BEN SASSE

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting U.S. lawmakers have reaffirmed their commitment to working together under a longstanding alliance at a time of heightened global tensions and threats from China and North Korea.

Ted Cruz checked his Twitter mentions and a little bit of our democracy died

A look at how TV mentions relate to campaign contributions.

Jen Psaki launched a misleading broadside against Senator Tom Cotton on Friday, arguing that he opposes sending military aid to Ukraine.

When presidents nominate a candidate to serve on the Supreme Court, they often ask an experienced Washington hand to help shepherd that candidate through the Senate confirmation process.

Senator Ben Sasse and Senator Chris Murphy tangled in an angry exchange on the floor of the upper chamber of Congress on Thursday.

Nuclear war isn't just diplomacy continued by other means

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson may not get any Republican votes.

Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers say the United States is delaying providing some intelligence to Ukraine in its fight against Russia as the U.S. also seeks to limit any direct confrontation with Moscow.

At the moment, Trump is winning.

Security camera footage from Ecuador shows flooding that left 6 people dead and another 15 injured in the capital Quito.

In a forest on the outskirts of Kyiv, a group of Ukrainian civilians build shelters out of snow and tree branches as part of a crash course in survival techniques as fears swirl over a buildup of Russian troops on the border.

Team Rising discusses the latest shot fired by former President Donald Trump and at former Vice President Mike Pence, and whether either could win the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

As diplomatic efforts are underway to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine, regular Ukrainians are fearing a war might come to their doorstep. CBS News correspondent Holly Williams spent time with the so-called “Weekend Warriors,” a group of volunteers outside Kyiv training for a worst-case scenario.

They are just three little words, but they have become nearly impossible for many Republicans to say: “Joe Biden won.”.

Why a senator from the GOP heartland thinks today’s Trump-obsessed politics won’t stick around.

The Nebraska Republican expressed frustration at being asked about statements by other Congress members. "I don't give a shit," he said.

Festival to include interviews with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Eric Schmidt, Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, and Senators Marco Rubio and Ben Sasse.

Events begin this week on building a racial-equity ecosystem, youth mental health, climate change, and “How to Build a Happy Life”

President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page after a summer of unrelenting crises and refocus his presidency around his core economic agenda.

After a summer of unrelenting crises, President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page and refocus his presidency this fall around his core economic agenda.

Former U.S. counterterrorism advisor and Afghan native Ahmad Shah Mohibi joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss his resilient efforts to get his family rescued from Afghanistan.

Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA), who participated in an unauthorized trip to Kabul this week, joins "CBS This Morning" to defend against the criticism he jeopardized the evacuation mission. He also discusses the logistical problems and security situation facing U.S. service members and Afghan civilians on the ground.

Zara Rutherford, 19, left Belgium last week and plans to complete her journey by early November. Bad weather may be the biggest obstacle.

A divided Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration's temporary ban on evictions, delivering a major victory for landlords and property owners. It could spell trouble for people who have struggled to pay their rent during the pandemic. Correspondent Weijia Jiang has the details.

President Joe Biden vowed to retaliate against those responsible for the bombings in Kabul that killed more than 100 on Thursday, including at least 13 U.S. service members. He also said the U.S. would continue its evacuation of citizens and Afghan allies as planned, with the military set to depart by August 31. Correspondent Ed O'Keefe reports.

Here's the latest for Friday August 27th: Flights resume leaving Kabul; Texas house passes voting bill; California wildfire moves toward Lake Tahoe; New Zealand extends coronavirus lockdown.

Highlights of this day in history: Krakatoa erupts in South Pacific; President Lyndon Johnson and Mother Teresa born; America's first successful oil well; Britain's Lord Louis Mountbatten killed; Beatles manager Brian Epstein dies. (Aug. 27)

Mother Michelle Tate discusses her recovery after three months in a coma at Houston Hermann Memorial and urges others to get vaccinated.

