JEFF MERKLEY

Blaming the housing crisis on hedge funds and private equity may be easy, but it’s dead wrong.

SALT LAKE CITY — (AP) — Scientists will get $25 million to study salt lake ecosystems in the drought-stricken U.S. West, as President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday allocating the funds in the face of unprecedented existential threats caused by the lack of water. The funding allows the United States Geological Survey to study the hydrology of the ecosystems in and around Utah's Great Salt Lake, California's Mono Lake, Oregon's Lake Albert and other saline lakes. Dwindling lake levels jeopardize the people, animals and businesses that rely on maintaining the ecosystem. Dust exposed by receding water levels can be blown into the air and have dangerous health effects on surrounding communities. In Utah, the Great Salt Lake shrunk to its lowest point in recorded history, posing threats to economic output, snowpack, public health and wildlife.

The jails program has come under fire for numerous deaths. NPR and Mountain West found a previous review was managed by a retired official who oversaw the facilities when some of the deaths occurred.

Earlier this month, Senate Republicans—many of whom have endorsed a federal 15-week abortion ban, which would force people to stay pregnant against their will—blocked a bill to let pregnant workers take bathroom breaks without being fired. And on Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blocked a bill to ensure new parents are allowed to breastfeed on the job.

Voters in four states have approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime.

A tropical storm and absences of VIP guests are casting a shadow over a financial conference meant to help Hong Kong restore its image as a financial hub and destination for business travel.

A key Senate Democrat informed Insider of the decision just one day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her chamber could vote on a bill this month.

In a surprise victory for Republicans, the Senate on Thursday voted to overturn a Biden administration rule requiring rigorous environmental review of major infrastructure projects such as highways, pipelines and oil wells — a victory enabled in part by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

President Joe Biden is hailing a nascent Democratic package of climate, health care and tax initiatives as a giant step forward for the country.

There’s one bold move President Biden could make to curb climate change: Find a way to put a $5-a-gallon floor on gasoline prices.

Rhetorically, Biden previously has called climate change an "emergency," but he has stopped short of making an official declaration under the National Emergencies Act. Historically, those have typically been for acute crises, such as specific natural disasters, rather than a long term predicament like climate change. "Don't be disappointed if you don't see a climate emergency tomorrow," one source told Reuters . Some environmental advocacy organizations have been urging Biden to declare climate change a national emergency since he won the 2020 presidential election. With an emergency declaration, Biden could even phase out all exports and imports of fossil fuels entirely, she said.

In the wake of Sen. Joe Manchin’s announcement that he won’t vote for a bill addressing climate change unless inflation slows, climate leaders are calling for President Biden to declare climate change a national emergency — and it appears the White House is seriously considering it.

President Joe Biden is promising “strong executive action” to combat climate change, despite setbacks that have restricted his ability to regulate carbon emissions and boost clean energy such as wind and solar power.

Questions posed about the safety of tear gas remain unanswered, even after more than a dozen U.S. senators asked a congressional watchdog to look into the issue.

The Interior Department says it will phase out sales of plastic water bottles and other single-use products at national parks and on other public lands over the next decade, targeting a major source of U.S. pollution.

A federal judge has scheduled a trial for a far-right internet troll who balked at pleading guilty to a criminal charge stemming from the U.S. Capitol riot.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., a once lonely voice on the issue, had just one co-sponsor for his proposed stock trading ban in the last two congressional sessions. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., initially said she did not support a stock trading ban back in December. She called it a defining issue in that race, and she views the proposed trading ban as an extension of that effort. She said she shares Spanberger's concern that Pelosi doesn't consider the stock trading ban a priority. But he believes the stock trading ban is one idea “that everyone can get behind."

Proposals to ban stock trading by lawmakers are gaining ground in Congress and on the campaign trail.

Home-district projects for members of Congress are back, sprinkled across the government-wide $1.5 trillion bill that President Joe Biden signed recently.

U_S_ officials say the Biden administration intends to declare that Myanmar's years-long repression of the Rohingya Muslim population is a “genocide.”.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added a contaminated island on the Columbia River to the Superfund list of toxic waste sites.

