Senate confirms Kelly Craft as US envoy to UN
The Senate has confirmed Kelly Craft to become the next US. envoy to the United Nations despite Democratic concerns about her inexperience and potential conflicts of interest.
Senate
Senate bows to Trump vetoes, allows Saudi arms sales
The Senate failed Monday in a bid to override a trio of vetoes issued by President Donald Trump, allowing the administration to move forward with plans to sell billions of dollars of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump administration won’t rule out using 2001 war powers act to strike Iran
Trump administration officials say they are not seeking war with Iran but haven’t ruled out using an old war powers act to hit the regime in the future.
Republicans abandon Trump-backed budget deal
The House passed a massive budget and debt ceiling deal Thursday, but a majority of Republican lawmakers voted against it.
House Passes Bipartisan Budget Bill With Trump Support
Observing a rare cease-fire in their battles with President Donald Trump, the Democratic-controlled House on Thursday easily passed bipartisan debt and budget legislation to permit the Treasury to issue bonds to pay the government’s bills and lock in place recent budget gains for both the Pentagon and domestic agencies.
Senate report on 2016 election interference faults FBI, finds ‘extensive activity’ against ‘US election infrastructure’
The Senate Intelligence Committee released the first volume of its long-awaited bipartisan report into Russian election interference efforts on Thursday, providing new details on how Russian government hackers ‘directed extensive activity against U.S. election infrastructure’ — and potentially identified vulnerabilities that they can exploit in upcoming elections.
U.S. Senate sets vote on Trump’s Saudi precision-guided munitions vetoes
The U.S. Senate will vote within days on whether to override President Donald Trump’s vetoes of legislation to block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday.
FBI director pegs China as the most ‘severe’ counterintelligence threat
FBI Director Christopher Wray said that China is the greatest counterintelligence threat facing the U.S. but warned that Russia is a close runner-up as Moscow remains focused on disrupting the upcoming presidential election.
‘The situation in North Korea is absolutely dire’: Panel Highlights Number 1 Persecutor of Christians, Once Christian Itself
The situation for Christians in North Korea was highlighted recently by a panel that spoke before the debut of the documentary Humanity Denied: Religious Freedom in North Korea held just down the road from the State Department’s summit on religious freedom Thursday.
Deal Sealed on Federal Budget, Ensuring No Shutdown, Default
President Donald Trump and congressional leaders announced late Monday they had struck a critical debt and budget agreement. The deal amounts to an against-the-odds victory for Washington pragmatists seeking to avoid politically dangerous tumult over the possibility of a government shutdown or first-ever federal default.
House Approves Democrat Bill on Minimum Wage Hike But Not Likely To Pass Republican-Controlled Senate
The House has approved legislation to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade, to $15 an hour.
US House votes to block Saudi, UAE arms sales, bucking Trump veto threat
The U.S. House voted Wednesday to block White House plans for select sales of smart bombs and related components to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, baiting President Donald Trump’s veto.
‘I Believe Americans Have a Right to Know’: New Jersey Representative Presents Bill Asking Government to Disclose Its Involvement in Lyme Disease
A New Jersey Republican Senator is calling for an investigation by the House of Representatives into whether the Department of Defense used weaponized ticks between 1950 and 1975.
Franklin Graham warns Equality Act would be ‘catastrophic’ for Christians if it becomes law
The Equality Act, a bill that would add ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ as protected classes under federal civil rights law, would be ‘catastrophic’ for Christians and churches if it becomes law, evangelist Franklin Graham warned.
Trump threatens veto of House defense bill over spending levels, wall
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday threatened he would veto a massive defense bill being considered by the House of Representatives, saying it provides less money than he wants for the military and disagreeing with some of its policy provisions.
Mike Pence and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu rally Christians for Trump
Vice President Mike Pence lashed Democratic opponents and touted President Trump’s record during an annual summit of evangelical supporters of Israel in an address that saw the policy and lobbying conference double as a campaign rally.
House sends Trump border aid bill after Pelosi caves to pressure from moderates
The House on Thursday passed a bipartisan Senate bill that would address the crisis at the southern border, dealing a major blow to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and progressives who had pushed for stronger protections for migrant children.
Massachusetts Democrats Seek Abortion Expansion, Hoping to Join 6 Other States
Massachusetts is looking to join Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, Illinois, Nevada, and New York as the next state to reduce restrictions on abortions, even as other states pass “heartbeat” bills seeking to prevent it.
Ohio Diverts Funds Formerly Allocated to Planned Parenthood to Crisis Pregnancy Centers
Ohio will devote $5 million to crisis pregnancy centers if a new bill passes in the Ohio House of Representatives, having almost completely withdrawn the $1.5 million in annual funds it formerly allocated to Planned Parenthood through a federal appeals courts decision earlier this year.
Senate passes border spending package, setting up fight with House
Both the Senate and House have now passed legislation delivering billions of dollars to address the growing humanitarian crisis at the southern border. But lawmakers have no agreement on how to reconcile those bills before a recess set to start on Friday.