JIM INHOFE

The Biden administration is unlikely to answer a further Russian invasion of Ukraine by sending U.S. combat troops.

More than 150 former Environmental Protection Agency employees are writing to the Virginia Senate, asking the Democrat-controlled chamber to oppose the nomination of former EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler to GOP Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s Cabinet.

Congress has sent President Joe Biden a $768.2 billion defense bill that makes landmark changes to the way the military handles sexual assaults and keeps women out of the draft.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley are scheduled to appear before the House Armed Services Committee to review the war in Afghanistan.

House Democrats have called for making the expansion of the earned income tax credit permanent, providing a boost to 17 million Americans, policy experts say.

A report by an internal watchdog says two high-ranking political appointees of Donald Trump's at the Environmental Protection Agency engaged in fraudulent payroll activities that cost the agency more than $130,000.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna told Insider the strikes show "the need for a broader strategy to bring our troops home."

Republican Rep. John Curtis of Utah says that contrary to their image, Republicans care about climate change.

The Democratic-led House has passed legislation to repeal the 2002 authorization for use of military force in Iraq.

President Joe Biden says he will withdraw the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan and end America's longest war.

President Joe Biden says he will withdraw the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan and end America's longest war.

President Joe Biden has released a $1.5 trillion wish list for his first federal budget.

“It's not my intention to stay there for a long time,” Biden said, “We will leave. When asked if U.S. troops will still be in Afghanistan next year, he said, ”I can't picture that being the case." AdSen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said he was opposed to that decision and questioned whether it was the right move. More broadly, Clarke and Maier said Special Operations Command has taken steps to shift some of its focus to the great power competition against China and Russia. After nearly 20 years of persistent counterterror operations in war zones and around the globe, special operations forces have seen spikes in suicides and bad behavior.

Texas DPS officers gather near a closed walkway to the Dallas convention center before a news conferenced about migrant children detentions Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s head of Homeland Security sparred Wednesday with members of Congress over the surge of migrants at the Southwest border, refusing to concede the situation was a crisis or even much different from what the two previous administrations faced. He also noted that Homeland Security has expanded an effort to vaccinate Border Patrol members. AdThe surge in migrant children has overwhelmed facilities and coincided with the arrival of immigrant families fleeing poverty and violence in Central America. During Wednesday's hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee, Mayorkas and some members of Congress attempted to shift the focus to non-border issues handled by his department.

National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol allow another member in at sunrise in Washington, Monday, March 8, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police has asked for the fencing and the National Guard to remain, for now. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. "Our National Guard troops, who serve with great honor and distinction, are not law enforcement officers, and we will not abide the continued militarization of Capitol complex security,” wrote Sens. Coupled with the hiring of 350 additional officers, the report also recommends establishing a permanent “quick response force” within the Capitol Police but also at the National Guard in D.C. for emergencies.

National Guard open a gate in the razor wire topped perimeter fence around the Capitol allow another member in at sunrise in Washington, Monday, March 8, 2021. The U.S. Capitol Police has asked for the fencing and the National Guard to remain, for now. As of Friday there were about 4,300 Guard troops in the city. "Our National Guard troops, who serve with great honor and distinction, are not law enforcement officers, and we will not abide the continued militarization of Capitol complex security,” wrote Sens. Coupled with the hiring of 350 additional officers, the report also recommends establishing a permanent “quick response force” within the Capitol Police but also at the National Guard in D.C. for emergencies.

FILE - This April 19, 2019 file photo shows a sign for the Department of Defense at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – The Biden administration's nominee for top Pentagon policy adviser was met with sharp criticism from Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, including accusations that he has been too partisan. And a number of GOP senators said they were troubled by partisan tweets Kohl put out during Donald Trump's presidency and they would oppose his nomination. And he told the panel, “This is not a political job, it’s a policy job ... Others, including the panel chairman, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., sought commitments on improving Pentagon policies and relations with other countries that soured during Trump's tenure.

