Dianne Feinstein booed at San Francisco event after saying she hopes Trump can change

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein was booed by some constituents Tuesday night when she said President Donald Trump could be a good president if he changed his approach to the job and brought the nation together. "I just hope he has the ability to learn and change, and if he can, he can be a good president," she said at a Commonwealth Club forum at the historic Herbst Theater, surprising San Franciscans used to hearing their politicians decry Trump in far more heated language.

Judge rejects Sarah Palin lawsuit against The New York Times

A federal judge on Tuesday tossed out a defamation lawsuit by Sarah Palin against The New York Times, saying the former Alaska governor failed to show the newspaper knew it was publishing false statements in an editorial before quickly correcting them. The written ruling by Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the lawsuit seeking unspecified damages "fails on its face to adequately allege actual malice."

Harvey breaks rainfall records, spreads more disaster

People evacuate a neighborhood in west Houston inundated by floodwaters after a release from nearby Addicks Reservoir when it reached capacity Tuesday. more > Hurricane Harvey's rainfall topped 50 inches in some spots, setting a record for the continental U.S., as flooding reached more neighborhoods in Texas on Tuesday, forced further evacuations, spurred thousands of heroic rescues and stranded many more people.

Trump Jr. agrees to transcribed interview with Senate panel

President Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has agreed to sit down for a transcribed interview with the Senate judiciary committee, as investigators continue to dig into his attendance at a 2016 meeting where he was promised Russian dirt on the Clinton campaign. The committee and Trump Jr. have agreed on a date to be interviewed by the panel in private, according to Taylor Foy, spokesman for committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, after Trump Jr.'s lawyers have been in discussions with the panel and turned over documents.

Chicago changes course, wants police reforms with court role

The city of Chicago changed course Tuesday and said it now wants to carry out far-reaching reforms of its police under strict federal court supervision, abandoning a draft deal on reforms with the Trump administration that envisioned no court role. The new approach led to the unusual sight of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan at a joint news conference to announce that Madigan - with the mayor's full support - had just sued the city seeking court oversight of the beleaguered police force.

Josh Mandel wants churches freed to endorse, raise funds

In announcing his "Faith Outreach Team" Tuesday, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel took up a fight already declared by President Donald Trump. Mandel, who is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, said the faith team's top goal would be to get rid of the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 law prohibiting churches and other non-profits from endorsing political candidates or raising money for them.

Hurricane Harvey submerges some divides in Washington

Hurricane Harvey's still-rising flood waters have altered the landscape well beyond Texas: They have put aside, at least for now, vast differences within the Republican Party. Instead of the discord and infighting that's marked the first seven months of the Trump administration, Republican leaders on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are vowing to swiftly approve recovery funds for the areas devastated by the storm.

Melania Trump loses the stilettos after Twitter ridicule

AUGUST 29: U.S. President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump prior to their Marine One departure from the White House August 29, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump was traveling to Texas to observe the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

Vermont delegation calling bluff on Trump’s budget threat

All three members of Vermont 's congressional delegation are opposed to President Donald Trump's suggestion he will shut down the federal government if Congress does not include money to construct a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations committee, calls the suggestion "juvenile," saying it would cost billions of dollars every day to shut down the government.

President Trump Hopes His Response to Hurricane Harvey Will Be a Model

President Donald Trump called Hurricane Harvey a storm of "epic proportions" and said he hopes his administration's response to the disaster will be regarded as a model. "We want to be looked at five years, ten years from now, as this is the way to do it," Trump said as he and his wife Melania received a briefing on the storm response at a fire station in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Is Second Amendment Guarantee Act (SAGA) Really all it is Cracked Up To Be?

By Roger J. Katz, Attorney at Law and Stephen L. D'Andrilli This is a follow-up to our recent post on Congressman Chris Collins' bill, titled the "Second Amendment Guarantee Act" . New York, NY - - In our previous post we explained some major failings of Congressman Chris Collins' bill as drafted.

In Wake of Hurricane Harvey, Consumers Should Research Charities Before Giving

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and historic flooding across southeast Texas, Commissioner Adam H. Putnam encourages Floridians to visit FloridaConsumerHelp.com to research charitable organizations before donating money to help those in need. "Our hearts go out to the people of Texas, and I hope that Floridians can respond with the same generosity that our state has received time and time again," Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam said.

Harvey victims urged to file insurance claims fast

Homeowners whose properties were damaged by Harvey may face another challenge: filing insurance claims before a new Texas law takes effect on Friday. The statute, House Bill 1774 , limits penalties for property-casualty insurers when policyholders sue them for being slow to settle a claim, offer a lowball payout or decline a claim altogether.

Nelson calls on HHS to oversee state’s handling of 13,000 kids removed from CMS

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson today called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services "to exercise its oversight and enforcement authority" to protect more than 13,000 Florida children with special needs who were improperly removed from the state's specialized care program, known as Children's Medical Services. Nelson's request comes on the heels of recent reports that despite a Florida judge's ruling two years ago that required the state to stop using a new screening tool that declared thousands of kids ineligible for the state's specialized care program, the state of Florida has still not yet notified all of the families who were improperly removed from the program to provide them an opportunity to reenroll.

Californians should support the Cadiz Water Project: Tony Cardenas and Paul Cook

California is home to amazing natural resources, a diverse economy and a hard-working population eager to flourish. However, we don't have sufficient water to meet the needs of all who call California home.

Texas Republican Voted Against a $50.5-billion Relief Package for Victims of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy

The art of compromise, otherwise known as you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours, has all but disappeared from the halls of Congress in recent years. And that may put more than 20 members of the Texas congressional delegation in a bind when relief for the victims of Hurricane Harvey comes up for a vote.