Gridlock over: Virginia lawmakers approve Medicaid expansion

The Republican-controlled Virginia General Assembly gave final approval Wednesday evening to a state budget expanding Medicaid coverage to the state's poor, ending years of partisan gridlock on the issue. The state Senate voted in favor of expansion after a full day of debate.

Rep. Garrett announces he is an alcoholic and will not seek re-election

Rep. Thomas Garrett, R-Va., announced Monday that he is struggling with alcoholism and will abandon his run for a second term in Congress so he can focus on recovery and his family. Garrett, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, is the 44th Republican to retire or announce they will not seek reelection to the House this year, according to CNN's retirement tracker.

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Ex-convict Don Blankenship launches third-party Senate bid in West Virginia

Ex-convict and former coal baron Don Blankenship said Monday he's running as a third-party candidate in West Virginia's Senate race after coming in third in the GOP primary. Blankenship said he accepted the West Virginia Constitution Party's nomination and argued that the "press and the establishment have colluded and lied to convince the public that I am a moron, a bigot and a felon."

The Latest: Blankenship concedes West Virginia Senate race

Cheryl Dolan of Alum Creek, W.Va, discusses her vote in the West Virginia Republican primary Tuesday, May 8, 2018, outside a polling place in Alum Creek. She said she appreciates the work that state Sen. Richard Ojeda of Logan County did to advance a bill through the West Virginia Legislature last year to make medical marijuana legal.

Divisive former coal baron at center of party-backed super PAC primary fight

Former coal mogul Don Blankenship is at the center of a party-backed, super PAC , Senate primary fight in West Virginia as groups with obscure names and undisclosed donors spend millions. The proxy fight -- an effort to sway the Republican primary by influencing whether Blankenship makes it onto the ballot in November - has made the Senate bid one of the most expensive races so far this year.

Democratic PAC escalates spending to sway GOP primary against Evan Jenkins, for Don Blankenship

Over a week before the May 8 primary, a new Democratic outside group has dropped over $1.2 million against Rep. Evan Jenkins in just under two weeks. A Democratic super PAC is boosting its spending against Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.V., in an effort to prop up Don Blankenship's campaign for the GOP nomination to take on Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V. Over a week before the May 8 primary, Duty and Country PAC, a new Democratic outside group, has dropped over against Jenkins in just under two weeks, with $517,000 coming since Thursday alone.

Ex-con candidate compounding GOP woes in West Virginia Source: AP

Republican Don Blankenship doesn't care if his party and his president don't think he can beat Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin this fall. This former coal mining executive, an ex-convict released from prison less than a year ago, is willing to risk his personal fortune and the Republican Party's golden opportunity in West Virginia for the chance to prove them all wrong.

First lady chooses lamb and opera for President Macron of…

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the media after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base for the first state visit of the Trump presidency outside Washington, DC, on April 23, 2018. French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the media after arriving at Andrews Air Force Base for the first state visit of the Trump presidency outside Washington, DC, on April 23, 2018.

The Finance 202: Fed report shows business execs worry about Trump’s trade moves

A sawyer carries a cut of machine grade steel to be shipped throughout the Pacific Northwest at the Pacific Machinery & Tool Steel Company on March 6, 2018 in Portland, Oregon Business executives across the country are registering alarm about the Trump team's aggressive push on trade - even as the president's base largely embraces the moves. The Fed's latest beige book report released Wednesday - for which each of the nation's 12 regional banks survey business leaders, investors and economists in their areas - included 36 mentions of tariffs.

John T. Dever od/ed: Meeting the demand for talent

Again and again, the urgent call goes out for educators and employers to work together to develop the talent supply pipeline needed for economic competitiveness and business growth in the Commonwealth. Blueprint Virginia 2025 - the business plan issued by the Virginia Chamber this past December - leads with the observation that "the availability of a well-trained and educated workforce remains the top concern for Virginia's business community, and with good reason."

Holder rips ‘rampant corruption’ in Trump Cabinet

Eric Himpton Holder Ex-Virginia governor says he could beat Trump in general election 2020 Dems boost down-ballot contenders in key states Citizenship question won't be most pernicious aspect of US Census MORE slammed the Trump administration at an event for Democrats in Ohio on Friday, accusing the president and Republicans of allowing "rampant corruption" to go on in the Cabinet. In remarks to Democrats Friday night that were first reported by the Washington Examiner , the Obama-era attorney general accused congressional Republicans of abandoning their duties of oversight over the executive branch.

Pentagon Releases Pictures And Videos Of Early Morning Strike On Syria

The Department of Defense has released photos and videos of the early morning on strike on Syria designed to cripple the regime's ability to produce chemical weapons. Coalition forces consisting of American, British, and French naval and air assets launched a strike on three Syrian targets associated with the regime's chemical warfare operations Saturday morning in response to a deadly attack on civilians in the suburbs of Damascus last weekend.

GOP Senate hopefuls set to debate April 23

Six months ago, no one predicted the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate during the May 8 primary election would be anything but a two-person race between current U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.