After 27-hour Hill debate, second House committee OKs Obamacare repeal

A second House committee approved the Republican Party’s Obamacare repeal bill Thursday, as President Donald Trump flexed his deal-making skills to build momentum behind the legislation amid growing concern among prominent GOP figures that fast-tracking the measure could backfire. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to move the bill to the House floor after a marathon hearing lasting 27 hours and 18 minutes, hours after the Ways and Means panel registered the first milestone for the American Health Care Act, endorsing it after their own 18-hour session.

Comey asks Justice Department to reject Trump’s wiretapping claim

FBI Director James B. Comey asked the Justice Department over the weekend to publicly reject President Trump’s assertion that Barack Obama ordered the tapping of Trump’s phones, senior US officials said Sunday. Comey has argued that the highly charged claim is false and must be corrected, they said, but the department has not released any such statement.

The Latest: Senator: Intel panel to look at alleged wiretap

The Latest on President Donald Trump’s claim that then-President Barack Obama had Trump’s telephones tapped during last year’s election : A Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee says he believes President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations that his predecessor ordered wiretaps of Trump Tower will become part of the committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton says, “We’re going to follow the facts wherever they lead us.

Tensions erupt in Senate over Trump nominees

Tensions erupted in the Senate Tuesday as Democrats stalled several of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, frustrating Republicans who accused Democrats of playing politics to try to hurt Trump and make Senate Republicans look ineffective. Party leaders squared off after a fast-paced and chaotic morning when Democrats on one committee abruptly boycotted a hearing where two top administration officials were expected to clear votes to advance to the floor.

Anti-immigrant legislation likely to run in House Education committee Tuesday

The Arkansas United Community Coalition , a nonprofit that advocates for immigrant rights in Arkansas, is saying on Facebook that a piece of legislation targeting immigrants on college campuses is likely to come up for a vote in the House Education committee Tuesday morning. HB 1042 , sponsored by Rep. Brandt Smith , would “prohibit sanctuary policies at state-supported institutions of higher education.”

Tom Cotton defends Trump’s CIA speech

Sen. Tom Cotton on Saturday defended President Trump against criticism that the campaign-style speech he delivered at CIA headquarters was inappropriate. The Arkansas Republican, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, dismissed critics who questioned whether the CIA, and an audience of agency professionals, was a proper setting for Trump to boast about his campaign victory, crowd sizes and the sales of magazines with his image on the cover, are missing the bond the president has developed with national security professionals.

A president from Facebook? Vanity Fair makes a case

Nick Bilton of Vanity Fair writes of indications that Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg will run for president of the U.S. someday. Among the lesser bits of circumstantial evidence: Zuckerberg, who has a habit of posting his annual New Year’s resolution on his Facebook page, declared that after conquering the previous challenges of learning Mandarin, and building an artificial-intelligence butler for his home, this year he was going to meet “people in every state in the US.”

Will Trump Shred the Iran Nuclear Deal?

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, listens to Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, before resuming talks over Iran’s nuclear program in Lausanne, Switzerland, Monday, March 16, 2015. Stack up the op-eds and essays on the disasters that await the world once Donald Trump moves into the White House and you’ll have a long list of dismaying scenarios.

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Republicans will work on unraveling and replacing the health care law at the same time, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday as GOP leaders struggled to align their zeal to rapidly erase one of President Barack Obama’s proudest achievements with Congress’ legislative and political pitfalls. Ryan, R-Wis., spoke to reporters amid growing concern among Republican lawmakers about erasing Obama’s overhaul -which expanded coverage to 20 million people – without having an alternative to show voters.

Paul: Trump backs health repeal, replacement at same time

A Republican senator who challenged Donald Trump for the White House nomination says the president-elect “fully supports” repealing President Barack Obama’s health law only when there’s a viable alternative to replace it. Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Congress are moving toward a vote on repeal legislation in coming weeks, but they anticipate a transition period of months or years to a replacement.

Cotton Debunks The ‘Trump Is Great For Russia’ Narrative

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton questioned the widespread talking point that President-elect Donald Trump is the preferred candidate for Russia in a Senate hearing Thursday, pointing to a number of Trump’s proposals that are arguably not in Russia’s interests. “There’s a widespread assumption since the election that Vladimir Putin favored Donald Trump in this election,” Cotton said to intelligence officials testifying about Russia’s meddling during the 2016 U.S. election cycle.

Musical chairs

There they go again, this state’s congressmen, ’round and ’round they go, and where they’ll stop nobody knows. For it’s time again for members of the U.S. House of Representatives to choose new offices or stay where they are.

A Lawmaker’s Tweet Sparks A Rally In Springdale

The Department of Health and Human Services is considering using the Ouachita Job Corps Center as a housing facility for undocumented immigrant children. Three days before Christmas, U.S. Senator Tom Cotton posted this tweet: “HHS should halt any plans to use the Ouachita Job Corps Center facility as an immigration shelter….” which then linked to a longer statement, that U.S. Senator John Boozman and Congressman Bruce Westerman both agreed.

Dems press for Tillerson’s tax returns

Democrats are accusing Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to become secretary of state, of reneging on a pledge to hand over three years worth of tax returns. A standard questionnaire sent jointly by Democrats and Republicans asks whether the nominee would be willing to provide prior tax returns for himself and his spouse “if asked.”