A little-known Indiana congressman is becoming an influential voice in the Republican Party.

A bipartisan Senate report released last week details security failures surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and recommends how to fix them.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) on Thursday praised the Biden administration's decision to purchase 500 million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to share with countries around the world, calling the decision the "right move."Why it matters: The statement comes as an about-face from some of the senator's earlier criticisms. Sasse has advocated for the U.S. to distribute 1 billion vaccines worldwide by Thanksgiving, and in a previous statement called the Biden administration's global vaccination pl

"You can't work for Huawei and then work for the Director of National Intelligence," said Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

There are doubts whether the Biden-Putin summit can achieve anything.

A judge approved deferred prosecution for 2 prison officers charged with neglecting duties when accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself.

The two Bureau of Prisons workers tasked with guarding Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself in a New York jail have admitted they falsified records, but they will skirt any time behind bars under a deal with federal prosecutors.

The two Bureau of Prisons workers tasked with guarding Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself in a New York jail have admitted they falsified records, but they will skirt any time behind bars under a deal with federal prosecutors, authorities said Friday. The prison workers, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, were accused of sleeping and browsing the internet instead of monitoring Epstein the night he took his own life in August 2019. New York City’s medical examiner ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.

The bill, which faces opposition from Republican leader Mitch McConnell, could be the first of the Biden era to die under the 60-vote threshold.

Top executives from social media giants were questioned Tuesday by senators about how they choose to promote content — and were confronted by one of the industry’s chief critics.

Executives from Facebook, Twitter and Google-owned YouTube testified before Congress Tuesday about the ways their algorithms influence users.

But the North Carolina Republican’s vote to convict former President Donald Trump should not have come as a shock. AdWith Burr retiring at the end of his term in 2022, it’s a vote that could end up defining his career. Exactly a year later, as the Russia investigation was wrapping up, Burr’s time leading the committee came to an abrupt end. He sided with most Republicans in a vote to dismiss the trial, creating an expectation he’d also vote to acquit. AdSo when Burr stood up to vote for Trump's conviction, many in the chamber wondered if there would be other surprises.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Congress will establish an independent, Sept. 11-style commission to look into the deadly insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol. In a letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the House will also put forth supplemental spending to boost security at the Capitol. After former President Donald Trump’s acquittal at his second Senate impeachment trial, bipartisan support appeared to be growing for an independent commission to examine the deadly insurrection. AdInvestigations into the riot were already planned, with Senate hearings scheduled later this month in the Senate Rules Committee. An independent commission along the lines of the one that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks would probably require legislation to create.

The seven Republican senators who joined all 50 Democrats in voting to convict former President Donald Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 riot in the Capitol are now facing heat from conservatives in their home states. A meeting of the state GOP to formally censure the senator was postponed because of weather, the paper reported. Six of the seven Republicans will not be facing re-election next year, in the 2022 cycle. Each of the seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump has defended their decision to do so, in statements and in posts on social media. CNBC has reached out to each of the seven Republican lawmakers.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., walks on Capitol Hill after the Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. Trump was accused of inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the acquittal gives him a historic second victory in the court of impeachment. Investigations into the riot were already planned, with Senate hearings scheduled later this month in the Senate Rules Committee. We needed more senators with spines.”AdMcConnell told Republican senators shortly before the vote that he would vote to acquit Trump. Beutler's statement late Friday that Trump rebuffed a plea from House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to call off the rioters was ultimately entered into the trial record.

But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – The Republican Party still belongs to Donald Trump. But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday. Indeed, in Trump's Republican Party, there are very few willing to cross him if they harbor future political ambitions. “The authoritarian side of the Republican Party is the dominant side,” he said.

But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – The Republican Party still belongs to Donald Trump. But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday. Indeed, in Trump's Republican Party, there are very few willing to cross him if they harbor future political ambitions. “The authoritarian side of the Republican Party is the dominant side,” he said.

