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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told Axios Saturday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to present a resolution that will allow President Trump's legal counsel to motion to immediately dismiss the impeachment charges during the Senate impeachment trial that starts, in earnest, Tuesday. "I am familiar with the resolution as it stood a day or two ago," Hawley told the news source. "My understanding is that the resolution will give the president's team the option to either move to judgment or to move to dismiss at a meaningful time," the junior senator continued. Hawley also said that he...

The Trump administration on Friday announced plans to roll back school lunch standards originally promoted by former first lady Michelle Obama. The new standards will allow schools more flexibility "because they know their children best," the Agriculture Department said in press release. “Schools and school districts continue to tell us that there is still too much food waste and that more common-sense flexibility is needed to provide students nutritious and appetizing meals. We listened and now we’re getting to work,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said. The proposed new rules build on previous steps taken by the Trump administration to roll...

Not only has the “Phase One” trade deal now been signed by the United States and China, but official texts have now been released. And my initial read indicates that the Trump administration just might have come up with an effective enforcement regime – though success here will depend on U.S. governments (including this one) displaying nerves of steel. At the same time, the enforcement terms raise the question of why the President felt the need to reach this point via a treaty, rather than simply punish China unilaterally for economic transgressions – as his tariffs on hundreds of...

Billionaire and presidential candidate Tom Steyer saw a boost in search traffic on Google during this year’s first Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night — partly thanks to his tie. During the debate, Steyer appeared onstage donning a red and yellow plaid tie, a fashion choice that failed to go unnoticed on social media after hawk-eyed Twitter users pointed out a number of past public instances in which the candidate has appeared to don similar ties.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says Republicans could subpoena Hunter Biden to testify about his business dealings with a Ukrainian gas company if Democrats insist on having witnesses such as former National Security Adviser John Bolton testify at the Senate impeachment trial. “We’ll be dealing with the witness issue at the appropriate time into the trial and I think it’s certainly appropriate to point out that both sides would want to call witnesses they wanted to hear from,” McConnell told reporters Tuesday when asked about GOP senators who want Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, to testify. “When...

House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that he expects to be named an impeachment manager by House Democrats following Wednesday's floor vote to send articles of impeachment to the Senate. Nadler told reporters in the Capitol that he didn't know the names of lawmakers Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) plans to announce as prosecutors for the Senate impeachment trial, but when asked directly by CNN's Manu Raju if he would be named one, Nadler replied: "I'd expect so." His comments come ahead of Wednesday's planned vote on a resolution to name the impeachment managers and send the...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) sent a public warning shot on Monday night, saying that if Republicans support Democrats' impeachment witness requests then he will force votes during the trial on calling witnesses conservatives want to hear from. "My colleagues can’t have it both ways. Calling for some, while blocking others," Paul tweeted referencing a Politico report on a similar private warning his gave GOP colleagues against supporting Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer's request that former national security adviser John Bolton testify. "If we are going to give a platform to witnesses the Dems demand, I look forward to forcing votes...

eorge Nader, a Lebanese American businessman who served as a witness in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to sexual exploitation of children on Monday, according to The Washington Post. Nader admitted in the Eastern District of Virginia to bringing a 14-year-old to the U.S. for sexual purposes and possession of child pornography, charges that collectively carry a maximum penalty of 30 years, according to the Post. Eastern District of Virginia prosecutors agreed to recommend 10 years, the mandatory minimum, in the case, and agreed to recommend Nader, who is a dual citizen, be...

