Nation & World briefs: 10-31-17

House Republicans, straining to make last-minute changes to their far-reaching tax proposal, on Tuesday delayed the rollout by a day after they failed to finalize the details. The plan pushed by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress is a top legislative priority.

John Kelly: I’ll ‘never’ apologize to Frederica Wilson after mischaracterizing her speech

White House chief of staff John Kelly stands by his comments related to his feud with Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., even after video footage revealed he mischaracterized Wilson's remarks at a dedication of an FBI building. Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked Kelly on Monday night if he felt like he had something to apologize for following the remarks.

Fox News host Sean Hannity accidentally calls Hillary Clinton ‘President Clinton’

Fox News host Sean Hannity slipped up Monday when he referred to Hillary Clinton as "President Clinton" during his fiery opening monologue delivered on the same day the first indictments were issued as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. "This is what the media will ignore, this is what matters, these are the facts, this is where the evidence comes in," Hannity started after dismissing the first charges against three former Trump campaign associates as being irrelevant to the White House.

McCain Thanks Midshipmen for Their Sacrifice to Nation

Republican Sen. John McCain on Monday gratefully thanked U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen for sacrificing for fellow Americans "who won't be asked to make sacrifices for you'' in an emotional address from the former Navy pilot now battling brain cancer. With a mix of humor and pathos, the six-term Arizona senator returned to his alma mater to speak to the Brigade of Midshipmen and field a few questions about past presidential campaigns, the Russia probe and advice for those at the academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Late-Night Hosts Tackle “Mueller Time” Following Indictment Announcement

Late night hosts were quick to pounce on Monday morning's news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election resulted in indictments for President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, on felony charges of conspiracy against the United States and other counts, as well as a guilty plea by former adviser George Papadopoulos to interactions between Trump campaign associates and Russian intermediaries during the campaign. On The Late Show , host Stephen Colbert started his show by addressing White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' comments in a press briefing that the indictments had nothing to do with Trump and more to do with Hillary Clinton.

To get important legislation passed, Trump should do nothing

The best hope for passing new laws on health care, tax reform or infrastructure is for President Donald Trump to get out of the way. This odd reality is a direct result of the poisonous political environment in which our country now operates.

First guilty plea, indictment of Trump aides in Russia probe

On a black Monday for Donald Trump's White House, the special counsel investigating possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump presidential campaign announced the first charges, indicting Trump's former campaign chairman and revealing how an adviser lied to the FBI about meetings with Russian intermediaries. The formal charges against a total of three people are the first public demonstration that special counsel Robert Mueller and his team believe they have identified criminal conduct.

Colbert on George Papadopoulos’ Crimes: – You Can’t Do…

"My God, of course! Hillary Clinton colluded with Russia to lose the election," Colbert said about White House claims about special counsel investigation after Paul... Stephen Colbert laid into George Papadopoulos in his opening monologue Monday night, joking that the former Trump campaign advisor-turned government witness was basically arrested for doing "Don Jr.'s job." It was revealed Monday, along with the 12-count indictments of Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates , that Papadopoulos was arrested in July as part of the investigation led by Robert Mueller into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Chicken Littles Insist U.S. Military Is Too Old, Too Small

The report claims that the U.S. military is "too small" and "too old." Moreover, "the readiness that we have seen over the several years has been in dramatic decline, given the sorts of things we want the military to accomplish around the world."

National security leaders say war authority sufficient

Two New York City police detectives are accused of threatening an 18-year-old woman with arrest over a bottle of prescription pills, handcuffing her, driving her around and then raping her. A Baltimore police officer who was acquitted of criminal charges in the death of a suspect while in custody is now fighting an administrative procedure that could cost him his job.

Tillerson, Mattis tell senators new war authority not needed

In this June 5, 2017, file photo, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, right, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis participate in talks at Government House in Sydney. President Donald Trump's national security brain trust faces Congress on the need for a new war authorization as the deadly ambush in Niger is fueling a push among many lawmakers to update the legal parameters for combat operations overseas.

Trump campaign aide steps to center of Russia probe

In this photo from President Donald Trump's Twitter account, George Papadopoulos, third from left, sits at a table with then-candidate Trump and others at what is labeled at a national security meeting in Washington that was posted on March 31, 2016. Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign aide belittled by the White House as a low-level volunteer was thrust on Oct. 30, 2017, to the center of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, providing evidence in the first criminal case that connects Trump's team and intermediaries for Russia seeking to interfere in the campaign.

Dems eyeing 2018 say ita s time to start talking Russia

Monday's bombshell revelations - highlighted by the indictment of Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort - offer a vivid example of the political bind gripping Democrats, who want to discuss jobs and health care but instead must react to new developments in Special Counsel Mueller's probe into allegations of collusion between the Republican's campaign and Russia. The expectation of fresh breaks in the case, which could last well into 2018, has convinced some leading party operatives that candidates need to simply embrace the Russia story.