Gina Haspel, Trump’s pick to lead CIA, wins support of Senate Intelligence Committee

The Senate Intelligence Committee moved Wednesday to recommend Gina Haspel for CIA director, setting up a floor vote that her opponents say will signal to the world whether the United States condemns or condones torture. With two of 51 Republicans committed to voting against Haspel, and five Democrats already indicating they will support her, it appears she is set to become the agency's first female director.

Democrats stick with flawed governor candidate Lupe Valdez in…

Texas Democrats are faced with a vexing choice: pick a candidate for governor that on paper matches up better against incumbent Republican Greg Abbott, or stick with a rebuilding plan and nominate the progressive candidate that could better appeal to the Hispanic voters seen as the key to sustainable success? That's the backdrop of Tuesday's Democratic runoff for governor between former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston investor Andrew White, the son of former governor Mark White. White is telling Democrats that he's the best hope of beating Abbott, but many progressive primary voters see Valdez as more reflective of their liberal leanings.

2 on death row for killing Houston police lose appeals

A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from a Houston police officer's convicted killer whose attorneys argued the presence of uniformed officers during his trial prevented him from receiving a fair trial. Lawyers for 50-year-old death row inmate Shelton Jones told the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that nearly two dozen officers who attended Jones' trial daily implied to jurors that they must convict him of fatally shooting Houston Sgt.

GOP Senator Trusts That Trump Won’t Let Jeff Sessions Stop Colorado Pot

Of the 33 state legislators from Colorado who signed a recent letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions calling for congressional action "to protect the sovereignty of states like Colorado and ensure that marijuana businesses and consumers will be free from undue federal interference," none were Republicans. Given that Republican U.S. Senator Cory Gardner was among the document's original signatories and is currently working with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws , aka NORML, to prepare legislation on the subject, the reticence of GOP state reps and senators seems surprising.

Oil-rich Venezuela BUYS foreign oil for Castro regime

But, yes, this is most definitely true: The Castro colony of Venenozuela - which has the world's largest oil reserves, but has become incapable of tapping those riches effectively - has been BUYING oil from other nations so it can keep providing its colonial masters with the required tribute. Granma Euro-Lite reports that Venenozuela sells the oil at a great discount to Castro, Inc. ON CREDIT but that it will most probably never get paid because it has made an agreement with Castro, Inc., to receive "goods and services from Cuba in return for oil."

Virginia Republicans at odds – and throats – in Trump era

The vicious tenor of the 2016 GOP presidential primary - which included attacks on a spouse's looks, demeaning nicknames and veiled talk of a candidate's ... ahem ... hand size - is being matched by Virginia's raucous congressional primaries. A GOP House candidate said he's been the target of fake stories about his advocacy for penis enlargement techniques.

Trump Jr: Can’t recall discussing Russia probe with father

Donald Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee last year he did not recall ever discussing the Russia investigation with his father and said he didn't think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election, according to transcripts released Wednesday of his interview with the panel. The committee released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts of interviews with Trump's son and others who attended a June 9, 2016, meeting at which they expected to receive dirt about Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

New Jersey Emerges as a Liberal Bulwark Under Murphy

A recently adopted equal pay law has put New Jersey at the forefront of national efforts to narrow the gender wage gap. The state's new automatic voter registration law ranks among the most sweeping in the country, while its funding of Planned Parenthood, package of gun control laws, renewable energy legislation and a measure to provide in-state tuition to immigrants who came to the United States as children are all part of the progressive playbook.

Panel set to release report on judges and sexual harassment

As the U.S. judiciary confronts its #MeToo moment, officials plan to release a highly anticipated report this month addressing potential sexual harassment in the nation's courthouses and how complaints are handled. Officials began examining problems after former law clerks and other staffers went public with sexual harassment claims against U.S. Appeals Court Judge Alex Kozinski, a nationally prominent jurist who had served for more than 30 years in California.

Nancy Pelosi to take questions in CNN town hall

Less than six months before the midterm elections, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will address the most pressing issues facing the nation, in a live, internationally telecast town hall, CNN announced Wednesday. The one-hour event, moderated by CNN's Chris Cuomo, will air Wednesday, May 23 at 9 p.m. ET, and feature audience questions.

Free lunch program could expand to all Jackson Public Schools

A federal program that provides free lunches to students could be expanded to the entire Jackson Public School district next year. All JPS schools except for Jackson High School and JPS Montessori currently offer a free standard lunch to students, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Community Eligibility Provision .

Trump backs 2 successful US Senate nominees in primaries

President Donald Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday. The primaries began to settle swing state Pennsylvania's chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago.

Castro dictatorship’s human rights atrocities exposed in Geneva …

Over the past few days this blog highlighted three cases from the past four years that highlight the cruelty of the Castro regime: in 2014 a blind attorney beaten down by state security agents; in 2015 a human rights defender and mother lost her hand and the use of her knees in a machete attack ordered by regime agents in reprisal for trying to keep a school open; and in 2016 a Cuban doctor was beaten down in front of his wife and children and taken to prison where he remains today suffering assaults and ill treatment for giving his honest opinion of the legacy of Fidel Castro.

Conservatives See Farm Bill’s Sugar Program as Too Sweet

An amendment to the farm bill by Rep. Virginia Foxx would end the requirement that at least 85% of the U.S.'s sugar purchases must come from domestic processors. WASHINGTON-House Republican leaders have scheduled a vote on the farm bill for Friday, but haven't yet resolved lingering GOP concerns over major planks of the legislation, including its support for the U.S. sugar industry.

The Latest: Trump celebrates Barletta, Fischer primary wins

President Donald Trump is congratulating two of his favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, who won their U.S. Senate primaries. In a pair of tweets Wednesday morning, Trump said Barletta will "represent his people well - like they haven't been represented in many years."

Trump files financial disclosure with ethics office

President Donald Trump has submitted his annual financial disclosure to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, and it is expected to be released publicly in the coming days. Trump's disclosure, which includes all of 2017 and part of 2018, is being closely watched to see whether it will disclose the $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels on his behalf by his attorney Michael Cohen.