National Guard keep watch on the Capitol, Thursday, March 4, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON – The Capitol Police have requested that members of the National Guard continue to provide security at the U.S. Capitol for another two months, The Associated Press has learned. There were no signs of disturbance Thursday, but the Capitol Police's request for extended Guard assistance appeared mired in confusion within various congressional oversight authorities, according to letters obtained by The AP. The more than 5,000 Guard members currently in Washington, D.C., are all slated to go home March 12, ending the mission. AdCapitol Police officials have also told congressional leaders the razor-wire-topped fencing around the Capitol should remain in place for several more months.

“Where are they counting the (expletive) votes!” they hollered as they streamed inside, wielding wooden beams and a metal baseball bat, forcing the officer to retreat, according to footage shown this week at Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Outside, others were setting up a makeshift gallows on the Capitol lawn for Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence. They say the clips prove that without Trump’s attempt to overturn the election results, the Capitol riot would never have taken place. The trial was continuing Friday with a presentation from Trump's lawyers, who have decried the use of the video footage as unnecessary. AdOne of those people, Jessica Watkins, suggested as Biden’s inauguration neared that she “was awaiting direction from President Trump,” prosecutors said in court papers this week.

Trump's lawyers made an abbreviated presentation that used less than three of their allotted 16 hours. But in trying to draw that equivalency, the defenders minimized Trump's months-long efforts to undermine the election results and his urging of followers to do the same. On Friday, as defense lawyers repeated their own videos over and over, some Democrats chuckled and whispered among themselves as many of their faces flashed on the screen. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet said it felt like the lawyers were “erecting straw men to then take them down rather than deal with the facts." Trump's lawyers say that goal only underscores the “hatred” Democrats feel for Trump.

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with lawmakers on investments in infrastructure, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington. Carper pledged to work on a transportation bill that will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by cars and trucks and boosting electric cars. AdInhofe later told reporters that the meeting with Biden was "very good, very good. During the presidential campaign, Biden committed to deploying $2 trillion on infrastructure and clean energy investments over four years. Ad“Mayors and other local regional leaders around the country are very much in alignment with what President Biden has talked about, especially with climate change," said Bill Fulton, director of the institute.

About 25,000 Guard members from across the country deployed to help secure President Joe Biden's inauguration, which went off with only a handful of minor arrests. First lady Jill Biden visited Guard troops outside the Capitol on Friday, bringing them cookies and thanking them for protecting her family. She noted that the Bidens’ late son, Beau, served in the Delaware Army National Guard. All 25,000 Guard members were vetted by the FBI over concerns of an insider attack, and a dozen were removed from their posts including two who made extremist statements about the inauguration. Thousands of Guard troops from all across the country poured into D.C. by the planeload and busload late last week, in response to escalating security threats and fears of more rioting.

But for more than four years, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence made their marriage of political convenience work. Pence, for his part, was left feeling “hurt” and “upset” by the episode, according to people close to him. Pence's decision to publicly defy Trump was a first for the notoriously deferential vice president, who has been unflinchingly loyal to Trump since joining the GOP ticket in 2016. “If Mike Pence does the right thing we win the election,” Trump wrongly insisted. He repeatedly returned to Pence throughout his speech as he tried to pressure the vice president to fall in line.

The 81-13 vote in the Senate on the widely popular defense bill followed an earlier 322-87 override vote in the House. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a close Trump ally, hailed the override vote. The bipartisan overrides on the defense bill showed the limits of Trump’s influence in the final weeks of his term. Only seven GOP senators voted with Trump to oppose the defense bill override. Sanders and five other liberals who opposed the defense bill also voted against the override.

Trump on Tuesday slammed GOP lawmakers on Twitter, charging that “Weak and tired Republican ‘leadership’ will allow the bad Defense Bill to pass.″Trump called the override vote a “disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission by weak people to Big Tech. !″The 322-87 vote in the House sends the override effort to the Senate, where the exact timing of a vote is uncertain. The House veto override was supported by 212 Democrats, 109 Republicans and an independent. Reed called the Dec. 23 veto “Trump’s parting gift to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and a lump of coal for our troops. The defense bill guides Pentagon policy and cements decisions about troop levels, new weapons systems and military readiness, personnel policy and other military goals.

