Russia drawing up plans to conduct nuclear tests after Trump announcement

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday his country will draw up plans to conduct nuclear tests after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would do the same last week. The Kremlin leader said he has asked relevant departments to ‘submit coordinated proposals regarding the possible commencement of work to prepare for nuclear weapons testing.’ ‘Russia […]

Pelosi is out. Expect heavy campaigning in CA — and cues for senior Dems in DC to follow suit.

SAN FRANCISCO — Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House and one of the most powerful women in modern American politics, will retire from Congress next year. The San Francisco Democrat, who announced her decision Thursday, had come under increasing pressure to step aside amid her party’s widening generational divide. Now 85, she […]

House conservatives back new funding deal to end shutdown, reject ‘wasteful’ Obamacare subsidies

Leaders of a 189-member group that acts as the House GOP’s de facto conservative think tank are formally endorsing a new short-term federal funding bill. With just over two weeks until the deadline for Republicans’ initial Nov. 21 plan and the threat of more government shutdown chaos, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) Steering Committee is […]

Federal judge hits DOJ for ‘indict first, investigate later’ approach in court hearing

A federal judge criticized the Justice Department for allegedly being too quick to indict in high-profile cases on Wednesday. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick of the Eastern District of Virginia made the comments during a brief hearing regarding the case against former FBI Director James Comey. ‘Right now, we are in a bit of a feeling […]

Capitol agenda: Shutdown endgame gets real

The Senate is grinding toward an end to the shutdown — and there are new signs for optimism this week. A swing group of Democrats is signaling they could accept a GOP offer including a continuing resolution, a package of appropriations bills and a vote on Affordable Care Act subsidies. At the same time, the […]