The arrest of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández and the images of a leader shackled and paraded before cameras like a common criminal are a stunning reversal for a man who for years seemed impervious to growing allegations of corruption.

More than any other senator, Jeff Merkley has frayed the fabric of the chamber's vaunted 60-vote threshold. And he doesn't mind if that's used against his own party in the future.

Despite his late push, Biden has been unable to persuade two holdout Democrats, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to change Senate rules so the party can overpower a Republican filibuster that is blocking the voting bill. In piercing speeches, the debate is carrying echoes of an earlier era when the Senate filibuster was deployed by opponents of civil rights legislation. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois asked Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell if he would pause for a question, but the Republican leader left the chamber refusing to respond. Once reluctant himself to change Senate rules, Biden has stepped up his pressure on senators to do just that. The political group Emily’s List said it won’t endorse Sinema if she cannot support a path forward for the voting bill.

The Senate has confirmed more than 30 ambassadors and other Biden administration nominees after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed to schedule a vote on sanctions on the company behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will deliver natural gas from Russia to Germany.

For many rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, self-incriminating messages, photos and videos that they broadcast on social media before, during and after the riot are influencing even the sentences in their criminal cases.

Two Senate Democrats said Friday they oppose the reappointment of Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve, as President Joe Biden is expected to announce within days who he will pick for the nation’s most powerful economic position.

Federal Reserve FILE - Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies during a House Financial Services Committee hearing Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Inequality can prevent the U.S. economy from reaching its potential, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday, Nov. 9, and he underscored the Fed’s commitment to reducing unemployment as broadly as possible, including among disadvantaged groups. (Sarah Silbiger/Pool via AP, File) (Sarah Silbiger)WASHINGTON — (AP) — Two Democratic senators said Friday that they oppose the reappointment of Jerome Powell to a second term as chair of the Federal Reserve, saying Powell has been insufficiently committed to fighting climate change, an issue that the world's central banks are increasingly confronting. Many Fed watchers expect Powell to be offered a second term, though Lael Brainard, a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors, has emerged as a leading alternative. “President Biden must appoint a Fed Chair who ... shares the Administration’s view that fighting climate change is the responsibility of every policymaker,” Sens.

At least five people charged in the riot at the U.S. Capitol have chosen to defend themselves in court.

U.S. envoy John Kerry is on a diplomatic quest to stave off the worst scenarios of global warming, but he's running into resistance from China, the world’s biggest climate polluter.

In 2020, Georgia finally delivered its 16 presidential electoral votes to a Democrat, Joe Biden, and sent two Democrats to the U.S. Senate. Democrats pitch the investment in state parties — a relatively modest step, given the billions in political spending each cycle — as an important part of the larger effort to export Georgia's successes across Southern Sun Belt states that Republicans have dominated for decades. Separately, the Texas party has created jobs for seven rural regional coordinators. It comes after a decade of Democratic infighting that often left the state party unable to pay rent and utilities, much less hire field workers and organizers. High-profile candidates such as O'Rourke and Abrams, both of whom could run statewide again next year, draw considerably more money than state parties ever could.

After the success that Democrats in Georgia had in 2020, the Deep South battleground is working with other Southern states to help expand Democrats' national footprint.

Scott Applewhite/AP)The speaker of the Texas House of Representatives signed 52 civil arrest warrants on Tuesday after the House authorized law enforcement officers to round up and potentially arrest absentee Democrats who fled the state to block action on election voting legislation. The group of Democrats left the state 30 days ago, traveling to Washington, D.C., to avoid the arrest warrants that would compel them to return to the state house. At least two dozen House Democrats have stayed in Washington, D.C., where 57 of them had camped out. Late Tuesday, Phelan spokesman Enrique Marquez confirmed to the AP that the report first published by The Dallas Morning News saying that the speaker had signed civil arrest warrants for 52 House Democrats was correct. Why?” Dallas Democratic state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos wrote in a tweet that included a picture of Rep. James Talarico and other Democrats on the floor of the Texas House.