The Senate acquitted Trump in a 57-43 vote on the charge of inciting insurrection for his role in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. "President Trump also violated his oath of office by failing to protect the Capitol, the Vice President, and others in the Capitol. "Instead of preventing a dangerous situation, President Trump created one. "I was one of the 74 million Americans who voted for President Trump, in part because of the many accomplishments of his administration. The executive committee of the Louisiana Republican Party voted unanimously to censure Cassidy for his vote to convict Trump.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, arrives at the start of the fifth day of the second impeachment trial of former President Trump, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 at the Capitol in Washington. (Stefani Reynolds/Pool via AP)(AP) – Seven Republicans voted Saturday to convict former President Donald Trump in his Senate trial, easily the largest number of lawmakers to ever vote to find a president of their own party guilty at impeachment proceedings. AdAlso striking was the “guilty” vote by Cassidy, who was reelected in November from a deep-red state where GOP support is widespread. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty,” Cassidy said in a one-sentence statement issued after his vote to convict. He said he wouldn't vote against his own conscience “simply because it is politically convenient.”Romney’s “guilty” vote at Trump’s initial impeachment trial last February made him the first senator to ever vote to convict a president of the same party.

The 63-year-old auto mechanic praises Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse for condemning former President Donald Trump's actions before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. AdSasse's criticism of Trump is angering plenty of activists in deeply Republican Nebraska. He is, in effect, betting there's a political future in trying to fight for the comeback of the establishment Republican party. Limited government.”Even in Nebraska, Sasse has some reason to think there's a market for what he's selling. Meanwhile, 7% of Republicans voted for Biden, while 3% of Republicans voted for Sasse's challenger, Democrat Chris Janicek.

Ad"They did it because Donald Trump sent them on this mission,” said House prosecutor Stacey Plaskett, the Democratic delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ad“On Jan. 6, President Trump left everyone in this Capitol for dead,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, a prosecutor. At one dramatic moment, the video shows police shooting into the crowd through a broken window, killing a San Diego woman, Ashli Babbitt. “Greatly disturbing.”Trump is the first president to face an impeachment trial after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.

What to watch as the trial kicks off:FIRST, AN EFFORT TO DISMISSTuesday’s proceedings will begin with a debate to dismiss the trial before it even begins. The effort to dismiss is expected to fail, allowing arguments in the trial to begin on Wednesday. They point to an 1876 impeachment trial of a secretary of war who had resigned and note that Trump was impeached before he left office. But the managers can ask for a Senate vote on calling witnesses if they so choose. A (LESS) CAPTIVE AUDIENCEAs they were last year, at Trump’s first impeachment trial, senators are expected to listen to every word of the arguments before they cast their votes.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would not be watching the trial of his predecessor. Though the trial now proceeds, that’s a legal issue that could resonate with Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior. Trump attorney David Schoen turned the trial toward starkly partisan tones, saying the Democrats were fueled by a “base hatred” of the former president. On the vote, six Republicans joined with Democrats pursue the trial, just one more than on a similar vote last week. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.

Under COVID-19 protocols senators will distance for the trial, some even using the visitors' galleries. “This trial is one way of having that difficult national conversation about the difference between dissent and insurrection," he said. Trump's defenders are preparing to challenge both the constitutionality of the trial and any suggestion that he was to blame for the insurrection. The trial was set to break Friday evening for the Jewish Sabbath at the request of Trump's defense team, and resume Sunday. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.

AdMany senators including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell immediately denounced the violence and pointed a finger of blame at Trump. Those partisan divisions appear to be hardening ahead of Trump’s trial, a sign of his continuing grip on the GOP. On Sunday, Wicker described Trump's impeachment trial as a “meaningless messaging partisan exercise." Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont will preside over the trial as Senate president pro tempore. Forty-four Republican senators sided with Paul and voted to oppose holding an impeachment trial at all.

