ANGUS KING

Top U.S. intelligence officials acknowledge they misjudged the durability of the governments in both Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Fears are rising about what would happen to Europe’s energy supply if Russia were to invade Ukraine and then shut off its natural gas in retaliation for U.S. and European sanctions.

More than 600 sitting senators have died or resigned since the first Congress met in 1789.

Donald Trump’s relentless, false claims about the 2020 presidential election have sparked fresh urgency in Congress for changing the Electoral Count Act.

Democrats are picking up the pieces after the collapse of their sweeping voting rights legislation.

The struggles of Angus King reflect the rise of Trumpism over centrism.

A new report is shedding light on what types of organizations are receiving the most donations from charitable funds that have been a hotbed of contention.

Democrats and some anti-Trump Republicans are panicked about the impact of the ex-president's election lies on American democracy. They see worst-case scenarios looming — but few, if any, solutions.

President Joe Biden says he feels “very positive about reaching a deal on his big domestic policy bill.

The White House says President Joe Biden will lay out his thinking in the coming weeks about moving to “fundamentally alter” the filibuster or even eliminate the legislative roadblock that empowers the Senate minority.

This could push Democrats to change Senate procedural rules, which would include changing the filibuster rules.

This could push Democrats to change Senate procedural rules, which would include changing the filibuster rules.

The procedural vote to begin debate on the Freedom to Vote Act was 49 in favor to 51 against, far short of the 60 votes needed.

The procedural vote to begin debate on the Freedom to Vote Act was 49 in favor to 51 against, far short of the 60 votes needed.

For the third time this year, Senate Democrats tried to pass sweeping elections legislation that they tout as a powerful counterweight to new voting restrictions in the states.

The White House will withdraw the nomination of a gun-control advocate to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after David Chipman ran into bipartisan opposition in the Senate.

U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Angus King and Roger Wicker have become the latest high-profile lawmakers to test positive for the coronavirus.

Three senators say they have tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.

Angus King, I-Maine, Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., all said they have tested positive for the virus. King said he began feeling feverish Wednesday and took a COVID test at his doctor’s suggestion. “While I am not feeling great, I’m definitely feeling much better than I would have without the vaccine,” King said.

Multiple U.S. Senators announced they tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

Multiple U.S. Senators announced they tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Angus King and Roger Wicker have become the latest high-profile lawmakers to test positive for the coronavirus.

Two more vaccinated senators test positive for COVID-19

After much delay, senators have unveiled their $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

The Senate has further advanced a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure plan with a bipartisan group of senators helping it clear one more hurdle Friday.

Hordes of visitors are "loving our parks to death" since COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.

At a time of widespread digital insecurity it turns out that the oldest and simplest computer fix there is — turning a device off then back on again — can thwart hackers from stealing information from smartphones.

Wealthy philanthropists have long enjoyed an advantageous way to give to charity: Using something called a donor-advised fund, they’ve been able to enjoy tax deductions and investment gains on their donations long before they give the money away.

Amid an explosion of attention-grabbing ransomware attacks in recent months, the Biden administration Wednesday evening told lawmakers about its plans to confront attackers and assist victims.

The State Department will offer rewards up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of anyone engaged in foreign state-sanctioned malicious cyber activity, including ransomware attacks, against critical U.S. infrastructure.

Conservative groups opposed to a tax-cheat crackdown ramp up lobbying, threatening infrastructure deal

Looming over the Senate Democrats this year is a decision that could fundamentally change Congress as it has operated for decades.

With American troops withdrawing from Afghanistan, pressure is mounting for the Biden administration to evacuate Afghans who supported U.S. military operations during two decades of war.

Congressional Democrats are eyeing a $6 trillion infrastructure package that goes far beyond roads and bridges.

A bipartisan senators’ group working on a $1 trillion infrastructure compromise has now doubled in size, expanding to 21 members.

The Biden stimulus benefit has deep Democratic support, but Senate moderates could slash the expanded child tax credit. Manchin hasn't weighed in.

Two key U.S. senators introduced legislation Wednesday designed to spur faster payouts from donor-advised funds and foundations, giving new momentum to an effort that has deeply divided philanthropy.

Two key U.S. senators introduced legislation Wednesday designed to spur faster payouts from donor-advised funds and foundations, giving new momentum to an effort that has deeply divided philanthropy. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, a former chairman of the Finance Committee who still sits on that panel, and Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats, have teamed up on legislation that closely tracks a plan put forward by the Initiative to Accelerate Charitable Giving, a group of prominent wealthy donors, foundations, and scholars of charitable giving. “The federal government offers tax incentives to Americans who give back, but in order to ensure that these funds are doing the most possible good, we must reform the rules that govern some charitable donations,” King said in a news release.