Voting Bills Texas Rep. Senfronia Thompson, dean of the Texas House of Representatives, is joined by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., left center, and other Texas Democrats, as they continue their protest of restrictive voting laws, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. Republican Dade Phelan, speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, said Democrats could be compelled to return under “warrant of arrest if necessary,” although the stalemate remains a civil and not criminal matter. “People aren't going to jail, but they got to come back to work,” Republican state Rep. Mayes Middleton said. Why?” Dallas Democratic state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos said in a tweet that included a picture of Talarico and other Democrats on the floor of the Texas House. Democratic state Rep. Celia Israel was also back in Austin and said “there is no way” she will return to the Texas House.

As of Tuesday, Republicans needed just five more lawmakers present in state House of Representatives to end the stalemate. Why?” Dallas Democratic state Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos said in a tweet that included a picture of Talarico and other Democrats on the floor of the Texas House. Greg Abbott has threatened Democrats with arrest, but House Republicans have yet to do so for the current special session. “The Supreme Court of Texas swiftly rejected this dangerous attempt by Texas Democrats to undermine our Constitution and avoid doing the job they were elected to do," Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said. Democratic state Rep. Celia Israel was also back in Austin and said “there is no way” she will return to the Texas House.

Texas Republicans have again authorized using law enforcement Democrats who are still refusing to come back to the state Capitol in a bid to stop new voting restrictions.

Voting Bills Texas Texas state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, dean of the Texas House of Representatives, is joined by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., left center, and other Texas Democrats, as they continue their protest of restrictive voting laws, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite)AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Texas Democrats still refused to return to the state Capitol Saturday as Gov. Greg Abbott began a third attempt at passing new election laws, prolonging a monthslong standoff that ramped up in July when some Democratic state lawmakers fled the state and hunkered down in Washington. “A quorum is not present,” Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said Saturday afternoon. Biden never met with the Texas Democrats in the nation's capital.

Texas Democrats are still refusing to return to the state Capitol.

Top congressional Democrats huddled with President Joe Biden, looking to salvage their push to enact voting rights legislation.

A Joliet-area husband and wife were arrested Monday on federal charges alleging they breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection and posted photos of themselves inside the building’s historic rotunda.

(AP Photo/Ben Gray) (Ben Gray)ATLANTA — (AP) — Taking their case for a federal voting bill to Georgia, Senate Democrats argued at a field hearing on Monday that their sweeping elections measure is desperately needed to counter the impact of new GOP state laws that tighten voting rules. Without a clear path forward, Democrats are seeking to keep the spotlight on voting issues, as they search for other ways to pass less sweeping voting proposals. The federal bill, known as the For the People Act, would create minimum voting standards in the U.S., such as same-day and automatic voter registration, early voting and no-excuse absentee voting. Republicans last month blocked an effort to debate the Democratic bill, and Democrats will have to decide whether they want to change Senate filibuster rules to ultimately pass the bill. “We desperately need your help,” Georgia state Sen. Sally Harrell, a Democrat from metro Atlanta, told the senators during the hearing.

Environmental groups hailed a sweeping $3.5 trillion domestic spending plan announced by Democrats, saying it would make “transformational investments” in clean energy and put the nation on a path to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 50% by 2030.

The Senate appears unlikely to be able to pass the For the People Act, or any other voting rights bill, in the face of Republican opposition.

Six decades after University of California forestry professor Harold Biswell experimented with prescribed burns and was treated with ridicule, he is seen as someone whose ideas could save the U.S. West’s forests and ease wildfire dangers.

The Democrats' sweeping attempt to rewrite U.S. election and voting law has suffered a major setback in the U.S. Senate.

Juneteenth Abolition Amendment FILE- In this Dec. 11, 2007, file photo, members of the Maricopa County DUI chain gang are escorted to their assignment in Phoenix. “At the moment that we are celebrating, if you will, the 13th Amendment and the end of slavery and its eventual announcement ... we should at the same time recognize that the 13th Amendment was flawed,” Merkley said. She hopes this legislation won't be viewed through the prism of money and what the loss of prison labor would mean. More than 20 states still include similar clauses involving human bondage or prison labor in their own governing documents, which date to the 19th century abolition of slavery. The Senate passed the 13th Amendment in 1864, and the House followed in early 1865, barely two months before Lincoln's assassination.