What is certain for now is that the impeachment trial will be held after Trump has already left office. But it's still unclear exactly how the trial will proceed and if any Senate Republicans will vote to convict Trump. In the House, 10 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican. Every single House Republican voted against Trump's first impeachment in 2019. DIFFERENT CHARGES, DIFFERENT IMPEACHMENTThis impeachment trial is likely to differ from the last one in many ways.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – For a second time, Republican senators face the choice of whether to convict President Donald Trump in an impeachment trial. Others to watch include GOP senators up for reelection in 2022 and several Republicans who have publicly backed impeachment. “Make no mistake: There will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate,'' Schumer said. MURKOWSKI, TOOMEY DENOUNCE TRUMPAt least two GOP senators — Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania — have joined Romney in denouncing Trump. Portman pledged to do his duty as a juror in a Senate impeachment trial, but said he is “concerned about the polarization in our country'' and hopes to bring people together.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – For a second time, Republican senators face the choice of whether to convict President Donald Trump in an impeachment trial. Others to watch include GOP senators up for reelection in 2022 and several Republicans who have publicly backed impeachment. “Make no mistake: There will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate,'' Schumer said. MURKOWSKI, TOOMEY DENOUNCE TRUMPAt least two GOP senators — Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania — have joined Romney in denouncing Trump. Portman pledged to do his duty as a juror in a Senate impeachment trial, but said he is “concerned about the polarization in our country'' and hopes to bring people together.

What is certain for now is that the impeachment trial will be held after Trump has already left office. But it's still unclear exactly how the trial will proceed and if any Senate Republicans will vote to convict Trump. In the House, 10 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican. Every single House Republican voted against Trump's first impeachment in 2019. DIFFERENT CHARGES, DIFFERENT IMPEACHMENTThis impeachment trial is likely to differ from the last one in many ways.

A second impeachment trial for President Donald Trump will likely drag into President-elect Joe Biden's term as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will not bring the upper chamber back earlier than Tuesday. Biden has suggested the Senate could "bifurcate," spending part of its day on impeachment and another portion on confirming nominees. The Senate trial after the House first impeached Trump took nearly three weeks, from mid-January until early February of last year. However, a Senate vote to convict Trump would prevent him from becoming president again in 2025. Other Senate Republicans have already said they will not vote to convict the president.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – As the House prepares for impeachment, President Donald Trump faces a single charge — “incitement of insurrection” — over the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to a draft of the articles obtained by The Associated Press. “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” the legislation said. Trump, holed up at the White House, was increasingly isolated after a mob rioted in the Capitol in support of his false claims of election fraud. On impeachment, House Democrats would likely delay for 100 days sending articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial, to allow Biden to focus on other priorities. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I, a leader of the House effort to draft impeachment articles accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, said Sunday that his group had 200-plus co-sponsors.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is calling for congressional action to rein in President Donald Trump after inciting last week's deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. Trump faces a single charge -- “incitement of insurrection” — after the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday. “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” reads the four-page impeachment bill. Their Democrats' House resolution was blocked by Republicans. But House Republicans are split and a few may vote to impeach.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON – Democrats' momentum for a fresh drive to quickly impeach outgoing President Donald Trump gained support Saturday, and a top Republican said the president's role in the deadly riot at the Capitol by a violent mob of Trump supporters was worthy of rebuke. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said he believed Trump had committed “impeachable offenses.” But he did not explicitly say whether he would vote to remove the president from office at the conclusion of a Senate trial if the House sent over articles of impeachment. “I do think the president committed impeachable offenses, but I don’t know what is going to land on the Senate floor, if anything," Toomey said. Late Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to her Democratic colleagues reiterating that Trump must be held accountable — but stopped short of committing to an impeachment vote. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I, a leader of the House effort to draft impeachment articles — or charges — accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, said his group had grown to include 185 co-sponsors.

