LUPICA: GOP won’t budge on gun debate – even after Va. shooting

This is how Sen. Rand Paul, who was at the ballfield in Alexandria, Va., when the shooting started early Wednesday morning, described the first moments of an active shooter firing away, this time at members of Congress: "The first shot was kind of an isolated shot and everybody kind of looks up and says, 'Hey, what's that?'" It was the sound of more gunfire in America, is what it was. It was gunfire that will now command the attention of not just some politicians in Washington, but all of them.

Polarizing Milwaukee sheriff denies CNN report that he plagiarized

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who said last week he accepted a job with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has denied a report that he plagiarized content in his 2013 master's thesis, calling the story's reporter a "sleaze bag." Clarke, an African-American who became a staunch critic of the Black Lives Matter movement and supported Republican Donald Trump's presidential campaign, lifted language from multiple sources for his thesis at the Naval Postgraduate School, CNN reported on Saturday.

Appalachia, AG At Odds Over Approach To Opioid Epidemic

According to the Associated Press, In Appalachian states hit hardest by the opioid epidemic, the tough-on-crime policy announced Friday by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions runs counter to a recent emphasis on treatment and less prison time for low-level drug offenders. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul strongly opposed the Department of Justice directive, which reverses an Obama-era policy that prescribed leniency for nonviolent, low-level drug offenders.

A look at the senators crucial to action on health care – AM 720 KDWN

The version that narrowly passed the House on Thursday didn't win over many in the Senate, where lawmakers insist they'll come up with their own version. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spoke to President Donald Trump after the House vote and is now working with roughly a dozen other senators - all male - to write a new bill.

If House passes GOP health-care bill, a steeper climb awaits in the Senate

The Republican effort to reshape the nation's health-care system stands on the verge of clearing one major hurdle - and immediately running into an even taller one. If the House passes a GOP plan to repeal and replace key parts of the Affordable Care Act in a vote expected Thursday, the legislation will move over to the Senate, where Republican leaders will have their hands full with political and procedural challenges complicating the chances for final passage.

John Kasich won’t rule out 2020 presidential run

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who failed to make a mark in the 2016 GOP primaries, said it was "very unlikely" that he would run for president in 2020 - but he didn't rule it out. John Kasich won't rule out 2020 presidential run Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who failed to make a mark in the 2016 GOP primaries, said it was "very unlikely" that he would run for president in 2020 - but he didn't rule it out.

Amid Trump backlash, hundreds question US Rep. Barr

Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr has held regular "Coffee with your Congressman" events in local shops across his central Kentucky district for the few dozen people willing to hear an update from Washington. Monday night, Barr will host his 70th cup of coffee since ousting a Democratic incumbent in 2012.

Senators seek data on Americans caught up in surveillance

In this April 7, 2017, file photo, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Paul and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are asking the nation's top intelligence official to release more information about the communications of American citizens swept up in surveillance operations.

Analysis: Trump risks turning Breitbart into an enemy by sidelining Bannon – Fri, 14 Apr 2017 PST

The seeds of Breitbart's resentment were sown months before President Donald Trump cut down chief strategist Stephen Bannon this week. Now the question is whether the hard-right news site that cheered Trump to victory - and sent Bannon, its former chairman, to the White House - will turn on the president.

Syrian warplanes take off from air base hit by US missiles

Assad's base in ruins: Dramatic satellite photos reveal how airfield that Trump pounded with 59 Tomahawks is 'almost completely destroyed' after punishment for deadly chemical weapon attack Kremlin tells US it is 'one step from war' as Trump warns he will hit Syria AGAIN after unleashing a surprise attack on Russia's ally Assad Did Russia bomb hospital to cover up Syrian gas horror? New U.S. probe on Kremlin involvement as U.N. ambassador warns America could strike 'more' Syria claims it KNEW America was about to launch airstrikes hours before the attack on its airbase and moved its planes out of the way Take your best shot, Donald: Syrian warplanes take off from airbase targeted by US cruise missiles just hours later as Assad mounts new attacks on town he gassed Putin makes his move after condemning Trump's 'illegal' air strike on Assad: Russian battleship is positioned between US ... (more)

Harrop: Trump voters must own fallout

Kentucky has become a favored dateline for many of President Donald Trump's fervent critics. They collect evidence there of betrayal, such as the ABC News item featuring a coal truck driver, "one of the Trump faithful," attached to a breathing tube and weeping over his expected loss of coverage for deadly black lung disease.

House Republican completely shuts down Steve Bannon after…

A few days before the American Health Care Act, the Republican replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act, was pulled from the floor of the House of Representatives , House Republicans had a sharp rebuke for chief White House strategist Steve Bannon when he met with them at the White House, according to a report from Axios. Guys, look.

RyanCare Fail: Big Victory for House Freedom Caucus

For strategic reasons, I have signed onto liberal newsletter eblasts, so that I can know what the enemy is doing in my state. After Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the American Health Care Act , every Democratic lawmaker, candidate, and special interest group exulted in their victory: Because Obamacare remains intact, healthcare remains in morbid free-fall.

GOP Health-Care Bill: Will It Pass? The Whip Count

The first major legislative test of Donald Trump's presidency is slated for Thursday night, when the House holds its highly anticipated vote on the Republican health-care bill. There are no Democrats who are expected to support the bill, but it also has detractors within the GOP.

13:25 Tillerson urges Senate ratification of Montenegro’s NATO membership

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has written to the leaders of the U.S. Senate urging the ratification of Montenegro as the newest member of the NATO alliance, saying it is "strongly in the interests of the United States," reports Reuters . In a letter dated March 7 and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, Tillerson argued that Montenegro's membership in the alliance would support greater integration, democratic reform, trade, security and stability among its neighbors.