Rumor has it that business mogul and Houston Rockets owner, Tilman Fertitta, might soon be taking on a new role as the U.S. ambassador to Italy.

President-elect Donald Trump has made another flurry of job announcements.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is vowing to force health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for IVF treatments, a proposal at odds with the actions of much of his own party.

Donald Trump’s campaign has found itself defending a Supreme Court decision to strike down a ban that he himself had hailed as an achievement on gun control six years ago.

The commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard has tried to assure frustrated senators she is not attempting to cover up the branch’s failure to adequately handle cases of sexual assault and harassment at the service academy in Connecticut.

Republicans have been softening their stance on Russia ever since Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election following Russian hacking of his Democratic opponents.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has been increasingly isolated on foreign policy among his GOP colleagues, a growing number of whom have distanced themselves as a matter of course from U.S. involvement abroad -- and particularly on Ukraine.

The PGA Tour is sending two leading figures to next week's Senate panel reviewing its surprise business agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf.

Republicans have opened a new inquiry with a brazen attempt to portray the federal government as weaponized against Americans.

When President Joe Biden suggested that Republicans want to slash Medicare and Social Security it brought howls of protests from the GOP side of the aisle during the State of the Union address.

Newly released documents from the House Jan. 6 committee show that the former Wisconsin Republican Party chairman testified that U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson spoke to him weeks before Joe Biden assumed the presidency about having the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature, rather than voters, choose Wisconsin’s presidential electors.

Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has defeated Democrat Mandela Barnes to keep a seat in Republican hands.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes are honing closing arguments in a Wisconsin race that could be critical in which party controls the U.S. Senate.

In-person early voting has begun in swing state Wisconsin amid ongoing lawsuits affecting which ballots can be counted or tossed, recently ordered bans on drop boxes, and restrictions on who can return ballots.

The news that 70 million people will see an 8.7% boost in their Social Security checks next year came just weeks before Election Day, but it's unlikely to give Democrats the edge they're desperately seeking at the polls.

On Milwaukee’s largely Hispanic, working-class south side, voters are fed up with rampant lawlessness.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes have gotten personal in their final debate before the Nov. 8 election, with each candidate attacking the other as being radical and out of touch with the average Wisconsin voter.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and his Democratic challenger Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes stuck to their scripts as they met for a debate Friday evening in a hotly contested race that could determine party control of the U.S. Senate.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has seemed to play with fire at times in his third bid for the seat.

Vice President Kamala Harris has met with college students and Latino leaders in Milwaukee during a visit meant to energize voters weeks before an election in which Wisconsin's Democratic governor, Tony Evers, and Republican U.S. senator, Ron Johnson, are on the ballot.

Some independent voters who began 2022 looking to Republicans for answers have drifted back to moving toward Democrats.

Blake Corum rushed for a career-high four touchdowns in the first half and added a fifth score in the third quarter to match a school record, helping No. 4 Michigan rout Connecticut 59-0.

After an uneven start, Donald Trump’s tour of revenge ousted Republican members of Congress, unleashed an army of Trump-backed “America First” candidates to beat back the establishment and strengthened his grip on the party.

Support has coalesced around Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes to be the Democratic choice to take on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in the state's closely watched U.S. Senate race.

As the Senate contemplates legislation to protect same-sex marriages, there has been a sharp shift in Republican support for the issue.

Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski has dropped out of the state's Democratic U.S. Senate primary.

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has emerged as the clear favorite in what had been a crowded Democratic field seeking to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, as his nearest rival dropped out and threw his support behind Barnes.

Wisconsin Democrats looking to unseat Republican Sen. Ron Johnson are focusing their attacks on him, and not each other, as each of the eight candidates make their case to party activists at the state convention held six weeks before the primary.

Wisconsin Democrats gathering for their annual state convention this weekend are focused on reelecting Gov. Tony Evers and defeating Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

Evidence revealed at the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection shows that an aide for U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson told former Vice President Mike Pence’s staff that the Republican from Wisconsin wanted to hand-deliver fake elector votes from Wisconsin and Michigan.

A crowded field of Democrats is trying to figure out a winning strategy to unseat Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in Wisconsin in November.

Democrats in the crowded primary race for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin are trying to distinguish themselves through traditional campaign tactics, like million-dollar television ad buys and policy papers.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson's opposition to President Joe Biden's judicial nominee in Wisconsin has surprised Democrats and is providing the latest test to the Senate tradition of letting home state senators block district court judges from advancing.