A former President George W. Bush administration official blasted Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg over his lack of experience in national politics, which she argues makes him underqualified for the Oval Office. Sheila Bair, the former chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), said Democrats are “almost maniacal in their eagerness to oust” President Trump and in doing so are less focussed on the qualifications of their candidates. “Enter Pete Buttigieg, whose primary asset seems to be a thin résumé,”Bair wrote in an op-ed published Wednesday in The Washington Post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly suggested during a meeting with Bashar al-Assad last week that the Syrian president invite President Trump to Damascus. In a video of the conversation between Assad and Putin at the Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Damascus, Assad mentions the Apostle Paul’s conversion to Christianity after a vision at the gate of Damascus, Axios reported. “If Trump arrives along this road, everything will become normal with him too," the Syrian leader said, according to the news outlet.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Monday that he warned President Trump against targeting Iranian cultural sites — a step the president has repeatedly threatened if Iran retaliates over the death of a top general killed in a U.S. strike. “I talked to him today. I said we’re not at war with the culture of the Iranian people. ... Cultural sites, religious sites are not lawful targets,” Graham said. “Putting cultural sites on the table as a military target, I think, undercuts what we're trying to do,” Graham added, recounting his conversation with Trump.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said he supports open House hearings regarding President Trump’s order last week for a strike that killed top Iranian commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Schiff, who is among lawmakers who were briefed a day after last week’s attack, told The Washington Post there should be open hearings on the administration's decision to strike. “The president has put us on a path where we may be at war with Iran. That requires the Congress to fully engage,” Schiff told the Post in an interview published Monday. Schiff said there’s “absolutely no way” Trump’s threat to...

Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) announced Friday that he will not seek reelection, making the six-term lawmaker the latest House Republican to head for the doors. "After prayerful consideration, I have decided to retire at the end of the 116th Congress," Roe said in a statement. "Serving East Tennesseans these past 11 years has been the honor of my life, and I will be forever grateful for the trust my friends and neighbors put in me to represent them," said Roe, the top Republican on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. "As someone who practiced medicine for over 30 years, I said...

Roughly a dozen GOP senators want to change the Senate’s rules and allow for lawmakers to dismiss articles of impeachment against President Trump before the House sends them over. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the resolution on Monday, arguing the Senate's impeachment rules do not envision a scenario where the House would delay transmitting articles against a president, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has done. "The Constitution gives the Senate sole power to adjudicate articles of impeachment, not the House. If Speaker Pelosi is afraid to try her case, the articles should be dismissed for failure to prosecute and Congress...

President Trump early Sunday touted U.S. military strength in a tweet warning Iran against retaliation for the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top commander, in a U.S. drone strike. “The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment. We are the biggest and by far the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way...and without hesitation!” he tweeted. The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment. We are the biggest and by far the BEST in...

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday fired back at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) after he said it was a "non-starter" for House Democrats to try to make demands for the Senate's impeachment trial of President Trump. Earlier Friday, McConnell dug in over the ongoing stalemate and accused House Democrats of having "cold feet" after Pelosi declined to send the articles of impeachment passed by the House two weeks ago over to the Senate. Pelosi held just as firm and accused McConnell of abandoning his oath to protect the Constitution.... "Let me clarify Senate rules and Senate history for...

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) ripped President Trump for approving an airstrike against Iran’s top general, calling the attack "an act of war." “Make no mistake: Trump’s actions are an act of war,” Gabbard, a presidential candidate, said in an email to supporters. “Taken without any authorization or declaration of war from Congress, seriously escalating this tit for tat conflict, pushing us deeper into an endless quagmire and dangerously undermining our national security.” Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, has hinged much of her White House bid on ending America’s military involvements abroad and withdrawing troops from the Middle East. “We need...

Even though she continues campaigning for the 2020 Democrat presidential nomination, it is now clear to me that Tulsi Gabbard’s real goal has nothing to do with wining the donkeys’ nod this election cycle. Her vote of “present� on the House’s articles of impeachment ensures that she has no chance this time around, and now, in an interview with ABC News (video not yet available), she goes even further and tips her hand. Gabbard campaigning in New Hampshire yesterday, YouTube screen grab The Hill reports: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hi.), a 2020 presidential candidate, elaborated on her rationale for voting “present� on...

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued a stark warning Friday about President Trump's decision to order the airstrike that killed a top Iranian general in Iraq. "Trump promised to end endless wars, but this action puts us on the path to another one," Sanders said during an address to supporters in Anamosa, Iowa.

During a rally yesterday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden spoke to a crowd in Derry, N.H., a town that many miners call home. He acknowledged the economic setbacks and job insecurity that coal miners face these days, and gave them some advice: learn to code. According to Dave Weigel of the Washington Post, Biden said, “Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well... Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for God’s sake!” According to Weigel, the comment was met with silence from...