Pelosi, addressing her hometown San Francisco constituents during an online video conference, shed no fresh light on Democrats' plans. Trump has not publicly made such threats, but officials warn of grave danger if the president is left unchecked. A person on the call said Pelosi also discussed other ways Trump might be forced to resign. ”Democratic leaders have called on Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to force Trump from office. The House impeached Trump in 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him in early 2020.

There's little chance that the Republican-led Senate would hold a trial and vote on convicting Trump in less than two weeks. Still, action by the House would still make Trump the first president in history to be impeached twice. That’s what happened in 2019, when the House impeached Trump over his dealings with the president of Ukraine. “In all of this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government,” the Democratic draft reads. WHAT IMPEACHMENT WOULD MEANRepublicans, even those who have criticized Trump, say impeachment would be unhelpful.

“Supporting Josh Hawley ... was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life,” former Missouri Sen. John Danforth told The Associated Press on Thursday. “Assault on democracy: Sen. Josh Hawley has blood on his hands in Capitol coup attempt,” read the headline of the editorial. Hawley, who defeated Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018, was once celebrated by the Republican establishment as a rising star. David Humphreys is president and CEO of Tamko Building Products in Joplin, Missouri, who has donated millions of dollars to Hawley and other Republicans. Now Danforth wonders how Hawley will be able to work with his Senate colleagues, even Republicans, moving forward.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse said Friday that he would "definitely consider" any impeachment articles brought by the House against President Trump, as lawmakers are considering ways to move the president from office after he encouraged a mob of his supporters who overran the Capitol on Wednesday. "The House, if they come together and have a process, I will definitely consider whatever articles they might move," Sasse said in an interview with "CBS This Morning" on Friday. Sasse has been a frequent critic of the president, but many congressional Republicans seem more willing to consider removing the president after Wednesday's invasion of the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. "I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment. If the vice president and Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment."

Nebraska GOP Senator Ben Sasse on U.S. Capitol attack Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska joined "CBS This Morning" to discuss the attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump demonstrators, and whether he supports removing the president from office.

“Supporting Josh Hawley ... was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life," former Missouri Sen. John Danforth told The Associated Press on Thursday. Soon Hawley and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were leading about 10 other senators in the effort — notably not winning over Sens. With Hawley sitting near, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney blasted those who objected to finalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s election. The student bar association at the University of Missouri law school, where Hawley taught, issued a statement calling for his resignation. Now Danforth wonders how Hawley will be able to work with his Senate colleagues, even Republicans, moving forward.

A mob of violent protesters made its way into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, forcing police to evacuate lawmakers and delaying the constitutional process to affirm Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. Now we’re seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo.”Here’s my statement on today’s violence at the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/jLCKo2D1Ya — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 7, 2021Former President Bill Clinton: “Today we faced an unprecedented assault on our Capitol, our Constitution, and our country. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected.”Rep. Liz Cheney, Republican from Wyoming: “We just had a violent mob assault the Capitol in an attempt to prevent those from carrying out our Constitutional duty. There is no question that the President formed the mob, the President incited the mob, the President addressed the mob.

(Samuel Corum/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Wednesday’s congressional joint session to count electoral votes could drag late into the night as some Republicans plan to challenge Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in at least six states. Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.

Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. The appointed "tellers" from the House and Senate, members of both parties, then read each certificate out loud and record and count the votes. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.

Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. At the end, the presiding officer announces who has won the majority votes for both president and vice president. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Saturday announced a coalition of 11 senators and senators-elect who have been enlisted for Trump’s effort. But their challenges, and those from House Republicans, represent the most sweeping effort to undo a presidential election outcome since the Civil War. said the Republican effort to create a federal commission “to supersede state certifications" is wrong. On the other side of the Republican divide, several senators spoke out Saturday against Cruz and Hawley's effort. McConnell had previously warned GOP senators not to participate in raising objections, saying it would be a terrible vote for colleagues.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Saturday announced a coalition of 11 senators and senators-elect who have been enlisted for Trump’s effort. But their challenges, and those from House Republicans, represent the most sweeping effort to undo a presidential election outcome since the Civil War. said the Republican effort to create a federal commission “to supersede state certifications" is wrong. On the other side of the Republican divide, several senators spoke out Saturday against Cruz and Hawley's effort. McConnell had previously warned GOP senators not to participate in raising objections, saying it would be a terrible vote for colleagues.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks back to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. The New York senator said “the only thing standing in the way" is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican senators. McConnell has shown little interest in Trump's push to bolster the $600 relief checks just approved in a sweeping year-end package, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid, for now. Nancy Pelosi regained the speaker's gavel after Democrats swept to the House majority in the midterm election. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in 2020 of the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Caught in the middle is Vice President Mike Pence, who faces growing pressure and a lawsuit from Trump's allies over his ceremonial role in presiding over the session Wednesday. Biden is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20 after winning the Electoral College vote 306-232. “A suit to establish that the Vice President has discretion over the count, filed against the Vice President, is a walking legal contradiction,” the department argues. The Republican leader pointedly called on Hawley to answer questions about his challenge to Biden's victory, according to two of the Republicans. When Biden was vice president, he, too, presided over the session as the Electoral College presented the 2016 vote tally to Congress to confirm Trump the winner.

“I will not be participating in a project to overturn the election,” Sasse wrote. When Congress convenes to certify the Electoral College results, any lawmaker can object to a state’s votes on any grounds. If they disagree, the original electoral votes are counted. Trump and his allies have filed roughly 50 lawsuits challenging election results, and nearly all has been dismissed or dropped. The group of House Republicans has said it plans to challenge the election results from Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada.

FILE - In this Thursday, June 27, 2019 file photo, Paul Manafort arrives in court in New York. President Trump's former campaign manager is to be arraigned on state mortgage fraud charges. Manafort, who led Trump's campaign during a pivotal period in 2016 before being ousted over his ties to Ukraine, was among the first people charged as part of Mueller’s investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Though the charges against Manafort did not concern the central thrust of Mueller's mandate — whether the Trump campaign and Russia colluded to tip the election — he was nonetheless a pivotal figure in the investigation. Trump and the elder Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009.

Kathy Kratt of Orlando, Fla., displays her Trump flags as she and other protesters demonstrate their support for President Donald Trump at the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. Trump bemoaned the decision late Friday, tweeting: “The Supreme Court really let us down. Two days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed his suit, Trump jumped into the high court case. “If the Supreme Court shows great Wisdom and Courage, the American People will win perhaps the most important case in history, and our Electoral Process will be respected again!” he tweeted Friday afternoon. Many Republican voters in several states won by Biden have demanded that their elected officials find a way to invalidate the president-elect's victories.

“After this retreat, there will still be American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We believe that there is strong bipartisan support from Congress and the administration for both Iraq and Afghanistan,” they wrote. That person, whose title is assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, currently reports to the defense secretary through the undersecretary of defense for policy. This change in the administrative chain of command for special operations was required by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. There currently is no Senate-confirmed assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict; Ezra Cohen holds the job in an acting capacity.

While abrupt, the dismissal Tuesday of Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was not a surprise. Hours before being dismissed, Krebs tweeted out a report citing 59 election security experts saying there is no credible evidence of computer fraud in the 2020 election outcome. Biden campaign spokesman Michael Gwin noted that bipartisan election officials have dismissed Trump’s claims of widespread fraud. Some state election officials and Republicans, suspicious of federal intrusion on their turf, were opposed to the designation. But the Trump administration supported the designation, and, eventually, skeptical state officials welcomed the assistance.

Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. "Letting a well-connected billionaire get away with child rape and international sex trafficking isn’t ‘poor judgment’ – it is a disgusting failure," Sasse said in a statement. Jeffrey Epstein should be rotting behind bars today, but the Justice Department failed Epstein’s victims at every turn," said Sasse, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee. At the time of the deal, Epstein, who had been friends with President Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew and other wealthy people, was suspected of having sexually abused dozens of teenage girls in West Palm Beach, Florida. In exchange, Acosta agreed not to prosecute Epstein or several suspected co-conspirators on federal charges related to alleged sexual misconduct with minors.