President Joe Biden’s pick to monitor and combat prejudice against Jews around the world finally got her day before the Senate committee that will evaluate her nomination.

New York Rep_ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's office says she has tested positive for COVID-19 and “is experiencing symptoms and recovering at home."

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, one of former President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters, says he will seek reelection to a third term.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, one of former President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters, has decided to seek reelection to a third term.

Hassan Haskins ran for two second-half touchdowns and broke a school record as No. 2 Michigan captured its first Big Ten title in 17 years and a probable playoff berth with a 42-3 rout over No. 15 Iowa.

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has joined the crowded Democratic field for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

It’s an occasion that’s recognized in most states and the District of Columbia, but it’s not as of yet a federal holiday.

The Senate has passed a bill that would make Juneteenth, or June 19th, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery.

The Senate is set to approve a big innovation bill aimed at making the U.S. more competitive with China and other countries.

The Senate shelved a big innovation bill aimed at making the U.S. more competitive with China and other countries.

Senate Republicans are poised to block the creation of a special commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Brian Sicknick’s family wants to uncover every detail about the Jan. 6 insurrection by pro-Trump rioters, when the Capitol Police officer collapsed and later died.

Sen. Ron Johnson is in an uncomfortable class of his own.

Republican Sen_ Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, questioned the need for widespread COVID-19 vaccinations, saying in a radio interview “what do you care if your neighbor has one or not?”.

The insurrection also caused widespread damage and led to National Guard troops being called in to restore order. Johnson's comments sparked outrage among Wisconsin Democrats, including state Sen. LaTonya Johnson, of Milwaukee. “For him to say something as racist as that — it’s ridiculous,” said the state senator, who is Black. Ad“Ron Johnson is a racist and is unfit to serve the people of Wisconsin. Tom Nelson, the Outagamie County executive who is also seeking the Democratic nomination, said Johnson has reached “a new despicable low” with his comments.

AdMore significantly, the jobless benefits agreement suggested it was just a matter of time until the Senate passes the bill. The House approved a relief bill last weekend that included $400 weekly jobless benefits — on top of regular state payments — through August. AdAs the day began, Democrats asserted they'd reached a compromise between party moderates and progressives extending emergency jobless benefits at $300 weekly into early October. Before the unemployment benefits drama began, senators voted 58-42 to kill a top progressive priority, a gradual increase in the current $7.25 hourly minimum wage to $15 over five years. AdIn another late bargain that satisfied moderates, Biden and Senate Democrats agreed Wednesday to make some higher earners ineligible for the direct checks to individuals.

It’s widely expected the Senate will approve the bill and the House will whisk it to Biden for his signature by mid-March, handing him a crucial early legislative victory. “We are not going to be timid in the face of a great challenge," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Biden and Senate leaders had agreed Wednesday to retain the $400 weekly jobless payments included in the version of the relief bill the House approved Saturday. In another bargain that satisfied moderates, Biden and Senate Democrats agreed Wednesday to tighten eligibility for the direct checks to individuals. AdAs soon as the Senate began considering the bill, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., forced the chamber's clerks to begin reading the entire 628-page measure aloud.

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2020 file photo, Milwaukee Bucks senior vice president Alex Lasry, left, and then-Bucks guard George Hill walk through a Milwaukee neighborhood during a voter canvassing effort. Democrat Alex Lasry, a Bucks executive and son of a billionaire, announced Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, that he's running for the U.S. Senate in 2022 for the seat currently held by Republican Ron Johnson. (AP Photo/Steve Megargee File)MADISON, Wis. – Democrat Alex Lasry, a 33-year-old Milwaukee Bucks executive and son of a billionaire, announced Wednesday that he's running for the U.S. Senate in 2022 for the seat held by Republican Ron Johnson. Lasry launched his campaign with a YouTube video that included endorsements from several prominent Milwaukee politicians, including Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson. ___This story has been corrected by removing a reference to Alex Lasry being a hedge fund manager.

(Senate Television via AP)WASHINGTON – The Latest on former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial (all times local):8:20 p.m.House Democrats have wrapped up their first full day of arguments at the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. The impeachment trial is set to resume at noon Thursday. Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney say they are deeply disturbed by the evidence shown by Democrats against former President Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial. Prosecutors at Trump’s impeachment trial on Wednesday played security footage from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6. ___2:20 p.m.Democrats are arguing that former President Donald Trump “built” the mob that attacked the Capitol.

