Here’s Why Lawmakers Are Backing Off Transgender Bathroom Bills In 2018

Lawmakers, especially those in the South, are backing away from legislative efforts to impose transgender bathroom bills in schools, businesses and elsewhere in an effort to focus resources and energy on less contentious issues. Few social bills, including transgender bathroom bills, have been introduced in states so far in 2018 and those that have been pending have seen little movement.

George W Bush’s Image Has Been Rehabilitated

Former President George W. Bush has seen a dramatic turnaround in his approval rating since leaving office over 16 years ago with over a majority of the country now viewing him favorably. Since leaving the White House in 2009, the 43rd President has seen his approval rating nearly double to 61 percent from 33 percent, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

New UK Sub Completes its First Dive

The U.K. Royal Navy's fourth Astute class submarine, Audacious, has completed its first ever dive, marking a milestone on the path toward full sea trials later in 2018. The trim and basin dive took place over two days in early January in Devonshire Dock, at builder BAE Systems's site in Barrow-in-Furness.

Ex-North Korean Spy: Kim Jong Un Is Using The Olympics As A Weapon

The North boycotted the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, which came several months after North Korean agents bombed a commercial airliner, killing more than 100 people. Kim Hyon-hui, one of the two agents responsible, was captured before she could take her own life as her partner did.

As shutdown eases federal workers fear prospect of another

The swift steps ending a messy and expensive government shutdown set the stage for hundreds of thousands of federal workers to return Tuesday, but some say they fear they could find themselves in limbo again in a few more weeks. Congress sped toward moving to reopen government after Democrats reluctantly voted to temporarily pay for resumed operations on Monday afternoon.

The Senate will take up immigration, but will the House and Trump follow?11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – The deal that ended the government shutdown on Monday paved the way for Senate consideration of immigration legislation, but it did nothing to ensure that the House would act on such a bill – or that President Trump would sign it. That has raised fears among immigrant advocates that the shutdown-ending compromise merely sets up a repeat of what happened five years ago, when eight senators forged an immigration deal that passed the Senate but went nowhere in the House after the GOP's conservative base revolted against any attempt to give "amnesty" to illegal immigrants.

Florida Quietly Worked Out Deal To Cap Fees In Water Wars

Florida has worked out a deal to cap the amount of money that will be paid to law firms hired to help the state in its long-running water war with Georgia. Some Republican legislators last year complained about the escalating costs - which began to rise sharply after the state took its case to the U.S. Supreme Court - and initially refused to sign off on any additional payments.

A budget deal with no winners, just losers

That was as long as Democrats could, or would, stand united against a Republican-backed temporary spending bill in pursuit of a plan to protect hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. When the high-stakes game of chicken ended Monday evening, liberal activists were furious, Republicans were giddy, and vulnerable Senate Democrats were quietly relieved.

Opioid commission member: Our work is a ‘sham’

The Republican-led Congress has turned the work of the president's opioid commission into a "charade" and a "sham," a member of the panel told CNN. "Everyone is willing to tolerate the intolerable - and not do anything about it," said former Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who was one of six members appointed to the bipartisan commission in March.

Immigration talks: What’s next?

As the dust settled Monday on an agreement to reopen the government, the path forward for immigration remained as murky as ever. Democrats and Republicans who worked to break the impasse over the shutdown spun their vote to accept a slightly shorter continuing resolution as a victory because of a commitment to turn to immigration.

The feds repeatedly manage to lose or intentionally destroy evidence…

The Department wants to bring to your attention that the FBI's technical system for retaining text messages sent and received on FBI mobile devices failed to preserve text messages for Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page," The FBI's adulterous version of Romeo and Juliet reportedly exhanged 50,000 text messages apparently documenting every thoguht that came into their heads as they manupulated the nation's national security apparatus for political purposes.

This bipartisan bill would permanently ban earmarks

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday to permanently eliminate earmarks, a system of spending in Congress that allows funds for a specific purpose to be drawn into a larger federal spending bill. "The swampiest of swamp creatures is what earmarks are," McCaskill said.

Out of character, Trump keeps his distance as shutdown ends Source: AP

As the shutdown of the federal government lumbered toward an end, President Donald Trump remained out of sight, suppressing his instincts to become part of the story by making a deal or picking a fight. Trump told allies over the weekend that he hated being on the sidelines, but he followed the recommendations of his staff and key congressional Republicans and removed himself from the negotiations.