Court rules in favor of Trump over fate of consumer watchdog

A federal judge ruled late Wednesday in favor of President Donald Trump and the White House over the control of the national financial watchdog agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau . In a 46-page opinion, Judge Timothy Kelly denied Leandra English , the deputy director of the CFPB, a preliminary injection that would have stopped Mick Mulvaney , Trump's budget director, from taking on a second role as acting director of the agency.

Trump urged by top advisers to waive Iran sanctions: official

Donald Trump is being urged by some top advisers not to bring back U.S. economic sanctions on Iran this week, a move by the president that would effectively end a 2015 deal to limit Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Two senior administration official told Reuters on Wednesday that Trump's top advisers were recommending that he not reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the agreement between Iran, the United States and other world powers.

Colorado lawmakers pledge zero tolerance of harassment

Colorado lawmakers started their new legislative session Wednesday amid tension over unresolved sexual misconduct allegations against some of their colleagues, including one case in which a female lawmaker maintains she felt threatened after rejecting the sexual advances of a fellow Democratic lawmaker. In the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, many Democrats, especially women, wore black - as many actors did at this week's Golden Globe Awards - to show support for Rep. Faith Winter, who filed a formal complaint against Rep. Steve Lebsock in November.

L’Italien: I’d back Trump’s wall to save Dreamers

If L'Italien had this opportunity the other day, when country leaders discussed immigration, the Democrat would have emphasized her opposition to building a border wall along the Mexican border. However, stressing that Congress needs to make more deals, the Andover state senator would have tentatively agreed to a wall if it meant 800,000 young people would be protected from deportation, she told The Sun during an editorial board meeting on Wednesday.

Trump uses ‘no collusion’ 7 times in a single Russia answer

This is a real exchange that happened between President Donald Trump and Fox News' chief White House correspondent John Roberts in a press conference with the Norwegian prime minister on Wednesday afternoon. Roberts: "Are you open to meeting with ? Would you be willing to meet with him without condition? Or would you demand that a strict set of parameters be placed around any encounter between you and the special counsel?" Trump: "Well, again John, there has been no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians or Trump and Russians.

Coal baron’s ‘action plan’ became Trump policy initiatives

In this Aug. 20, 2007 file photo, Robert "Bob" Murray, founder and chairman of Cleveland-based Murray Energy Corp., arrives at a news conference at the entrance to the Crandall Canyon Mine, in northwest of Huntington, Utah. In the early days of the Trump administration, Murray, the head of one of America's largest coal companies sent a four-page "action plan" to the White House calling for rollbacks of key environmental and mine safety regulations he claimed would help revive the struggling mining industry.

One senator is probing Apple for more information on iPhone throttling issues

When it was discovered that iOS developers had quietly added a feature to the operating system that throttled processors in older phones with degraded batteries, the public was irate. In fact, people seemed more angry about the slowing down than about the phones that were unexpectedly shutting down which is what prompted the software modification in the first place.

Guy Smith, Greenwich executive, announces run for governor’s…

Guy Smith, a Greenwich business executive with longstanding ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton, announced he is running for Governor of Connecticut. Smith declared his candidacy for the governor's office at an early childhood center in New Haven, calling attention to his work in the private sector and as a presidential adviser in the public sector.

Sen. Kaine wants to know why Virginia didn’t get same offshore drilling commitment as Florida

The Trump administration said Tuesday that it would not seek to bring oil and gas drilling to the waters off Florida, conceding to vocal opposition from the Republican governor of the tourism-driven state. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke last week unveiled a proposal that would roll back offshore drilling restrictions and open dozens of sites for potential leases.

Trump chides Feinstein, urges GOP to control Russia probes

President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of being "underhanded and a disgrace" for disclosing details of a dossier of allegations about his ties to Russia during the campaign. He also again lashed out at the investigations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, urging Republicans to take control of the inquiries and repeating his claim that they are on a "witch hunt."

Democrats consider the unthinkable: forcing a shutdown

A year after losing the presidency, Democrats are facing an uncomfortable question: Are they willing to force a government shutdown to extract political victories - a hardball tactic for which they have long blasted Republicans? The dilemma comes as a Jan. 19 funding deadline approaches and bipartisan negotiations over immigration and other issues have so far failed to produce an agreement. The thorniest issue is the fate of "dreamers" - roughly 2 million young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, some of whom had gained legal status under a program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals that President Trump canceled.

Speaker Ryan to Address March for Life Rally

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., will speak at the March for Life, an annual anti-abortion rally, planned for Washington next week, The Hill is reporting . "Speaker Ryan has been an unwavering champion for the pro-life cause since taking office, and continues to utilize his post to promote the inherent dignity of the human person at all stages of life," March for Life President Jeanne Mancini said.

Andrew McCarthy: Obama Officials Politicized Unverified Document

Just before the 2016 election, officials with the Obama administration worked to politicize allegations in a dossier about then-candidate Donald Trump without first verifying its claims, former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy said Wednesday. "I think the important thing is if you look at an important moment about six weeks or so before the election, what you find between Obama administration officials and Fusion GPS, which we know was working or the Clinton campaign," McCarthy told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program.