Trump slammed GOP lawmakers on Twitter, charging that “Weak and tired Republican ‘leadership’ will allow the bad Defense Bill to pass.″Trump called the override vote a “disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission by weak people to Big Tech. !″The 322-87 vote in the House sends the override effort to the Senate, where the exact timing of a vote is uncertain. The House veto override was supported by 212 Democrats, 109 Republicans and an independent. Reed called the Dec. 23 veto “Trump’s parting gift to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and a lump of coal for our troops. The defense bill guides Pentagon policy and cements decisions about troop levels, new weapons systems and military readiness, personnel policy and other military goals.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – The Democratic-controlled House voted overwhelmingly Monday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense policy bill, setting the stage for what would be the first veto override of his presidency. House members voted 322-87 to override the veto, well above the two-thirds needed to override. The veto override was supported by 212 Democrats, 109 Republicans and an independent. Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump’s declaration that China gained from the defense bill was false. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a rare break with Trump, had urged passage of the defense bill despite Trump’s veto threat.

Trump has vowed to veto the bill unless lawmakers impose limits on social media companies he claims were biased against him during the election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a rare break with Trump, urged passage of the measure despite Trump's threat to veto it. The Democratic-controlled House overwhelmingly approved the defense bill on Tuesday, defying Trump’s veto threat and setting up a possible showdown with the Republican president in the waning days of his administration. It follows Trump’s bid over the summer to sabotage the package with a veto threat over Confederate base names. If he does veto the defense bill, Congress could cut short its Christmas recess to hold override votes.

Retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the Biden administrations choice to be secretary of defense, speaks at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. In the past, they’ve opposed naming recently retired military officers to a post typically occupied by civilians, yet they don't want to defy their party's incoming president nor be seen as blocking history. Before announcing that he'd settled on Austin, Biden was facing pressure from activists over a lack of diversity in some of the key posts of the Cabinet he was building. Now the Mattis period at the Pentagon is viewed by some as an argument against waiving the rule again. Thankfully, Biden is neither, so the circumstances don’t support a waiver.”___Weissert, Burns and Mascaro reported from Washington.

The measure guides Pentagon policy and cements decisions about troop levels, new weapons systems and military readiness, military personnel policy and other military goals. It follows Trump's bid to sabotage the package with an earlier veto threat over Confederate base names. If he does veto the defense bill, Congress could cut short its Christmas recess to hold override votes, senior House members said. And I think he will get substantial pressure, advice (from Republicans) that, you know, you don’t want to put the defense bill at risk.'' The defense bill is typically a widely bipartisan measure, one of the few areas of common ground.

It follows Trump's bid to sabotage the package with an earlier veto threat over Confederate base names. If he does veto the defense bill, Congress could cut short its Christmas recess to hold override votes, senior House members said. And I think he will get substantial pressure, advice (from Republicans) that, you know, you don’t want to put the defense bill at risk.'' The defense bill is typically a widely bipartisan measure, one of the few areas of common ground. Some Democrats, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, agree the Section 230 provision could be revisited, even as they disagree with Trump’s tactic of attaching it to the defense bill.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a briefing at the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Washington. But interjecting the complicated tech issue threatens to upend the massive defense bill, which Congress takes pride in having passed unfailingly for half a century. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at briefing Wednesday that the president is serious about vetoing the defense bill unless Congress repeals Section 230. Some Democrats, including Schumer, agree the Section 230 provision could be revisited, even as they disagree with Trump’s tactic of attaching it to the defense bill. But he also said he doesn’t believe Trump will veto the must-pass defense bill.

Republicans are vowing they will not send the broader bill to Trump if it includes language requiring bases named after Confederate officers to be renamed. “It's Senate language that we want to agree to," said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash. “So there shouldn't be controversy here." “Look, the defense bill is really important," Smith said, expressing hope that Republicans would relent. Both the House and Senate defense measures passed by veto-proof margins but GOP leaders want to avoid the chances of a veto coming to pass. The Associated Press erroneously reported that failure to pass the legislation could hold up a pay raise for the military.