In fact, election officials from both political parties have publicly stated that voting went well and international observers also confirmed that there were no serious irregularities. And the White House moved to crack down on those not deemed sufficiently loyal as Trump continued to refuse to concede the race. White House officials and Trump political appointees informed career government staffers they were not to begin acting on transition planning until GSA approved it, according to officials familiar with the matter. The White House hasn’t provided a “readout” of any call between the president and a foreign leader in weeks. He hasn’t met with members of the White House coronavirus task force in months.

In fact, election officials from both political parties have publicly stated that voting went well and international observers also confirmed that there were no serious irregularities. And the White House moved to crack down on those not deemed sufficiently loyal as Trump continued to refuse to concede the race. Trump is not expected to formally concede but is likely to grudgingly vacate the White House at the end of his term, according to several people around him. The White House hasn’t provided a “readout” of any call between the president and a foreign leader in weeks. He hasn’t met with members of the White House coronavirus task force in months.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's wild and unsupported claims of voter fraud have emerged as a high-stakes Republican loyalty test that illustrates the tug of war likely to define the future of the GOP whether he wins or loses the presidency. Larry Hogan, a second-term Republican who has not ruled out a 2024 White House bid. ... We've always been a noisy democracy.”Yet history suggests that Trump's rhetoric and actions go well beyond the normal trappings of democracy. With polls showing him lagging, Trump raised questions about the integrity of the voting system for much of the year. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, highlighted the obvious downside of Trump's questions about the integrity of the voting process.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s wild and unsupported claims of voter fraud have emerged as a high-stakes Republican loyalty test that illustrates the tug of war likely to define the future of the GOP whether he wins or loses the presidency. Larry Hogan, a second-term Republican who has not ruled out a 2024 White House bid. ... We've always been a noisy democracy.”Yet history suggests that Trump's rhetoric and actions go well beyond the normal trappings of democracy. With polls showing him lagging, Trump raised questions about the integrity of the voting system for much of the year. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, highlighted the obvious downside of Trump's questions about the integrity of the voting process.

CBS News projects Joe Biden will win the Nebraska primary Tuesday night. President Trump won the Republican primary, and Senator Ben Sasse won the Republican primary for his seat, The Associated Press projected. Secretary of State Bob Evnen told The Omaha World-Herald that three-quarters of regular primary voters had requested mail ballots. Polling precincts told CBS Omaha affiliate KMTV they saw some of their lowest turnout in years. Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse told KMTV the county had already received more than 108,000 mail-in ballots.

The Senate is planning to vote on a massive $2 trillion relief bill late Wednesday or early Thursday, after a last-minute fight over a proposed unemployment provision delayed proceedings on Wednesday, people familiar with the situation told CNBC. The Senate announced it had arrived at a deal early Wednesday morning, after days of bitter partisan divide. But as the Senate worked through finalizing the text of the bill, four Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Rick Scott of Florida voiced their opposition. Sasse filed an amendment to the bill Wednesday evening. Tim Scott said he would still back the legislation but wanted to have the chance to vote on an amendment.

Schumer has proposed his own $750 million plan of action that would expand jobless benefits, help small businesses and fund childcare for healthcare workers. The Trump administration is pushing for a package of some $1.3 trillion in aid to help businesses and individual Americans devastated by the virus. On Wednesday, lawmakers approved and Trump signed another $105 billion-plus plan to limit the damage from the coronavirus pandemic through free testing, paid sick leave and expanded safety-net spending. The strategy, as outlined in a Treasury Department memo, also would provide $300 billion for small businesses, $50 billion in loans for cash-strapped airlines and $150 billion for loan guarantees to other distressed economic sectors. If we do not act to help the small-business sector, I predict that we will see massive layoffs and an inordinate number of small businesses shutting their doors.

