Trump says he’s – like, really smart,’ – a verya

President Donald Trump, portrayed in a new book as a leader who doesn't understand the weight of his office, took to Twitter on Saturday to defend his mental fitness and boast about his intelligence, saying he President Donald Trump, center, accompanied by from left, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Vice President Mike Pence, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaks after participating in a Congressional Republican Leadership Retreat at Camp David, Md., Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018.

President Trump wants $18 billion from Congress for border wall

President Trump is asking Congress to approve $18 billion in funding to finance his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, CBS News confirmed Friday. The request, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed to CBS by a White House official, would cover construction of the wall over a decade.

Divided Democrats face liberal backlash on immigration

With a new deadline fast approaching, Democrats in Congress are struggling to adopt a unified strategy to protect hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. Their inaction has enraged liberal activists across the country, who have shifted their anger in recent days from Republicans who control Congress to Democrats seeking to balance their commitment to a progressive priority with their desire to avoid an explosive government shutdown heading into the 2018 midterm elections.

Keith Ellison Poses With Antifa Handbook

Democratic National Committee Deputy Chair Keith Ellison endorsed Antifa on Wednesday, tweeting a picture of himself smiling with an Antifa handbook. Ellison posted a picture with "Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook" and asserted that the book would "strike fear in the heart" of President Donald Trump.

Continue reading 2 new faces, old standoffs as Congress returns to D.C.

There will be two fresh Senate faces and some familiar but stubborn clashes facing lawmakers Wednesday as Congress begins its 2018 session staring at the year's first potential calamity -- an election-year government shutdown unless there's a bipartisan spending pact by Jan. 19. Looking to prevent a closure of federal agencies, top White House officials planned to meet at the Capitol on Wednesday with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and each chamber's top Democrat. Their goal is to find a compromise on raising limits on defense and domestic spending that eluded lawmakers before they left Washington for the holidays.

2 new faces and old partisan standoffs as Congress returns

There will be two fresh Senate faces and some familiar but stubborn clashes facing lawmakers Wednesday as Congress begins its 2018 session staring at the year's first potential calamity - an election-year government shutdown unless there's a bipartisan spending pact by Jan. 19. Looking to prevent a closure of federal agencies, top White House officials planned to meet at the Capitol Wednesday with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Congress faces difficult issues when it returns this week

Congress faces a jam-packed to-do list when it returns this week, with deadlines looming on difficult issues - including how to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, stabilizing the nation's health-insurance program for poor children, and whether to shield young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Fresh off a party-line vote to overhaul the tax code, the negotiations will test whether Congress and the White House still have the potential to craft any form of bipartisan agreement.

Kennedy, Moulton offer Democrats two paths for the future

One congressman is a low-key member of a political dynasty who is strategically inserting himself into policy debates and laying out what he thinks Democrats still need to learn. The other is a retired Marine and combat veteran who has tangled with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and has already logged a high-profile trip to Iowa more than three years ahead of the next presidential caucus.

Tax-plan fallout in Democrats’ strategy

In this Dec. 20, 2017, file photo, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, standing with Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., right, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms plan to argue that the legislation favors the wealthy and breaks President Donald Trump and Republicans' promises to the middle class.

Dems aim to turn tax plan into cudgel in 2018 midterms

In this Dec. 20, 2017, file photo, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, standing with Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., right, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms plan to argue that the legislation favors the wealthy and breaks President Donald Trump and Republicans' promises to the middle class.

Pelosi urges Ryan not to let House Russia probe shut down

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter Thursday to House Speaker Paul Ryan urging him not to allow the House Russia investigation to be shut down. Pelosi's letter says Democrats are "deeply concerned by the Majority's efforts to curtail the House Intelligence Committee investigation and its overall failure to address Russia's meddling in the 2016 election."

The Latest: Pelosi asks Ryan to extend Russia investigation

In this June 7, 2017, file photo, FBI acting director Andrew McCabe listens during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Republicans and Democrats are scrambling in the final days of 2017 to establish an enduring narrative on multiple Russia investigations and the integrity of the investigators.

Congress clears temporary spending bill to avert shutdown

The Republican-led Congress narrowly passed a temporary spending bill Thursday to avert a government shutdown, doing the bare minimum in a sprint toward the holidays and punting disputes on immigration, health care and the budget to next year. The measure passed the House on a 231-188 vote over Democratic opposition and then cleared the Senate, 66-32, with Democrats from Republican-leaning states providing many of the key votes.

Congress passes temporary spending bill to avoid government shutdown

The Republican-led Congress narrowly passed a temporary spending bill to avert a government shutdown Thursday, doing the bare minimum in a sprint toward the holidays and punting disputes on immigration, health care and the budget to next year. The measure passed the House on a 231-188 vote over Democratic opposition and then cleared the Senate, 66-32, with Democrats from Republican-leaning states providing just enough votes.

US House Unveils New Stopgap Funding Bill to Avert Shutdown

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M. appear before the House Rules Committee asking to add protections to the government funding bill for immigrants brought to the US illegally as Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Thursday advanced stopgap legislation to keep the federal government operating past Friday when funding expires, seeking to avert a self-inflicted disaster shortly before the Christmas holiday season. The Republican-dominated House of Representatives voted to begin debate on a bill that would keep federal agencies humming along at current funding through January 19 and avert a shutdown that would create political havoc in Washington.