Author: Ed O’Keefe
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Trump backs GOP immigration plan, rejects limited approach on ‘dreamers’
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed a Republican plan to revamp the nation’s immigration system that would legalize 1.8 million undocumented young immigrants while spending billions on U.S.-Mexico border security and significantly change decades of current policy. In a White House statement, Trump urged the Senate to back the proposal, saying it accomplishes…
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Schumer has rescinded offer to Trump on border wall funding
WASHINGTON – The Senate’s top Democrat has withdrawn an offer that would allow President Donald Trump to fulfill a signature campaign pledge: Construction of a wall along the U.S-Mexico border. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took back his offer late Sunday through an aide, according to a person familiar with the situation, who was…
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Shutdown looms as Senate Democrats dig in against GOP spending plan
WASHINGTON – The showdown over government funding shifted Friday to the Senate after the House passed a short-term extension that was cobbled together with enough GOP votes to overcome an internal revolt. Still, the possibility of a federal shutdown moved closer to a certainty after Senate Democrats rallied against the GOP proposal, announcing they would…
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Bipartisan group of senators reaches immigration deal, looking for Trump approval
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of senators working to resolve the status of young undocumented immigrants, border security and restrictions on legal migration programs has offered an opening bid on an immigration agreement and is seeking sign-off from the White House, according to aides familiar with the talks. Aides to Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a…
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Trump says Puerto Rico can’t get aid ‘forever’ as House set to pass $36.5B for hurricane, wildfire relief
President Trump served notice Thursday that he may pull back federal relief workers from Puerto Rico, effectively threatening to abandon the U.S. territory amid a staggering humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Declaring the U.S. territory’s electrical grid and infrastructure to have been a “disaster before hurricanes,” Trump wrote Thursday that it will…
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NRA says it backs regulations on bump stocks; top House Republicans open to legislation
The National Rifle Association has joined an effort to restrict a device that was used to accelerate gunfire in the Las Vegas massacre, after the White House and top Republicans signaled a willingness to debate the issue in response the tragedy. “In Las Vegas, reports indicate that certain devices were used to modify the firearms…
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After Ted Cruz liked a porn tweet, Sen. Ted Cruz blamed ‘a staffing issue’
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) woke up Tuesday to find his name trending on Twitter — linked overnight to a certain video from the “Milf Hunter” series, perhaps unfairly, perhaps irrevocably. The clip itself is just over two minutes, details of its contents mostly unprintable. It features a sectional sofa, the pornographic actress Cory Chase, her…
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Democrats slam Trump’s military transgender ban, while GOP is caught by surprise
Congressional Democrats slammed President Trump’s decision, announced in a series of tweets Wednesday morning, to bar transgender Americans from serving in the military, while Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill remained largely perplexed or silent. “Trump makes our military weaker by arbitrarily kicking out high-performing soldiers based solely on gender identity,” tweeted Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.),…
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Battling a brain tumor, Sen. John McCain vows: ‘I’ll be back soon’
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., used his signature snark to warn colleagues that he will be returning soon to Washington – and chastised the Trump administration for ending assistance to moderate Syrian rebels battling the government of Bashar al-Assad. The twin statements served as reminders of the outsized role the 80-year old senator plays on Capitol…
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A viewer’s guide to the James B. Comey hearing: Who are the senators asking him questions?
The Senate Intelligence Committee hosts the most-anticipated congressional hearing of the year Thursday, when former FBI director James B. Comey is scheduled to testify and share details of his firing by President Trump and the conversations they had about ongoing investigations into Russia’s alleged meddling in U.S. elections. Rarely do congressional hearings draw global attention…