Not Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson. Bishop criticized fellow Republicans like Johnson who parroted claims of illegal election activity, even as he remains a Johnson backer. A number of Republicans are eyeing a run for either Senate or governor, depending on what Johnson does. Potential Republican Senate candidates include U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy and Kevin Nicholson, who lost a 2018 Republican Senate primary. Mandela Barnes, the state’s first Black lieutenant governor, state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and state Sen. Chris Larson of Milwaukee.

Protesters, newspaper editorial boards and local-level Democrats have urged the lawmakers to step down or for their colleagues to kick them out. The House and Senate can remove members with a two-thirds vote or censure or reprimand with a majority. In St. Louis on Saturday, several hundred people protested against Sen. Josh Hawley, the first-term Missouri Republican who led efforts in the Senate to overturn Biden's election. Johnson initially supported Trump's baseless claims of election fraud, but after the riot, he voted in favor of Biden's win. Perry condemned the Capitol violence.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks to the media, Wednesday Dec. 30, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The group of House and Senate Republicans are echoing President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. Democrat Nancy Pelosi was set to be reelected as House speaker by her party, which retains the majority in the House but with the slimmest margin in 20 years. Hawley specifically defended himself against criticism from GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania as he challenges that state’s election results. Rep. Nancy Pelosi is set to be reelected as House speaker by fellow Democrats, who retain the House majority but with the slimmest margin in 20 years.

Christopher Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, testifies before a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to discuss election security and the 2020 election process on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Republican senators on Wednesday further perpetuated President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, two days after Democrat Joe Biden’s victory was sealed by the Electoral College. GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the committee chairman and one of Trump’s fiercest defenders, said his goal was to have a bipartisan hearing to examine the election. But he repeated Trump’s assertions without evidence and focused heavily on the claims being made by the president's team. There was no testimony from state or local election officials who conducted extensive checks to ensure the accuracy of the election before certifying the results.

Many alumni have posted a letter on social media expressing their opposition to Barrett's nomination to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court after Ginsburg's death last month. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – Shuttered by COVID-19 infections, the Republican-led Senate is refusing to delay confirmation of President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court. With Trump trailing Democrat Joe Biden in polls and their own Senate majority at risk, Republicans hope a Supreme Court vote in the week before Election Day will save their jobs. The Judiciary Committee is planning four days of hearings ahead of a final Senate vote by Oct. 29. However, McConnell could have the full Senate vote to force the committee to discharge the nomination to the floor for final voting.

President Donald Trump has been hospitalized with the virus and Biden was potentially exposed during Tuesday night’s presidential debate in Cleveland. ___6 p.m.President Donald Trump has told his longtime friend and sometimes lawyer Rudy Giuliani that he’s “going to beat” the coronavirus. ___5:30 p.m.With President Donald Trump in the hospital, his campaign is launching an effort it’s calling “Operation MAGA” to maintain momentum. ___1 p.m.White House doctors said President Donald Trump began exhibiting “clinical indications” of COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon, earlier than previously known. One by one, President Donald Trump and a series of GOP lawmakers have fallen ill with the virus that has killed more than 208,000 Americans.

WASHINGTON – The coroniavirus reached further into Republican ranks on Saturday, forcing the Senate to call off lawmaking as a third GOP senator tested positive for COVID-19. “The Senate’s floor schedule will not interrupt the thorough, fair and historically supported confirmation process,” McConnell wrote Saturday. Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who like McConnell is running for reelection, added that senators can attend the hearings remotely. Republicans in the Senate who had attended GOP events began announcing that they too had tested positive. The news about Covid's march into the White House didn't let up and wasn't flattering after months of complaints that Republicans weren't approaching the pandemic in a serious or organized way.

11:20 a.m. -- Trump’s doctor to give update on conditionThe White House says President Donald Trump’s doctor provided an update on his condition Saturday morning. President Donald Trump’s doctor says he is doing “very well” as he spends the weekend at a military hospital for treatment of COVID-19. 11:35 p.m. — The White House physician says his medical team has “elected to initiate Remdesivir therapy” for President Donald Trump. ___11:55 a.m.First lady Melania Trump says she is experiencing “mild symptoms” after she and President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said President Trump was also experiencing mild symptoms, but continues to work from the White House residence as he quarantines.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – Two Republican-led Senate committees issued a politically charged report Wednesday alleging that the work Joe Biden’s son did in Ukraine constituted a conflict of interest for the Obama administration at a time when Biden was engaged in Ukraine policy as vice president. Hunter Biden's work in Ukraine remains a prominent line of attack in conservative circles heading into the election. But the crux of the document is that Hunter Biden's lucrative involvement with the gas company Burisma posed a conflict of interest because Biden was vice president at the time and dealing with Ukraine policy. Even so, the report acknowledges that the extent to which Hunter Biden's board position affected Ukraine policy is “not clear." Both Bidens have denied wrongdoing, and Hunter Biden has denied using his influence with his father to aid Burisma.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – Utah Sen. Mitt Romney is sharply criticizing a Republican investigation into Democrat Joe Biden’s son, saying it's “not the legitimate role of government” to try and damage political opponents. Johnson, a close ally of President Donald Trump, is leading the investigation into Burisma, a gas company in Ukraine that paid Hunter Biden to serve as a board member while Joe Biden was vice president. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens, and Hunter Biden has denied using his influence with his father to aid Burisma. The president’s efforts to have Ukraine investigate Hunter Biden’s role were at the heart of the impeachment investigation. Johnson’s committee, along with the Senate Judiciary Committee, is also looking into the origins of the Justice Department’s Russia probe.

