Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp was invited to Trump Tower today for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump. Rumors are circulating that the North Dakota senator is being considered for Secretary of Energy. With oil and gas production as one of the top revenue-driving industries in the state, having a North Dakota advocate in the position would ensure the state’s needs ...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With just three weeks left in the legislative session, Republican House leaders this week acknowledged they will consider increased taxes on fuel, services, alcohol and cigarettes as potential options for closing a $1.3 billion hole in the state budget. House Speaker Jeff Hickman said those tax proposals, along with the elimination of tens of millions of ...

SALEM, Ore. — When the Oregon Legislature began its whirlwind 35-day session two weeks ago, Republicans employed a rarely-used tool to stall the legislative process. The issue centers around the fact that each bill is being read aloud in its entirety before lawmakers can cast votes, a constitutional requirement usually avoided on the first day of the session by a ...

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders rode a wave of voter frustration with American politics to commanding victories in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primaries, adding crucial credibility to their upstart candidacies. Sanders swept majorities of men, women, independents and young people in his win over Hillary Clinton, but faces challenges in the more diverse states that come ...

A tale of environmental suspense unfolded throughout 2015: Would nations finally reach a global agreement to fight climate change? Record drought and heat, wildfires, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, President Obama’s Clean Power Plan and his photogenic trip to Arctic Alaska — all became plot points in the developing narrative. Then, on cue in the second week of December, ...

MUSCATINE, Iowa — More than any other issue, immigration is driving the rivalry between Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, presidential rivals focusing on the divisive topic in their closing messages to Republican voters before the sprint to the Iowa caucuses. Cruz, a Texas senator and tea party firebrand, sees Rubio’s support for a more forgiving immigration policy as his greatest ...

WASHINGTON – U.S. House Republicans plan to file a government funding bill on Tuesday night that will include a provision lifting the U.S. ban on crude oil exports, congressman Reid Ribble said. “The oil export ban is lifted,” Ribble said. Ribble, a Wisconsin Republican, also said the spending bill will include tax credits for wind and solar power but they ...

BOULDER, Colo. — Celebrity businessman Donald Trump was again center stage as the GOP presidential field gathered Wednesday night for the third debate of the 2016 campaign, but for the first time, the billionaire seemed reduced to the role of a supporting cast member. An early rumble between former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio showed they were ...

The race for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is continuing to build, as two prominent Republicans from Lubbock said they will be running on Tuesday. Lubbock Mayor Glen Robertson and Former Texas Tech Vice Chancellor Jodey Arrington both said on Tuesday that they intend to run for the seat that will be vacated at the end of ...

In a stunning move, House Speaker John Boehner informed Republicans on Friday that he would step down at the end of October, giving up his coveted leadership post and his seat in Congress in the face of hardline conservative opposition. The 13-term Ohio Republican shocked his GOP caucus early Friday morning when he informed them of his decision in a ...