White House on December 20, 2017 in Washington, DC.