Democrats press FBI to investigate Trump-Russia ties

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats are insisting that the FBI investigate alleged links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, to find out whether Russia has leverage over the incoming president. House Democrats emerged from a briefing about Russian interference in the 2016 election demanding that the FBI investigate what links may have existed between the Kremlin and President-elect Donald Trump's campaign.

Failed deal to undo LGBT law marks rocky start for governor

North Carolina's Democratic Governor-elect fights an uphill battle against GOP majority after efforts to repeal the state's 'bathroom bill' fall through The deeply divided state voted Republican in the presidential and senate races, but elected a Democratic governor, making Cooper's job very difficult House Bill 2, commonly known as the 'bathroom bill' has been blamed for job losses, canceled events, and staining North Carolina's reputation He hasn't even been sworn in yet, but several of his powers have already been stripped away by the state's Republican-dominated legislature North Carolina's next Democratic governor faces a tough uphill battle in a state that voted Republican in the presidential and senate races.

Deep divide stops effort to repeal North Carolina LGBT law

A supposedly bipartisan deal to repeal North Carolina's anti-LGBT law collapsed when both sides balked and started blaming each other, likely meaning their state will keep being shunned by corporations, entertainers and high-profile sporting events. After more than nine hours of backroom discussions and sporadic public effort, Republican state legislators quit trying to repeal the law called House Bill 2 and went home Wednesday night.

Trump threatens electronic rights, EFF warns

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is keenly worried that President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress will step up surveillance activities and pass laws to curtail electronic rights. As a result, the EFF is advising the tech sector to use end-to-end encryption for every transaction by default, and to scrub logs.

Gov-elect: End near for North Carolina’s ‘bathroom bill’

In a stunning development, the North Carolina law widely derided as the "bathroom bill" appeared to be on its way out after it tarnished the state's reputation, cost it scores of jobs and contributed to the Republican governor's narrow loss. Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper announced Monday that legislators will hold a special session to repeal the law known as HB2 that limits protections for LGBT people.

Tech companies move to target terrorist propaganda online

Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube are joining forces to more quickly identify the worst terrorist propaganda and prevent it from spreading online. The new program announced Monday would create a database of unique digital "fingerprints" to help automatically identify videos or images the companies could remove.

North Carolina Gov. McCrory concedes he lost re-election bid

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory conceded the governor's race Monday, clearing the way for Democrat Roy Cooper to be declared the winner nearly four weeks after Election Day. The win by Cooper, the state's outgoing attorney general, gives Democrats an important consolation prize after a disappointing election across the country.

Supreme Court takes up cases about race in redistricting

This Nov. 15, 2016 photo shows a view of the Supreme Court from the Capitol Dome, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The eight-justice court is hearing arguments Monday in two cases that deal with the same basic issue of whether race played too large a role in the drawing of electoral districts, to the detriment of African-Americans.

Green Party candidate says she’s cooperating in Russia probe

The Senate intelligence committee has asked for documents from former presidential candidate Jill Stein as part of its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, adding another new thread to the panel's investigation as it heads into 2018. Stein said in a statement overnight Tuesday that she was cooperating with the probe and is providing documents to the committee.

Supreme Court hears cases about use of race in redistricting

The Supreme Court is returning to the familiar intersection of race and politics, in a pair of cases examining redistricting in North Carolina and Virginia. The eight-justice court is hearing arguments Monday in two cases that deal with the same basic issue of whether race played too large a role in the drawing of electoral districts, to the detriment of African-Americans.

Democrat’s lead widens in North Carolina governor’s race

Hardly anyone in North Carolina is willing to guess when their excruciatingly close governor's race will be resolved. A Friday deadline came and went with Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper's unofficial advantage growing to about 6,600 votes over Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, from nearly 4.7 million cast.

Democratsa path to Senate majority slipping away

New Hampshire Democratic Senate candidate, Gov. Maggie Hassan speaks to reporters, Tuesday outside a polling place in Portsmouth, N.H. WASHINGTON >> Democrats' chances of retaking the Senate majority were slipping away Tuesday as Republicans hung onto key seats in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Indiana and Florida. Democrats grabbed a Republican-held seat in Illinois, but the outcome in Wisconsin was a surprise as both parties had expected it to flip for the Democrats.

Burr softens blanket rejection of Clinton Supreme Court pick

North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr is walking back from his promise to block any nominees Democrat Hillary Clinton would make to the U.S. Supreme Court if she's elected president. Burr told a private gathering of Republican supporters on Saturday that if re-elected to a third term he would do everything possible "to make sure that four years from now, we're still going to have an opening on the Supreme Court."

Unlike other vulnerable GOP senators, Burr embraces Trump

In this Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016 file photo, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. makes a comment during a live televised Senate debate with Democratic challenger Deborah Ross at UNC-TV studios in Research Triangle Park, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016. Polls show Burr and Democrat challenger Deborah Ross are running neck-and-neck in a race that could help decide control of the senate.

Liberals No Longer Allowed to Nominate Supreme Court Justices

The latest hotness on the right is to promise not just to hold up Senate hearings on Merrick Garland until we get a new president, but to hold up all hearings for all Supreme Court nominees forever if Hillary Clinton wins: That prospect - which could impact every aspect of American life including climate regulations, abortion and gun rights - was first raised by Senator John McCain of Arizona, then Ted Cruz of Texas and now Richard Burr of North Carolina, who CNN reported Monday talked up the idea at a private event over the weekend.