Articles

Bill on federal workers’ back pay in shutdown heads to Trump

President Donald Trump is edging closer to declaring a national emergency to pay for his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall as pressure mounts to end the three-week impasse that has closed parts of the government and deprived hundreds of thousands of workers of their salaries.

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Deputy AG Rosenstein, a frequent Trump target, leaving

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the most visible Justice Department protector of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and a frequent target of President Donald Trump’s wrath, is expected to leave his position soon after Trump’s nominee for attorney general is confirmed.

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Trump to take case for border wall to prime-time audience

President Donald Trump will argue to the nation Tuesday night that a “crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border requires the long and invulnerable wall he’s demanding before ending a partial government shutdown that has hundreds of thousands of federal workers fearing missed paychecks on Friday.

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Senators renew attempt to protect special counsel Mueller

Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are renewing their attempt to protect special counsel Robert Mueller’s job, sending a signal to President Donald Trump as he keeps up his criticism of Mueller’s Russia investigation.

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Northern Indiana District Court awaiting re-nomination process

With the start of the 116th Congress, Indiana’s two remaining federal judicial nominees have stalled and the vacancies in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana continue. However, Indiana’s senior senator expressed confidence they will come back to Capitol Hill.

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Day 13: Dems pass funding plan without wall, Trump digs in

On their first day in the majority, House Democrats on Thursday night passed a plan to re-open the government without funding President Donald Trump’s promised border wall. The largely party-line votes came after Trump made a surprise appearance at the White House briefing room pledging to keep up the fight for his signature campaign promise.

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Low-key days at Supreme Court may be ending soon

The Supreme Court began its term with the tumultuous confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, followed by a studied avoidance of drama on the high court bench — especially anything that would divide the five conservatives and four liberals. But when they gather in private on Friday to consider new cases for arguments in April and into next term, the justices will confront a raft of high-profile appeals.

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No solution to shutdown in sight before Dems take House

The partial government shutdown will almost certainly be handed off to a divided government to solve in the new year — the first big confrontation between President Donald Trump and newly empowered Democrats — as agreement eludes Washington in the waning days of the Republican monopoly on power.

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Deaths of 2 children raise doubts about US border agency

The deaths of two migrant children in just over two weeks raised strong new doubts Wednesday about the ability of U.S. border authorities to care for the thousands of minors arriving as part of a surge of families trying to enter the country.

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Post-holiday, partial government shutdown to gain impact

Christmas has come and gone but the partial government shutdown is just getting started. Wednesday brings the first full business day after several government departments and agencies closed over the weekend due to a budgetary stalemate between President Donald Trump and Congress. And there is no end in sight.

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Judge’s rebuke of Flynn upends sentencing, prolongs case

A federal judge who described himself as disgusted by Michael Flynn’s behavior upended a straightforward sentencing hearing Tuesday, postponing punishment for President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser and telling him in a stinging rebuke, “Arguably you sold your country out.”

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‘Dirty deeds’: Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen gets 3 years in prison

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s one-time fixer, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to conceal his boss’ alleged sexual affairs, telling a judge that he agreed time and again to cover up Trump’s “dirty deeds” out of “blind loyalty.”

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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow asylum ban

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration said in court papers filed Tuesday that the nationwide order preventing the policy from taking effect “is deeply flawed” and should be lifted pending an appeal that could reach the high court.

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Whether a president can be prosecuted remains in dispute

For the first time, prosecutors have tied President Donald Trump to a federal crime, accusing him of directing illegal hush-money payments to women during his presidential campaign in 2016. Although Trump hasn’t been charged with any crimes, the question of whether a president can even be prosecuted while in office is a matter of legal dispute.

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Prosecutors recommend no jail time for cooperative Flynn

President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser provided so much information to the special counsel’s Russia investigation that prosecutors say he shouldn’t do any prison time, according to a court filing that describes Michael Flynn’s cooperation as “substantial.”

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Washington to pay respects, bid farewell to George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush is set to embark on his final tour of Washington, the capital city that is remembering the 41st president’s lifetime of public service that began in the Navy during World War II, ended with one term as president and was characterized throughout by what admirers say was his innate decency, generosity and kindness.

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