Texas pecan growers monitor tariffs, markets during harvest

The Austin American-Statesman reports the 2018 harvest is gearing up amid widespread anxiety over the price of the official Texas state nut. China - the top buyer of U.S. pecans - slapped a 47 percent tariff on them this summer as part of its broad effort to fight back against what it views as the Trump administration's hardball "America First" trade policies.

A Texas yard sign depicted a GOP elephant with its trunk up a girl’s skirt. Police seized it.

At some point during Judge Brett Kavanaugh's testimony last week, Marion Stanford grabbed a piece of wooden paneling, some paint and the $5 brushes she had purchased a while back. She brought the items back to her living room, where she had been glued to the television watching the drama unfold in the Senate that day.

Sen. Collins will vote YES to confirm Kavanaugh to US Supreme Court

Senator Susan Collins announced she will vote yes to confirm embattled nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh to become a US Supreme Court Justice. Collins delivered a lengthy defense of Kavanaugh's record and decisions before finally announcing her support for the judge Friday when she took to the Senate Floor.

Senate OKs Supreme Court nominee

The bitterly polarized U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday to join the Supreme Court, delivering an election-season triumph to President Donald Trump that could swing the court rightward for a generation after a battle that rubbed raw the country's cultural, gender and political divides.

Maine, nation react to Collins’ decision to vote ‘yes’ on Kavanaugh

Political leaders, organizations and figures from Maine and beyond flooded social media and other platforms Friday with reactions, both in agreement and opposition, after Sen. Susan Collins' announced she'd vote "yes" to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court - Maine Gov. Paul LePage said Collins' speech "was a testament to her diligence and commitment to the principles of fairness and due process": Maine's @SenatorCollins has always taken her responsibility to advise and consent on SCOTUS nominations seriously. Her speech this afternoon was a testament to her diligence and commitment to the principles of fairness and due process.

Senator Collins backs Kavanaugh, paving way for confirmation

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Friday she will vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, all but ensuring that a deeply riven Senate will elevate the conservative jurist to the nation's highest court despite allegations that he sexually assaulted women decades ago. The senator said she spoke with Judge Kavanaugh in her office for two hours, an additional hour on the phone and dozens of her own constituents before making her decision.

Facts Matter: No, Michelle Obama is not running for presidentAn image …

A photo posted on former President Barack Obama's POTUS44 Twitter account is a frequent fake news target, with the T-shirt altered to carry fake messages about ISIS, transgender rights, equality marches and President Donald Trump. An image making the rounds on social media appears to show Michelle Obama planning a run for office in 2020.

Harsanyi: Democrats’ new anti-gun laws are also an attack on due process

The notion that certain Americans are pre-emptively guilty of wrongdoing, whether there's any corroborating evidence to back up an accusation or not, isn't reserved for conservatives who happen to be in contention for a Supreme Court seat. In the hierarchy of progressive values, due process is a bottom dweller.

A look at competitive House races in California

California is a state where President Donald Trump is unpopular and Democrats hold a 3.7-million voter registration edge. That combination could help propel Democrats to victory in battleground congressional districts and give the party control of the U.S. House.

Sen. Shelby celebrates confirmation of Kavanaugh

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, left, President Donald Trump's choice to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, meets with Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, July 30, 2018. t is evident that the accusations against Judge Kavanaugh are uncorroborated, and there is no confirmation of any of the alleged misconduct."

Kavanaugh confirmed: Senate OKs Supreme Court nominee

The bitterly polarized U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday to join the Supreme Court, delivering an election-season triumph to President Donald Trump that could swing the court rightward for a generation after a battle that rubbed raw the country's cultural, gender and political divides.

Kavanaugh sworn in as Supreme Court justice

AUGUST 21: Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh walks to a meeting with Sen. Susan Collins in her office on Capitol Hill on August 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. The confirmation hearing for Judge Kavanaugh is set to begin September 4. WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 21: Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh walks to a meeting with Sen. Susan Collins in her office on Capitol Hill on August 21, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Kavanaugh sworn to high court after rancorous confirmation

Jessica Campbell-Swanson, an activist from Denver, kisses the sculpture known as the Statue of Contemplation of Justice on the steps of the Supreme Court Building where she and others protested the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the high court's newest justice, in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.

Protesters tarnish Kavanaugh vote

Activists demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court to protest the confirmation vote of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 in Washington. more > Hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol steps Saturday afternoon, and more than a dozen made it into the Senate chamber where they shouted at senators voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Letters: Readers debate the merits and faults of Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke

As a lifelong Texan, I've always been proud that we're known as a state full of generous, bighearted people who generally come to each others' aid and defense regardless of political or ideological differences. But the tone and the tactics of Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign are the exact opposite of the people he supposedly serves.

Kavanaugh is confirmed to Supreme Court by 50-48 vote

The Senate voted late Saturday afternoon to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, marking the end to one of the most rancorous confirmation fights in modern times and securing a rightward shift on the nation's highest court. The chamber voted 50-48 to confirm Kavanaugh, mostly along party lines, after a weeklong FBI probe helped settle concerns among most wavering senators about the sexual assault allegations that nearly derailed his nomination and led to a dramatic second hearing.