Gen. Anthony Tata to a job performing the duties of the deputy undersecretary for defense policy, amid ongoing furor over offensive remarks Tata made, including about Islam. Last week the Senate canceled a hearing on Tata's nomination to become defense undersecretary for policy, the third-highest civilian post at the Pentagon. Tata, who also has been a Fox News commentator, withdrew his name from consideration for the undersecretary job over the weekend, and was then appointed by Trump to serve in the deputy's post. James Anderson, who had been serving as Rood's deputy, is currently the acting policy undersecretary the job Tata was initially nominated to fill. Officials who carry the acting title have more authority than those who are performing the duties of the job.

Defense officials say the U.S. will pull 12,000 troops from Germany, bringing 6,400 forces home and shifting 5,600 to other countries in Europe, including Italy and Belgium. The decision fulfills Trump's announced desire to withdraw troops from Germany, largely due to its failure to spend enough on defense. Some smaller units could move within months, and the plan leaves about 24,000 troops in Germany. At a Rose Garden event last month with Duda, Trump said some of the troops from Germany would go to Poland. Overall, the U.S. has about 47,000 troops and civilian personnel in Germany.

Forty-nine GOP senators voted for the defense bill that includes the base-renaming, while just four Republicans voted against it. The aide steered a reporter to a statement McConnell made on the Senate floor praising the defense bill and its strong bipartisan support. There are 10 Army posts named for Confederate military leaders, including Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia, Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Forts Robert E. Lee and A.P. The House bill would require the base names to be changed within a year, while the Senate would give the military three years to rename them. The Senates top Democrat, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, has dared Trump to veto the defense bill over Confederate base names.

WASHINGTON The Senate on Thursday joined the House in defying a veto threat from President Donald Trump to approve defense legislation that would remove the names of Confederate officers from American military bases such as Fort Bragg and Fort Benning. The Senate approved the annual policy measure, 86-14, a margin that suggests more than enough support to override a potential Trump veto. The White House said in a statement this week that it supports the overall spending figure but expressed serious concerns about the House bill, including the mandate on base renaming. President Trump is deploying dangerous authoritarian tactics on our streets as a twisted campaign strategy,'' Merkley said in a statement explaining his vote against the defense bill. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., called Merkley's proposal nothing more than "political messaging ... designed to exploit violence in the streets for political gain and defeat President Trump.''

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and a small group of other House Democrats met with White House officials as Trump downplayed the allegations. One official said the administration discussed several potential responses, but the White House has yet to authorize any. Intelligence officials told the AP that the White House first became aware of alleged Russian bounties in early 2019 a year earlier than had been previously reported. Bolton declined to comment on that matter, and the White House did not respond to questions. The intelligence officials and others with knowledge of the matter insisted on anonymity to discuss the highly sensitive matter.

OKLAHOMA CITY Voters in central Oklahoma on Tuesday will pare down a crowded field of congressional hopefuls seeking to represent the 5th District in Washington. Nine Republicans are vying for the seat held by first-term U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, the only Democrat in the states delegation. Four of the GOP challengers have raised more than $500,000, including businesswoman Terry Neese, state Sen. Stephanie Bice, former State Superintendent Janet Barresi and businessman David Hill. Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and U.S. Reps. Markwayne Mullin and Tom Cole all are heavy favorites in their GOP primaries Tuesday. Inhofe faces three lesser-known candidates in the GOP primary, while four Democrats are running for the opportunity to challenge him in the fall.

Oklahoma voters will vote in Tuesday's primary election on State Question 802, which would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to expand Medicaid health insurance. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, Pool, File)OKLAHOMA CITY A question on whether to expand Medicaid in Oklahoma and a crowded Republican field vying to challenge the state's lone congressional Democrat are drawing the most attention ahead of Tuesday's primary election. According to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, states that have expanded Medicaid through a ballot measure include Idaho, Maine, Nebraska and Utah. This is going to cost our state $200 million," Stitt said during an event this week with Americans for Prosperity. Republicans clearly see OK-5 as one of their best chances to flip' a House seat, and theyre correct to see it that way," said Matthew Motta, a political science professor at Oklahoma State University.