As the nation this week made Juneteenth a federal holiday, lawmakers revived calls to end a loophole in the Constitution that has allowed another form of slavery to endure.

Karol Chwiesiuk, 29, has been a member of the Chicago Police Department since December 2018. He also worked for the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

A Chicago police officer has been charged with breaching the U.S. Capitol and entering a senator’s office during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Manchin said he wouldn't vote for an elections bill with no bipartisan support. He cosponsored the same bill in 2019 when it had zero GOP cosponsors.

Ten liberal senators are urging President Joe Biden to back India and South Africa’s appeal to the World Trade Organization to temporarily relax intellectual property rules so coronavirus vaccines can be manufactured by nations that are struggling to inoculate their populations.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has fresh options for advancing President Joe Biden’s priorities over Republican obstruction in the 50-50 split Senate.

With a powerful new tool, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has fresh options for advancing President Joe Biden’s priorities over Republican obstruction in the 50-50 split Senate.

When President Biden expressed support for a modest filibuster change this week, reform advocates took it as a major turning point. "It will be Armageddon," Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley told CBS News when asked whether Democrats will suffer in the midterms if they don't enact filibuster reforms. Former President Obama endorsed killing the filibuster to protect voting rights, noting that it has traditionally been used to block civil rights legislation. And there are limits to how much the talking filibuster that he endorsed could actually alleviate obstruction, if 60 votes would still be required to move on to the bill after debate. "Not just the endorsement of a talking filibuster, but also his reflection of the use of the filibuster since his time in the Senate, which shows he's thinking very seriously about this."

When President Biden expressed support for a modest filibuster change this week, reform advocates took it as a major turning point. "It will be Armageddon," Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley told CBS News when asked whether Democrats will suffer in the midterms if they don't enact filibuster reforms. Former President Obama endorsed killing the filibuster to protect voting rights, noting that it has traditionally been used to block civil rights legislation. And there are limits to how much the talking filibuster that he endorsed could actually alleviate obstruction, if 60 votes would still be required to move on to the bill after debate. "Not just the endorsement of a talking filibuster, but also his reflection of the use of the filibuster since his time in the Senate, which shows he's thinking very seriously about this."

Senator Jeff Merkley warns of "election Armageddon" if Democrats don't end filibuster President Biden reignited talk of ending the Senate's controversial filibuster rule. CBSN Washington reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" host Elaine Quijano to discuss the changes Mr. Biden is backing.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said "everything is on the table" to pass a comprehensive voting reform bill, the For the People Act, during a press conference introducing the legislation Wednesday. If they don't join us, our caucus will come together and decide the appropriate action to take," Schumer said. "We must find a way to pass voting rights, whether we get rid of the filibuster or not," said Warnock, who has held onto his role as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where civil rights icon the Rev. The House passed its version of the For the People Act, H.R.1, on March 3 with all but one Democrat voting in favor of and all Republicans voting against the legislation. Voting rights activists are calling on Congress to pass voting rights legislation such as the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and for Biden to use his political clout to prioritize the bills' passage.

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019 file photo, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks to the reporters as he leaves a meeting at the Organization of American States, in Washington. Newly proposed U.S. legislation introduced Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, targets Orlando Hernandez as allegations of ties to drug trafficking grow. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)TEGUCIGALPÁ – TEGUCIGALPÁHonduran President Juan Orlando Hernández says that antinarcotics cooperation with the United States could “collapse” if U.S. authorities believe “false testimony” accusing him of cooperating with traffickers. Earlier this month, U.S. prosecutors filed documents in an upcoming trial suggesting the president himself was under investigation. One of his numerous brothers, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, was convicted in New York of a drug conspiracy in 2019.

