Author: Alan Fram
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Midnight government shutdown nears; no accord in sight
WASHINGTON — The federal government shut down at the stroke of midnight Friday, halting all but the most essential operations and marring the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration in a striking display of Washington dysfunction. Last-minute negotiations crumbled as Senate Democrats blocked a four-week stopgap extension in a late-night vote, causing the fourth…
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House votes to avert federal shutdown, Senate chances dim
WASHINGTON — A divided House voted Thursday to prevent a government shutdown after an eleventh-hour deal brought conservatives aboard. But the GOP-written measure faced gloomy prospects in the Senate, and it remained unclear whether lawmakers would be able to find a way to keep federal offices open past a Friday night deadline. The House voted…
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Trump insists his views on a border wall have not ‘evolved’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump insisted Thursday his views on a border wall with Mexico have not evolved, pushing back against his own chief of staff’s comments to lawmakers. Trump said on Twitter: “The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it.” Some Democrats who…
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Trump defends vulgar immigrant comments, partly denies them
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered a partial denial in public but privately defended his extraordinary remarks disparaging Haitians and African countries. Trump said he was only expressing what many people think but won’t say about immigrants from economically depressed countries, according to a person who spoke to the president as criticism of his comments…
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Trump denies he used vulgarity to describe African countries
WASHINGTON — In bluntly vulgar language, President Donald Trump questioned Thursday why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and “shithole countries” in Africa rather than places like Norway, as he rejected a bipartisan immigration deal, according to people briefed on the extraordinary Oval Office conversation. Trump on Friday denied using that language. Trump’s…
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Trump suggests 2-phase immigration deal for ‘Dreamers’
WASHINGTON — Seeking a bipartisan compromise to avoid a government shutdown, President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that an immigration deal could be reached in two phases — first by addressing young immigrants and border security with what he called a “bill of love,” then by making comprehensive changes that have long eluded Congress. Trump held…
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Farenthold to retire from House amid harassment accusations
WASHINGTON — Two Republicans say Texas GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold won’t seek re-election next year. The lawmaker is under pressure from sexual misconduct allegations that surfaced three years ago but have come under renewed focus. Mike Bergsma is Republican county chairman in Farenthold’s home county of Nueces. He tells The Associated Press that Farenthold campaign…
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Sen. Al Franken will resign from the Senate amid fresh accusations
WASHINGTON — Sen. Al Franken, a rising political star only weeks ago, reluctantly announced Thursday he’s resigning from Congress, succumbing to a torrent of sexual harassment allegations and evaporating support from fellow Democrats. But he fired a defiant parting shot at President Donald Trump and other Republicans he said have survived much worse accusations. “I…
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Senate OKs tax bill as Trump, GOP near big legislative win
WASHINGTON — Republicans pushed a nearly $1.5 trillion tax bill through the Senate early Saturday after a burst of eleventh-hour horse trading, as a party starved all year for a major legislative triumph took a giant step toward giving President Donald Trump one of his top priorities by Christmas. “Big bills are rarely popular. You…
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Sen. Franken back to work amid sexual misconduct allegations, says he doesn’t remember groping incidents
WASHINGTON — Sen. Al Franken apologized Monday to “everyone who has counted on me to be a champion for women” as the Minnesota Democrat fought to bolster his support with his first Capitol public appearance since being drawn into a wave of sexual harassment accusations buffeting Congress. Franken spoke as lawmakers began returning from an…