Senate Democrats successfully filibustered the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to serve on the Supreme Court, garnering the 41 votes to vote against cloture, or the ending of debate on the nomination. The vote ended with 55 votes in favor of ending debate, and 45 against. The move almost certainly means Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell…
During escalating tensions for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) to recuse himself from investigations of Trump team contacts with Russian officials on Tuesday morning, Nunes reportedly canceled all upcoming full committee meetings. Multiple outlets reported the move, based on sources, the morning of a public hearing set for Tuesday, which Nunes had previously…
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) on Friday accused House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) of running a “dead-of-night excursion” for documents on alleged NSA surveillance of Trump associates, keeping the rest of his committee members “in the dark.” Schiff, the ranking member of the intelligence committee, held a press conference an hour after Nunes, and…
Senate Democrats are going to try to bring down President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick no matter who the president chooses to the fill the current vacancy. With Trump prepared to announce his nominee on Tuesday evening, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said in an interview on Monday morning that he will filibuster any pick that…
President Trump is hosting his first world leader Friday, holding talks and a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May. May and Trump separately addressed congressional Republicans on Thursday, with May touting the benefits of a strong United Nations, NATO alliance, and European Union, all organizations Trump has disparaged. Britain is looking to…
Three new polls show President-elect Donald Trump being viewed favorably by about 40 percent of Americans, a huge shortfall from the approval numbers for Trump’s four predecessors. In Gallup and Washington Post/ABC News polls, Trump is viewed favorably by 40 percent and unfavorably by 55 percent (Gallup) and 54 percent (WaPo), while a CNN/ORC poll…
At least 18 House Democrats will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremonies this Friday, with some planning to leave for their home districts and others intending to march with protesters in Washington. Among those boycotting is Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), the civil rights leader whom Trump criticized as “all talk” in the weekend before…
President-elect Donald Trump says his plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act is nearly complete. In an interview with The Washington Post, Trump did not reveal the specifics of his replacement package, but promised “lower numbers, much lower deductibles,” and said “we’re going to have insurance for everybody.” He also said he plans to crack…
President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet hearings continue Thursday with secretary of defense nominee James Mattis, secretary of housing and urban development nominee Ben Carson, and CIA director nominee Mike Pompeo. WATCH LIVE SENATE QUESTIONS TRUMP’S PICKS CIA CHIEF, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE & SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT < ----- While Rep. Pompeo (R-Kan.), a member…
The second day of Senate confirmation hearings started Wednesday morning with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, former ExxonMobil executive Rex Tillerson facing heavy questioning, especially due to his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tillerson has downplayed his relationship with Russia, though, and his prepared remarks claim “Russia today poses a danger,…
Before the confirmation hearing for Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for U.S. attorney general, protesters shouted and interrupted the proceedings. “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA,” many demonstrators in the room yelled Tuesday morning before they were escorted out. Others held signs that said “End Racism—Stop Sessions.” The proceedings continued despite…
The Senate is scheduled to launch three days of confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks on Tuesday. First up in the morning is Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Trump’s nominee for attorney general. WATCH LIVE CONFIRMATION HEARING OF TRUMP NOMINEE SESSIONS Sessions is expected to tout his conservative legal credentials; Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)…
President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he was naming his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as a senior White House adviser. Kushner, the 35-year-old husband of Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, served as a close adviser during the campaign, and has provided input on hiring decisions during the transition. Ivanka Trump will not immediately take on a formal…
On Friday, the heads of the CIA and FBI, plus Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, are scheduled to brief President-elect Donald Trump on a 50-page classified report on Russian hacking, a day after President Obama was presented with the same findings from the U.S. intelligence community. Trump has publicly questioned the intelligence community’s findings…
President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly working with advisers on a plan to restructure the country’s top spy agency due to a belief that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has become politicized. This comes after Trump has publicly mocked U.S. intelligence agencies and their conclusion that Russian-backed hackers were involved in disrupting the…
President-elect Donald Trump says he knows “things that other people don’t know” about Russia’s alleged hacking during the presidential election. Speaking to reporters outside his Mar-A-Lago estate while on his way to a New Year’s Eve party on Saturday night, Trump promised to disclose the information in a few days, saying “you will find out…
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will not expel 35 U.S. diplomats in response to new U.S. sanctions, as was recommended by Russia’s foreign ministry. Instead, Putin said he will wait and see what President-elect Donald Trump does when he takes office before deciding what steps to take. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov…
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury responded to Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election by announcing sanctions against six individuals and five entities — including two Russian intelligence services — thought to be involved in “malicious cyber-enabled activities.” The economic penalties followed President Obama’s issuance of an executive order expanding the…
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed talk of sanctioning Russia for interfering in the presidential election, offering what sounded more like a post-breakup pep talk than anything else. “I think we ought to get on with our lives,” he told reporters outside his Mar-A-Lago estate. As for the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia…