WASHINGTON – A whistleblower's complaint and a tight timeline are making it increasingly unlikely that the Senate will confirm Chad Wolf as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security before the election. President Donald Trump formally sent the nomination late Thursday to the Senate after announcing his intention to appoint Wolf in a tweet last month. But the full Senate is unlikely to hold a confirmation vote before the election, said two Republican aides granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Trump appointed Wolf acting secretary in November 2019, following the resignation of Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary who took over following the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. “Their toxic and unethical actions are wholly incompatible with the non-partisan mission of the Department of Homeland Security,” he said.

But the stark warning that Russia is working to denigrate the Democratic presidential candidate adds to questions about the probe by Johnson's Senate committee and whether it is mimicking, even indirectly, Russian efforts and amplifying its propaganda. Evanina said Russia disapproved of Biden because of his role in shaping Obama administration policies supporting Ukraine and opposing Russian leader Vladimir Putin. In May, the committee authorized a subpoena for Blue Star Strategies, a lobbying firm that was a consultant to Burisma. Johnson, meanwhile, announced this week a subpoena for the FBI for documents in its investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has for months scrutinized the Russia investigation.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to examine Department of Homeland Security personnel deployments to recent protests on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, in Washington. (Toni Sandys/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

Johnson's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is one of multiple Republican-led Senate panels scrutinizing the FBI's investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. As always, the FBI will continue to cooperate with the Committees requests, consistent with our law enforcement and national security obligations," the statement said. In a separate statement on Sunday, the FBI said that it was continuing to cooperate with the Judiciary Committee's investigation. Hunter Biden has denied using his influence with his father to aid Burisma, and Biden has denied speaking with his son about his overseas business dealings. Biden was representing the official position of the U.S. government, a position that was also supported by other Western governments.

NEW YORK As the Nov. 3 presidential vote nears, there are fresh signs that the nations electoral system is again under attack from foreign adversaries. There is no evidence that America's enemies have yet succeeded in penetrating campaigns or state election systems, but Democrat Joe Biden's presidential campaign confirmed this week that it has faced multiple related threats. When asked directly, the Trump campaign refused to say whether it had accepted materials related to Biden from any foreign nationals. Contrary to their narrative, the Democrats efforts to tear these safeguards apart as they sue in 18 states across the nation would open our election system up to foreign interference, Morgan said. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, a Republican, described Trump's warnings about mail voting absurd and ridiculous.He should be far more forceful and far more direct in condemning foreign interference, Ridge said in an interview.

WASHINGTON The House Foreign Affairs Committee has subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for documents he turned over to a Senate panel that is investigating Hunter Biden, a son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. The committee says Pompeo had delivered more than 16,000 pages of records to the Senate but refused to send the same materials to the Democrat-led House. The subpoena represents another escalation in an election-year battle between Democrats and the GOP Senate committees investigating Hunter Biden. Democrats have criticized Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in particular for his probe of Hunter Biden and the gas company Burisma. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens, and Hunter Biden has denied using his influence with his father to aid Burisma.

It passed the House overwhelmingly last week on a 417-1 vote, but an attempt by top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York to fast-track the bill through the Senate failed after Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., objected. Critics say the pending measure does nothing to ensure that businesses that dont necessarily need PPP subsidies are ineligible, among other problems. If were going to potentially authorize more spending, that program needs to be reformed, Johnson told reporters. We dont have an unlimited checkbook.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., supports the measure, as do most Republicans and Senate Democrats. Schumer suggested that Johnson and other Republicans try to fix any problems when Congress passes another COVID-19 relief bill.