Conservative Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Monday pointed the finger directly at his colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-Ky.), as the primary instigator behind President Trump’s surprise mission to send U.S. special operators into Caracas to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Paul lamented what he sees as a reversal from Trump’s previous staunch opposition to nation-building...

The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it’s extending a review of allegations against Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and Brandon Phillips, Collins’s chief of staff who transitioned to the congressman’s Senate campaign, releasing a report from the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC) that raised allegations over the hiring of a past intern in the congressman’s office....

Two high-profile Republican senators on Monday warned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth against reducing Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) military rank or pension as punishment for filming a video with several other Democratic lawmakers urging service members not to follow unlawful orders. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has jurisdiction over the Pentagon’s budget as chair of...

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, respectively, slammed the Trump administration for not including them in a Monday briefing on the operation in Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The two senators, citing the administration’s argument that the mission...

{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment   The Big Story Trump captures Maduro, eyes Venezuela's oil industry After the U.S. captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, President Trump said he wanted the U.S. to take over the country's oil production. © Alex Brandon, Associated Press “As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended the Trump administration Monday for not consulting Congress ahead of its operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The administration notified the “Gang of Eight” — which includes Thune, Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)...

The Sunshine State, which may be just as well-known for its storm activity, is no longer the lightning capital of the U.S., according to a new report.

President Trump said in an interview on Monday that the U.S. needs to “nurse Venezuela back to health” before the country holds an election. "We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election. There’s no way the people could even vote," Trump told NBC News. "No, it’s going to take a period of...

President Trump’s decision to leave the door open to putting boots on the ground and to regime change in Venezuela is getting a frosty reception from conservatives, who are warning that he is risking a key campaign pledge to end “forever wars” and keep out of foreign conflicts.  The president for years railed against Bush-era...

Texas Gov. Abbott orders comprehensive investigation into potential child care fraud following Minnesota scandal that allegedly defrauded taxpayers millions of dollars.