Foreign keyboard criminals with scant fear of repercussions have paralyzed U.S. schools and hospitals, leaked highly sensitive police files, triggered fuel shortages and, most recently, threatened global food supply chains.

Foreign keyboard criminals with scant fear of repercussions have paralyzed U.S. schools and hospitals, leaked highly sensitive police files, triggered fuel shortages and, most recently, threatened global food supply chains. The escalating havoc caused by ransomware gangs raises an obvious question: Why has the United States, believed to have the world’s greatest cyber capabilities, looked so powerless to protect its citizens from these kind of criminals operating with near impunity out of Russia and allied countries? The answer is that there are numerous technological, legal and diplomatic hurdles to going after ransomware gangs.

Sunday, June 6, talk show guests: San Francisco Mayor London Breed, "Face the Nation"; "Meet the Press"; "This Week"; "Fox News Sunday"; "60 Minutes."

Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of longtime Biden advisor and White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, started lobbying the White House in the first quarter.

The short answer for many security experts and federal officials is that it can’t — at least not without some significant changes. Ad“The SolarWinds hack was a victory for our foreign adversaries, and a failure for DHS,” said Sen. The FAA initially told the AP in mid-February that it had not been affected by the SolarWinds hack, only to issue a second statement a few days later that it was continuing to investigate. Federal officials said that amount is only a down payment on much bigger planned spending to improve threat detection. The hosting services of Amazon Web Services and GoDaddy were used by the SolarWinds hackers to evade detection, officials said recently.

AdThat means some people who received the last round of $600 relief checks approved in December wouldn't get anything this time. We need to get this done.”Liberals were already angry after Senate Democrats jettisoned the House bill’s minimum wage increase to $15 by 2025. The House version of the relief checks would cost $422 billion, making them the package’s single most expensive item. Republicans continued lashing the measure as an overpriced Democratic wish list of liberal causes that lavishes help on many who don’t really need it. When people want checks to help them get out of the morass, that's not a liberal wish list.

“He said we need to pass this bill and pass it soon. The Senate bill was expected to largely mirror the House-approved package, with the most glaring divergence the Senate's dropping of language boosting the federal minimum wage to $15 hourly. Schumer said Senate debate would commence as soon as Wednesday and predicted, “We'll have the votes we need to pass the bill." Progressives, though, were still smarting over the virtual certainty that the Senate bill will lack the minimum wage boost, up from $7.25 hourly locked in since 2009. The funding was removed after some Republican lawmakers had criticized it as an example of a wasteful spending item that should not be part of the COVID relief bill.

He can send the White House into a tailspin with a single five-minute interview or three-sentence statement. With a 50-50 split in the Senate leaving little room for error on tough votes, other moderate Democrats like Sens. He received a call from the White House shortly after his complaint to try to smooth things over. AdThe White House shares those political concerns. Their significance to the final vote on the COVID-19 bill means some moderates are already getting extra attention from the White House.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, at the announcement of the $900 billion Covid-19 relief bill on Capitol Hill on Dec. 1, 2020. Taxpayers can file for a six-month extension up to the filing deadline date. The complexities this year stem from the relief efforts undertaken by Congress to help individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic. However, plenty of unresolved issues remain for business owners, with the solutions highly dependent on each business' unique circumstances. "If they haven't applied for loan forgiveness yet, they may want to wait and extend the credit," she added.

Two Senate committees have summoned top security officials to testify, the beginning of a comprehensive look at what went wrong. In her letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the House will also put forth supplemental spending to boost security at the Capitol. The hearing will begin a broad examination of the security failures that led to the breach. The security breakdown on Jan. 6, as the House and Senate met for a joint session to count electoral votes, was severe. With the diminished security presence, the rioters not only breached the Capitol but entered the Senate chamber minutes after senators had fled.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks to the White House residence after exiting Marine One upon his return on January 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. Coming amid the searing COVID-19 crisis, the Biden White House is trying to rush pandemic relief through Congress. Most of them ultimately voted to acquit, doubting whether Trump was fully responsible or if impeachment is the appropriate response. Within a week Biden was inaugurated, Trump was gone and Pelosi sent the article of impeachment to the Senate days later, launching the proceedings. At the same time, this year’s trial carried similar warnings from the prosecutors that Trump must be held accountable because he has shown repeatedly he has no bounds.

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2021, file photo President Joe Biden speaks about the economy in the State Dinning Room of the White House in Washington. One featured a public show of trying to reach across the political aisle, with bipartisan rhetoric and a White House invitation for Republican senators. But it's more likely that the White House will need to choose between the two extremes. “President Biden’s got some pretty big tests in front of him when it comes to domestic policy. AdThe process of securing the $787 billion package — aid broadly credited for helping boost an economy in free fall — left a bad taste for the Obama-Biden White House.

