Congress Nears Showdown Votes On Averting Federal Shutdown

By ALAN FRAM and ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Congress barreled toward a possible election-year government shutdown Thursday, facing showdown votes in the House and Senate to keep federal offices open and hundreds of thousands of workers on the job. Weeks of argument over immigration, big spending and more remained unresolved, and…

Grandparents Shocked By Reports Of 13 Starved Grandchildren

By BRIAN MELLEY and MICHAEL BALSAMO, Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The grandparents of 13 starved and tortured children say their son’s family looked happy and healthy when they last visited California six years ago. “They were just like any ordinary family,” said Betty Turpin, the 81-year-old mother of David Turpin. “And they had such…

WH Involvement In Bannon Testimony Shows ‘Privilege’ Dispute

By TOM LoBIANCO, ZEKE MILLER and CHAD DAY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s White House is relying on a sweeping interpretation of executive privilege that is rankling members of Congress on both sides of the aisle as current and former advisers parade to Capitol Hill for questioning about possible connections with Russia. The…

Doctor: Trump Is Healthy, Did Very Well On Cognitive Test

By JILL COLVIN, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s overall health “is excellent” and he did “exceedingly well” on cognitive screening designed to detect early signs of memory loss and other neurologic functions, the Navy doctor who performed Trump’s medical checkup said Tuesday. Ronny Jackson had issued a blanket declaration that Trump was in…

House Panel Interviewing Bannon After His Fall From Power

By TOM LoBIANCO and MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Intelligence Committee is poised to question Steve Bannon, the onetime confidant to President Donald Trump, following his spectacular fall from power after accusing the president’s son and others of “treasonous” behavior for taking a meeting with Russians during the 2016 campaign. Bannon…

President Trump Marks MLK Day Out Of View, Buffeted By Race Claims

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump marked his first Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday Monday largely out of sight, buffeted by accusations that he used a racially tinged word to describe African countries and scoffed at the suggestion of admitting more Haitians to the U.S. Trump decamped…