EMBED >More News Videos House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff questions Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire on a whistleblower complaint that has sparked an impeachment probe of President Donald Trump. WASHINGTON -- A secret whistleblower complaint at the center of an impeachment inquiry alleges that President Donald Trump abused the power of his office to "solicit interference from a foreign country" in next year's U.S. election. The White House released a rough transcript of that call on Wednesday. "Late Wednesday, most Republicans who got an advance look at the complaint were quiet or defended the president as they left a secure rooms. Maguire then blocked release of the complaint to Congress, citing issues of presidential privilege and saying the complaint did not deal with an "urgent concern."

WASHINGTON -- White House officials sought to "lock down" records of a phone call in which President Donald Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden, according to a secret whistleblower complaint made public Thursday. Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Utah Rep. Chris Stewart, a GOP member of the House intelligence committee, tweeted: "BREAKING NEWS: The whistleblower complaint has been declassified. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said it "exposed serious wrongdoing" and "certainly provides information for the committee to follow up with others. "The unidentified whistleblower first submitted a complaint to Michael Atkinson, the U.S. government's intelligence inspector general, in August. Maguire then blocked release of the complaint to Congress, citing issues of presidential privilege and saying the complaint did not deal with an "urgent concern."

WASHINGTON -- Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire is set to speak publicly for the first time about a secret whistleblower complaint involving President Donald Trump as House Democrats who have read the document say it is "deeply disturbing. "House Democrats who are now mulling Trump's impeachment are hoping that Maguire will explain why he withheld the intelligence community whistleblower's complaint from Congress for weeks. Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Utah Rep. Chris Stewart, a GOP member of the House intelligence committee, tweeted: "BREAKING NEWS: The whistleblower complaint has been declassified. "The document was made available to members of House and Senate intelligence committees Wednesday after Maguire had initially determined they couldn't see it. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said it "exposed serious wrongdoing" and "certainly provides information for the committee to follow up with others.

FILE PHOTO: Senator Ben Sasse reacts at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Christine Blasey Ford to testify about sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 27, 2018. Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERSWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday said there are real troubling things here in a whistleblowers complaint about President Donald Trumps conversation with Ukraines leader. Senator Ben Sasse, speaking to reporters upon leaving a secure room for senators to read the complaint, added that Republicans ought not just circle the wagons to protect Trump. Similiarly, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that the document was very troubling. There are so many facts that have to be examined, Schumer said.

I also found them very credible, said Democrat Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. At least one Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee expressed dismay about the complaints contents. The acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, was due to testify about the issue before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday. A Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Conaway, said after reading the complaint he did not think it would compromise Trump if it was declassified. U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during a news conference about impeachment proceedings at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 25, 2019.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wants a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding financier Jeffrey Epsteins death at a federal detention facility in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Thats what our attorney general, our great attorney general is doing. Hes doing a full investigation, Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey. Trump made the comments a day after U.S. Attorney General William Barr vowed to carry on the Epstein investigation even after the wealthy and well-connected money managers death. Trump also defended his decision on Saturday to retweet an unfounded conspiracy theory from a conservative comedian named Terrence K. Williams that former President Bill Clinton was involved in Epsteins death.

Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr Saturday afternoon demanding the Department of Justice investigate Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide in jail. Sasse also called for those who allowed Epstein's death to occur under their watch to be fired. Epstein, who was facing federal sex trafficking charges, died Saturday in an apparent suicide, federal officials said. Barr has already indicated he will take action to investigate the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death. Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier also called for an investigation into Epstein's death on Saturday.

Has the tea party lost its clout in this year's midterms? CBSNews.com Executive Washington Editor Steve Chaggaris talks with RealClearPolitics Political Reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns about Nebraska Republican Ben Sasse's primary victory on Tuesday and what it says about the clout of the tea party within the GOP.