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019 file photo, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks to the reporters as he leaves a meeting at the Organization of American States, in Washington. Newly proposed U.S. legislation introduced Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, targets Orlando Hernandez as allegations of ties to drug trafficking grow. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)TEGUCIGALPÁ – TEGUCIGALPÁHonduran President Juan Orlando Hernández warned Wednesday that antinarcotics cooperation with the United States could “collapse” if U.S. authorities believe “false testimony” in U.S. courts accusing him of cooperating with traffickers. He suggested that traffickers were trying to manipulate U.S. authorities into helping them take vengeance on the Honduran officials pursuing them. One of his numerous brothers, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández, was convicted in New York of a drug conspiracy in 2019.

FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019 file photo, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks to the reporters as he leaves a meeting at the Organization of American States, in Washington. Newly proposed U.S. legislation introduced Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, targets Orlando Hernandez as allegations of ties to drug trafficking grow. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)MEXICO CITY – Newly proposed U.S. legislation targets Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández as allegations of ties to drug trafficking grow. As the administration of President Joe Biden seeks to return the issues of corruption and human rights to relations with Honduras and other Central American countries, a group of Democratic senators says the U.S. government’s relationship with Honduras must change. Under the administration of President Donald Trump, immigration overshadowed everything else in the relationship.

“If there ever was an emergency, climate is one,'' the New York Democrat told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow last week, adding that an emergency declaration would give Biden “more flexibility.'' The sweeping plan is aimed at staving off the worst of global warming caused by burning fossil fuels. Sanders said the climate emergency has long been clear. But Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate energy panel, said declaring a climate emergency would effectively “muzzle Congress.'' AdBesides Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, the climate bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Democratic Sens.

Any computers left on could be vulnerable, and so could papers — such as personal schedules or mail — that weren’t locked away, information security experts said. Does the invasion of the Capitol pose a cybersecurity risk? How does this situation compare with other potential threats to the nation’s information security? It’s not clear yet whether Wednesday’s events included a breach of cybersecurity or information security at all, Spaulding said. Policies probably will be reviewed, and physical security as well as computer security probably will be bolstered, Varsalone said.

But Wednesday was to be a momentous day watching the Senate debate whether to throw out the Electoral College votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania. Smith Goes to Washington” you've seen my work area since a press gallery scene from the movie was filmed there more than 70 years ago. (The Senate chamber, however, was a soundstage). Behind him were three boxes holding electoral college vote certificates. The Daily Press Gallery where I work had not been breached.

Violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Wednesday, disrupting the process. One Republican lawmaker publicly called for invoking the 25th Amendment to force Trump from office before Biden is inaugurated. The support Trump has received for his efforts to overturn the election results have badly strained the nation’s democratic guardrails. Some House lawmakers tweeted they were sheltering in place in their offices. The Pentagon said about 1,100 District of Columbia National Guard members were being mobilized to help support law enforcement at the Capitol.

FILE - This Nov. 29, 2011, file photo shows the signature of president Abraham Lincoln on a rare, restored copy of the 13th Amendment that ended slavery, in Chicago. As ratified, the original amendment has permitted exploitation of labor by convicted felons for over 155 years since the abolition of slavery. Constitutional amendments are rare and require approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate, as well as ratification by three-quarters of state legislatures. In Merkley’s Oregon, voters in 2002 approved the elimination of constitutional language that prohibited Black Americans from living in the state unless they were enslaved. The prevalence of prison labor has been largely accepted as a means for promoting rehabilitation, teaching trade skills and reducing idleness among prisoners.

The former astronaut defeated Republican Sen. Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat after McCain’s death in 2018. Daines’ first election in 2014 broke a Democratic lock on the Senate seat that had lasted more than 100 years. The six-term congressman from northern New Mexico defeated Republican Mark Ronchetti, a former television meteorologist, and Libertarian Bob Walsh. Reed cruised to victory over Waters, an investment consultant who mounted earlier unsuccessful campaigns for state Senate and U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. Warner defeated Republican challenger Daniel Gade in a low-key race in which the incumbent had a massive cash advantage.

