Irascible Musings

Things were touch-and-go even before the recent shake-up. And history suggests it won't get better.

How did the conversation about police reform that so dominated the news fall by the political wayside?

The exchange between the two politicians signaled there is no bottom for political discourse.

GENEVA (AP) - Swiss federal authorities searched house and seized documents Thursday following claims by state-owned defense contractor Ruag of possible criminal wrongdoing, reportedly in connection with allegations about shady business practices and bribery linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin's entourage.

The Swiss attorney general's office said only that it ...

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday praised the department's employees and urged "kindness" in what he called "a very mean-spirited town" during his final remarks as the nation's chief diplomat.Tillerson e...

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Thursday said the $1.3 trillion spending bill moving through Congress this week should close the chapter on what he called the "era of austerity."

"This spending agreement brings the era of austerity to an unceremonious end and represents one of the most significant ...

Congress neutered the agenda and 5 percent cuts proposed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos by instead adding $4 billion to the Department of Education budget and rejecting her school-choice platform, The Washington Post reports.

GOP leaders broke their own rules and sped a vote on the $1.3 trillion spending bill Thursday because they wanted to hide all the wins Democrats managed to score, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.

She and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer took a victory lap after the House ...

Congress' upcoming decision to allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research gun violence won't make a difference unless it also increases funding.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House easily approved a bipartisan $1.3 trillion spending bill Thursday that pours huge sums into Pentagon programs and domestic initiatives ranging from building roads to combatting the nation's opioid abuse crisis, but left Congress in stalemate over shielding young Dreamer immigrants from deportation and curbing surging ...

Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said goodbye to his colleagues on Thursday after being fired by President Trump.

"Never lose site of your most valuable asset, the most valuable asset you possess: your personal integrity," Mr. Tillerson said.

"Only you can relinquish it or allow it to be compromised. ...

Authorities in the U.S. and the U.K. are bearing down on Facebook and political data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica over allegations the firm stole data from 50 million Facebook users and used it to manipulate elections.

There have been numerous demands for investigations and calls for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to ...

The House has easily approved a bipartisan $1.3 trillion measure handing huge spending increases to defense programs and domestic initiatives ranging from road-building to biomedical research.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The Latest on the trial of three militia members accused of plotting to bomb a Kansas mosque and apartment complex (all times local):

12:05 p.m.

A federal prosecutor says three militia members accused of plotting to bomb an apartment complex housing Somali immigrants were trying to ...

NEW YORK (AP) - Citigroup is putting new restrictions on firearm sales by its business customers, making it the first bank to announce changes to its policies in the wake of the school shooting in Florida.

Citigroup will require its clients and business customers not to sell a firearm to ...

President Trump signed an order Thursday that cracked down on China's unfair trade practices and theft of U.S. intellectual property with $60 billion in tariffs on high-tech imports.

The move stoked fears of a trade war with America's largest trading partner, but Mr. Trump insisted he was finally leveling the ...

President Trump said Thursday he still wants to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller in his ongoing probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election."Yes. I would like to," Trump sai...

President Donald Trump's inability to secure funding for his border wall brought out gleeful reactions - if not mocking - from immigration advocates, The Washington Post reports.

The House passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill Thursday, kicking things over to the Senate as lawmakers race against an end-of-Friday deadline to stave off what could be the third partial government shutdown of 2018.

The House voted 256-167 to pass the measure, which funds the government through September, despite ...

President Trump complained about the "waste" in the new spending bill, but his team said Thursday the $1.3 trillion measure is actually a significant win for his agenda.

"Is the president going to sign the bill? The answer is yes. Why? Because it funds his priorities," said Mick Mulvaney, ...

President Trump said he would impose about $50 billion worth of annual tariffs on China to punish Beijing for stealing American technology and pressuring U.S. companies to hand it over.

"This is a great dane-sized whiz down the leg of every taxpayer," Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House Intelligence Committee voted Thursday to approve its final report into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, ending the panel's probe and giving a final endorsement to their conclusion that there was no coordination between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia.

The Republican-written report will be ...

The House easily passed a $1.3 trillion spending package on Thursday, sending legislation to the Senate that would preven...

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Thursday Russia has been emboldened to target the midterm elections because it faced so few consequences from its actions in the 2016 presidential election.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Congress and a $1.3 trillion government spending bill (all times local):

1:17 p.m.

A budget bill passed by the House does not include money for work to develop and build a nuclear waste dump outside Las Vegas.

President Donald Trump has proposed reviving a ...

Heeding President Trump's call to "get tough," congressional Republicans filed legislation Thursday that sets lengthy prison terms for fentanyl dealers, saying criminals must think twice before they peddle synthetic powders that could fit into a salt shaker and still kill thousands.

The bill says individuals caught selling as little as ...

Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin has called for the U.S. government to increase the response to opioid addiction.