Texas House approves new voter ID bill after setbacks in court
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – The Texas House of Representatives gave preliminary approval on Tuesday to a new bill on showing identification when voting after a previous voter ID law was struck down by U.S. courts which said it discriminated against black…
Pope asks Trump to be peacemaker, gives him environmental letter
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis urged U.S. President Donald Trump to be a peacemaker at their first meeting on Wednesday after they exchanged sharp words last year, and Trump promised he would not forget the pontiff’s message.
Illinois Senate Democrats pass budget plan, hurdles seen in House
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Democratic lawmakers in the Illinois Senate on Tuesday voted in favor of a budget and tax package that includes hikes to income and sales taxes in a go-it-alone effort to break the state’s long-running budget impasse eight days befo…
U.S. lawmakers gear up to block Trump plan to slash oil stockpile
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Trump administration plan to sell off half the U.S. emergency crude oil stockpile to help balance the budget faces opposition in Congress, with lawmakers from both parties worried the proposal would undermine the drilling indus…
Senate panel says it will subpoena Michael Flynn businesses
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The leaders of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said on Tuesday they would subpoena two of former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s businesses after Flynn declined to comply with a subpoena for documents in the pane…
Trump retains Marc Kasowitz as private attorney for Russia probe: source
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump has tapped a longtime legal adviser to serve as his private attorney while a special counsel investigates whether his campaign worked with Russia in last year’s election, a source familiar with the decision…
Trump budget cuts may stir backlash in rural America
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s proposals to slash federal aid to the poor, the sick and people living in rural areas reflect conservatives’ demands for a smaller federal government but target many of the very people who voted for him last November.
Trump proposes deep U.S. spending cuts in Mexico, Central America
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed drastically slashing U.S. foreign aid spending in Mexico and Central America, which are struggling with drug violence, graft and poverty that prompts many from the troubled region to mi…
Congress hearings show no Trump campaign-Russia collusion: White House official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hearings in the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday showed there is no evidence of collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia and that President Donald Trump never jeopardized intelligence sources, a …
Trump budget proposal would dramatically cut foreign aid
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would slash nearly a third in funding for diplomacy and foreign aid including global health and food aid, peacekeeping and other forms of non-military foreign involvement.