(AP Photo/Noah Berger)The Portland Police Bureau declared an unlawful assembly Saturday night when people gathered outside a police precinct in Oregon's largest city and threw bottles toward officers, police said. Speakers included activists as well as Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. For the first time since the presence of federal agents in Portland diminished law enforcement and protesters noticeably clashed Saturday night. Just before 10 p.m., Portland police declared an unlawful assembly and told people to disperse or they may be subject to use of force or be arrested. In early July, President Donald Trump sent more federal agents to the city to protect the federal courthouse, but local officials said their presence made things worse.

At a time of unprecedented gridlock, even some fellow Democrats warn Biden's lengthy to-do list faces long odds in Congress. If Democrats win the White House, they would need to pick up three seats in the Senate to retake the majority. As a 36-year veteran of the Senate, Biden has been reluctant to end its traditions. More fundamentally, Biden would face resistance from most Republicans and some Democrats because of the steep cost of his proposals. The one thing I know about Joe Biden, hes always been willing to sit down and negotiate, Manchin said.

State leaders are imploring federal forces to leave the progressive city, saying they're escalating a volatile situation. Parker was charged with pointing a semi-automatic rifle at armed federal agents but ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Kate Brown has compared the presence of federal agents at the Portland protests to pouring gasoline on a fire. The idea that now federal agents are storm-troopers of death I find quite hypocritical." They surrendered as federal agents moved in Feb. 10.

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.''

Federal officers deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal rounds into a crowd of protesters late Thursday. The actions came just hours after the head of the Department of Homeland Security called the protesters violent anarchists. Federal agents, some wearing camouflage and some wearing dark Homeland Security uniforms, used tear gas at least twice to break up crowds late Friday night, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday night she was also suing Homeland Security and the Marshals Service. Federal officers deployed tear gas again just before midnight after a few protesters placed dismantled fencing in front of plywood doors covering the entrance of the federal courthouse.

John Moore/Getty Images(CNN) - Senate Democrats urged President Donald Trump to revise the proposed refugee ceiling of 18,000, a figure which would be a historic low, in a letter addressed to the president Friday. Under Trump, the administration has slowly chipped away at the refugee cap. The State Department announced the proposed refugee ceiling Thursday as part of a larger number of combined refugee and asylum claims expected for the next fiscal year. Acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli defended the cap Friday and the proposed categories. The administration is required to consult with Congress on the ceiling, although the President makes the final determination.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), flanked by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) (not pictured) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) (not pictured) holds a news conference following the weekly Senate party caucus luncheons at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 10, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer, on Tuesday said that President Donald Trumps recent promise to release the transcript of a phone call believed to be at the heart of a whistleblower complaint about Trump was not enough. We need the complaint, Schumer said. Simply to release the transcript is not going to come close.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday called on Senate Republicans to issue a subpoena for a whistleblower complaint from an unidentified U.S. government official and demand a transcript of President Donald Trumps July 25 call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. It is the Senates duty - duty - to take this national security matter seriously and investigate now. Senate Republicans have the sole power and the overwhelming responsibility to see that it does, Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor. He also said the Republican-controlled Senate should determine which administration officials directed security assistance for Ukraine to be delayed. Schumer said he made his request for a Senate investigation in a letter to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON (CNN) - The House will vote later this month on a bipartisan bill that will allow cannabis businesses access to the federal banking system. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer intends to bring the SAFE Banking Act to the House floor for a vote this month, his office confirmed to CNN. A companion bill in the Senate, introduced by Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, has yet to be voted out of the Senate Banking Committee. The committee, however, held a hearing in late July on the challenges faced by the cannabis industry in banking, and considered the SAFE Banking Act. Committee Chair Mike Crapo, who does not support the federal legalization of marijuana, told Politico he would hold a vote on cannabis banking legislation, but he left open whether he would work off the SAFE Banking Act.

Here are the guest lineups for the Sunday morning TV news shows (lineups subject to change without notice):Meet the Press: Sens. 2, 9 a.m.State of the Union: Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, who just left the Republican Party. Fox News Sunday: Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. This Week: Kevin McAleenan, acting homeland security secretary; Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass. 9, 10 a.m.Face the Nation: Cuccinelli; Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.