FILE - In this June 1, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump departs the White House to visit outside St. John's Church in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON The nation's top military officer, Gen. Mark Milley, spoke privately with congressional leaders and many other lawmakers as Pentagon officials came under fire for the military's role in containing protests following the police killing of George Floyd. That was the day after authorities cleared protesters near the White House so President Donald Trump could hold a photo opportunity at a nearby church. Milley and Defense Secretary Mark Esper were sharply criticized for accompanying Trump and thereby giving the impression of endorsing a politicization of the military. The White House has prohibited officials from the administration from testifying before the House unless they have cleared any appearances with the White House chief of staff.

That was the day after authorities cleared protesters near the White House so President Donald Trump could hold a photo opportunity at a nearby church. Late Friday, Esper and Milley declined a request from Democrats to appear before the House Armed Services Committee next week. Our military leaders are sworn to be accountable to the people of this country, and Congress is constitutionally responsible for oversight, the Democrats wrote. The White House has prohibited officials from the administration from testifying before the House unless they have cleared any appearances with the White House chief of staff. In his own Senate speech Tuesday morning, Inhofe said he wanted to set the record straight after conferring with Milley before and after Mondays events.

FILE - In this April 1, 2020, file photo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. The president has suggested he would use all available military force, however, if state governors couldn't stop the violence. Asked Wednesday about Esper's standing with Trump, the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, offered something less than a ringing endorsement. He became Trumps second Pentagon chief after his first, retired Gen. Jim Mattis, resigned in December 2018 in a policy dispute. Milley, the Joint Chiefs chairman, also has taken heat from critics for his role in managing the response to the protests.

Federal prosecutors are still investigating stock sales by Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina in advance of a coronavirus-fueled share price plunge, but are dropping investigations of such sales connected to three other senators: Kelly Loeffler, Jim Inhofe and Dianne Feinstein. Aides for Loeffler, R-Ga., Inhofe, D-Okla., and Feinstein, a California Democrat, confirmed to NBC News that the Department of Justice is no longer probing stock sales related to them. The FBI earlier this month seized Burr's cellphone at his home in Washington, D.C., as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) leaves the U.S. Capitol after voting in Washington, U.S., May 14, 2020. Burr on Feb. 13 sold stocks valued at between $630,000 and $1.7 million in 33 separate trades.

The Justice Department is dropping its inquiry into Sen. Dianne Feinstein over stock trades made as the novel coronavirus struck the U.S. and roiled the economy, a person familiar with the matter said. Loeffler sold stocks valued at $1.25 million to $3.1 million in late February and early March in companies whose value later dropped significantly. In January, Inhofe sold stocks worth as much as $750,000. The Justice Departments decision came a week after federal agents dramatically escalated an investigation into another senators trades before the stock market tanked in response to public health lockdowns that snarled the economy. The STOCK Act requires lawmakers to disclose their stock market activity but allows them to own stock, even in industries they might oversee.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., listens during a virtual Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing, Tuesday, May 12, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Dianne Feinstein of California, Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, according to people familiar with notifications sent to the senators. The developments indicate that federal law enforcement officials are narrowing their focus in the stock investigation to Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C, the former Senate Intelligence Committee chairman. Like Loeffler, both Inhofe and Feinstein denied any wrongdoing or involvement in the trades. From the outset, Senator Burr has been focused on an appropriate and thorough review of the facts in this matter, which will establish that his actions were appropriate, Fisher said in a statement.

"We have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies' and our own intelligence" that indicates the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile. Spy satellite imagery suggested the Ukraine-bound Boeing passenger airliner was shot down by an Iranian missile NBC News reported earlier Thursday. Iranian officials had originally suggested that the Boeing 737-800 crashed because of a technical problem. Iranian aviation officials said the boxes that were recovered from the crash site were damaged by fire. The timing prompted speculation that a stray Iranian missile may have downed the passenger plane.