Editor Brian Harrod Provides Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, with aggregated news from sources all over the world from the Roundup Newswires Network
The Senate confirmed Gina Haspel on Thursday as the first female director of the CIA following a difficult nomination process that reopened an emotional debate about brutal interrogation techniques in one of the darkest chapters in the spy agency's history. The 54-45 vote split both parties, with six Democrats joining most Republicans in support.
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.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he does not yet see the need to use the "nuclear option" to override Democratic objections and impose a rule change to speed up confirmations of President Trump's nominees. "The cooperation has picked up some this year," McConnell, R-Ky., said following a meeting with President Trump and the Senate GOP conference.
That might be welcome news for Trump voters who want the president to fulfill a promise to "drain the swamp" and rid the capital of the politically connected. Yet his nominee, Gordon Hartogensis, is well known to some of Washington's most politically influential: He is the brother-in-law of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Reactions to US President Donald Trump's Iran announcement continue to arrive, with broad support being expressed by leaders in Congress and the Administration. "As we exit the Iran deal, we will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian threat.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks with Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray at the State Department, Monday, May 7, 2018 in Washington. . FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2017 file photo, people walk by a TV news program reporting North Korea's missile launch, in Tokyo, Japan.
Kentucky U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell's campaign team takes a jab at a West Virginia Republican who just lost his primary race. During the campaign, Don Blankenship launched a series of attacks against McConnell.
Congressional leaders are split, but not neatly along party lines, over President Donald Trump's decision Tuesday to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. Some welcomed the pullout, believing the 2015 accord was unsound, but others worried the U.S. was now in the position of reneging on an international commitment and without a backup plan.
Republican West Virginia Senate candidate Don Blankenship 's latest political ad has stirred controversy for its use of terms like " China people " and references to Sen. Mitch McConnell as "cocaine Mitch" and his "China family". Blankenship, who is vying the chance to challenge West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin in November, is already known across his state.
Control of the House and Senate won't be determined until November, but this week will point to where both parties go from here. In West Virginia, one Republican primary candidate has waged an all-out racist assault against the Senate leader of his own party.
President Donald Trump's unwillingness to release his tax returns i... . FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2018 file photo, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., left, watches as President Donald Trump greets Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, at the 2018 House and Senate Republican M... .
President Trump congratulates Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on tax legislation on Dec. 20, 2017. The Senate Judiciary Committee appeared an island of civility Thursday as Democrats and Republicans politely debated and voted 14 to 7 to approve bipartisan legislation intended to prevent President Trump from firing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III without cause.
Bipartisan legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller now lies in the hands of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance it. McConnell, R-Ky., has said the bill is unnecessary and he won't let it reach the Senate floor.
This file photo taken on June 19, 2013 shows then Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller testifying before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on oversight during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Special counsels like the one named to oversee the probe into Russia's alleged election interference are rare super sleuths with more power and independence than regular US investigators.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job - legislation that has split Republicans as President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Mueller's Russia investigation. Two Republicans and two Democrats introduced the bill earlier this month as Trump publicly criticized the special counsel.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's job -- legislation that has split Republicans as President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Mueller's Russia investigation. Two Republicans and two Democrats introduced the bill earlier this month as Trump publicly criticized the special counsel.
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the 15th circuit court judge since President Donald Trump took office 15 months ago, far outpacing the rate at his recent predecessors were able to fill vacancies in the powerful appeals courts in the early months of their administrations. The trend has potentially significant political consequences for the direction of the country's most influential federal benches at a time when several will be weighing questions about key administration policies, ranging from immigration to the environment.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is hugged by Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., on April 23, 2018, in gratitude for Coons's ending a tie vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's consideration of the nomination of Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state. less Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is hugged by Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., on April 23, 2018, in gratitude for Coons's ending a tie vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's consideration of the nomination of ... more WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans, frustrated with Democrats' stalling tactics, begin their effort Wednesday to streamline the process for confirming presidential nominees, particularly those below Cabinet level and in low-level posts on the federal judiciary.
Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, avoided a rare rebuke Monday as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly recommended him, but the vote served as a warning shot to the White House as nominees to lead the CIA and Veterans Affairs are hitting stiff resistance. Pompeo, who's now CIA director, received the panel's approval only after Trump's last-minute overtures to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, avoided a rare rebuke Monday as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly recommended him, but the vote served as a warning shot to the White House as nominees to lead the CIA and Veterans Affairs are hitting stiff resistance. Pompeo, who's now CIA director, received the panel's approval only after Trump's last-minute overtures to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.