Marshall would step away from Bentley probes

Steve Marshall sworn in as Alabama attorney general Former Marshall County DA says he'll step away from any direct investigations of Gov. Robert Bentley Check out this story on montgomeryadvertiser.com: http://on.mgmadv.com/2kDLiOg Steve Marshall called it "the cloud" -- floating questions about whether the attorney general's office was investigating Gov. Robert Bentley while Luther Strange interviewed for and won appointment from Bentley to the U.S. Senate. That cloud is part of a storm front that has settled over Alabama's political leadership for the past three years.

New try at Kansas budget fix could avoid school funding cuts

J.G. Scott, left, the chief fiscal analyst for the Kansas Legislative Research Department, confers with Bobbi Mariani, another fiscal analyst, during a meeting of the Kansas House Appropriations Committee, Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The committee has endorsed budget-balancing proposals that would allow the state to avoid cuts in education funding.

Israel leader’s White House trip clouded in uncertainty

In this Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. Israel's prime minister heads to Washington this week for a high-profile meeting with President Donald Trump that is suddenly clouded in uncertainty.

Lifelong Democrat Lauds Gorsuch, Classmates Stay Friends Since ’80s

William "Bill" Hughes Jr., a lifelong Democrat and one-time congressional candidate, had warm praise for Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee. The two were classmates at Georgetown Preparatory School in the 1980s, while Hughes' father served as the congressman for New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District and Anne M. Gorsuch, the nominee's mother, headed the federal Environmental Protection Agency under Ronald Reagan.

Donald Trump Used His Club’s Restaurant as a Situation Room This Weekend

Normally, when an urgent issue of international security arises, the US president retires to a secure area where smartphones are forbidden . On Saturday, however, news of North Korea's missile test arrived just as Donald Trump was having dinner with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe at Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club.

Amid Trump Twitter controversies, White House preparing to expand social media team

The White House is expected to hire new staffers this week to work with the President on his posts for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, a senior administration official told CNN. Up until now, Trump and his social media director Dan Scavino have essentially handled the President's tweets on their own.

Donald Trump values loyalty, but Michael Flynn still might lose his job – and face prosecution

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, is facing allegations that in December he violated the Logan Act by discussing with Russian's U.S. ambassador the lifting of U.S. economic sanctions against the country -- that is, that he was potentially sabotaging Obama administration policy while Barack Obama was still president.

Airport tenants seek relief from Trump visits

From fears of losing customers, to laying off employees, or even closing shop, business owners based at the Lantana Airport laid out their concerns during a meeting with U.S. Representative Lois Frankel Monday. The U.S. Secret Service and Federal Aviation Administration place restrictions on the Lantana Airport when President Donald Trump visits his Palm Beach estate and club, Mar-a-Lago.

Exception to Oklahoma Reading Law Could Be Permanent

Some Oklahoma lawmakers are seeking to make a permanent exception to the state's requirement for third-grade students to be reading proficient before moving on to the next grade. The Oklahoman reports that currently, Oklahoma's Reading Sufficiency Act requires students in the third grade to score proficient on the state reading test in order to go into fourth grade.

On Trump’s National Security Team, Insecurity Over Michael Flynn and Policy

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is currently under scrutiny for a phone call he had with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., in December. President Donald Trump's national security team reportedly is in a state of crisis, tied largely to suspicions National Security Adviser Michael Flynn discussed lifting sanctions with a Russian envoy and then hid the nature of those conversations from colleagues including Vice President Mike Pence .

Trudeau visits U.S. with two aims: Push trade, avoid Trumpa s ire

When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, he will look to nurture economic ties while avoiding tensions over issues such as immigration on which the two are sharply at odds. Trudeau has taken a low-key approach toward Trump, a Republican who campaigned on a pledge to toughen U.S. immigration policies and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement among Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Few good options in Trump arsenal to counter defiant North Korea

Despite his campaign vows to take a tougher line with North Korea, President Donald Trump's restrained public reaction to Pyongyang's first ballistic missile launch on his watch underscores that he has few good options to curb its missile and nuclear programs. The responses under consideration - which range from additional sanctions to U.S. shows of force to beefed-up missile defense, according to one administration official - do not seem to differ significantly so far from the North Korea playbook followed by Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.

Many In N.H. Politics Pan Trump’s Unfounded Voter Fraud Claims

Party leaders on both sides of the aisle are defending New Hampshire's electoral system in the wake of another unsubstantiated claim by President Donald Trump that there's massive voter fraud happening in the state. "Let me be as unequivocal as possible: allegations of voter fraud in NH are baseless, without any merit-it's shameful to spread these fantasies," wrote former N.H. Attorney General Tom Rath, also a longtime Republican strategist, in a tweet Sunday.

Elections need oversight, not GOP deceit | Editorial

Russians hackers tried to destabilize our election, and even if the actual damage is undetermined, but it is a national security crisis that requires all patriotic hands on deck. The president says there were 3 to 5 million fraudulent votes in the last election, and even if it is an assertion that makes strangers back away warily, he has the power to set up a commission to look into it.