Sixteen senators from both major parties and three senior White House aides met virtually on Sunday afternoon to discuss Mr. Biden's American Rescue Plan. The amount of direct aid to send to individuals was a key sticking point in the negotiations of the relief package passed at the end of 2020. Some senators are asking for more information on how aid could be distributed to cash-strapped municipalities and states. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who was also part of Sunday's meeting, said "more data would be helpful." Congress passed a $900 billion relief package in December, which several senators mentioned when discussing Sunday's call.

Sixteen senators from both major parties and three senior White House aides met virtually on Sunday afternoon to discuss Mr. Biden's American Rescue Plan. The amount of direct aid to send to individuals was a key sticking point in the negotiations of the relief package passed at the end of 2020. Some senators are asking for more information on how aid could be distributed to cash-strapped municipalities and states. Congress passed a $900 billion relief package in December, which several senators mentioned when discussing Sunday's call. "Remember, we just passed almost a trillion dollar package less than three weeks ago," King said.

At least a dozen senators met for an hour and 15 minutes in a virtual call with White House National Economic Council director Brian Deese and other senior White House officials. Many hope to approve a relief package before former President Donald Trump's trial, which is set to begin in two weeks, overtakes Washington’s attention. Senators also wanted more data on how the White House reached the $1.9 trillion figure. “It was about how can we work together to help the people of this country.”White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients and White House legislative affairs director Louisa Terrell also joined the call. “We’re going to continue to push because we can’t wait,” said White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

ICYMI: A look back at Sunday's 60 MinutesNancy Pelosi speaks to 60 Minutes about the Capitol riot; Then, President Trump's phone call with Georgia's top election official; And, Jon Wertheim interviews Senator Angus King.

Angus King: The 60 Minutes Interview Jon Wertheim talks with Maine Senator Angus King, one of two independents in the Senate, about not being hitched to a party in a time of extreme polarization.

Angus King: You know, in Maine, for example, we've got these small towns in rural Maine that were literally built around paper mills that were great jobs. Though he grew up in the D.C. suburbs, Angus King has lived in Maine for more than half a century. Angus King: Well, it sort of liberates you, because you don't have to do what the party says. Do you think you're gonna have pressure to-- have an R or D next to your name? Angus King: I don't think so.

1/10/2021: January 6th, 11,780 Votes, American Independent Nancy Pelosi speaks to 60 Minutes about the Capitol riot; Then, President Trump's phone call with Georgia's top election official; And, Angus King: The 60 Minutes Interview

1/10/2021: January 6th; 11,780 Votes; American Independent Nancy Pelosi speaks to 60 Minutes about the Capitol riot; Then, President Trump's phone call with Georgia's top election official; And, Angus King: The 60 Minutes Interview

Angus King, Maine's Independent U.S. senator, will be the subject of a 60 Minutes profile conducted by Jon Wertheim airing Sunday at 8 p.m. The senator sheltered in his office while the Capitol was under assault by a mob of President Trump supporters on Wednesday. Senator King spoke with Wertheim the next morning about his colleagues who challenged the certification of the Electoral College votes, an action that fomented the violent attack that resulted in five deaths. He also speaks about his bipartisan role in the new Congress, where Democrats hold the majority in the Senate by one vote. Wertheim and 60 Minutes cameras visited Senator King in Maine last month, too, where they spoke near Bowdoin College.

Four in 10 small business owners (41%) support an extension or expansion of the PPP, making this proposal the only one that receives more support among small business owners than among the general public. Hiring and retaining workers is always a challenge for small business owners, but it has been especially so in the pandemic. Among the general public, support for a new stimulus package is similarly high: 89% of non-small business owners nationwide support a new economic stimulus. Among small business owners, 76% of Republicans and 96% of Democrats support such a proposal. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards The Q4 2020 CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey finds widespread support for another round of Covid-19 stimulus, and relatively high levels of support among small business owners of both political parties for more Paycheck Protection Program funding.

“We cannot leave anything to chance,” Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues, emphasizing the importance of winning House seats for Democrats — not just to expand their majority but to prepare for the possibility that the House must settle the presidential race. But if the Electoral College is deadlocked or unable to reach a majority outcome, the question goes to the House as a “contingent election." Each state’s congressional delegation, consisting of the newly elected House lawmakers, casts one vote to determine the presidential outcome, according to the House history website. But as of now, Pelosi explained, Republicans have a “razor thin” margin — 26 of the state delegations, compared with 22 for Democrats. “We must achieve that majority of delegations or keep the Republicans from doing so,” Pelosi wrote.

The goal, part of the Russian playbook for decades, was to sow chaos by posting content on both sides of the racial divide. Indeed, no single group of Americans was targeted by IRA information operatives more than African-Americans, concluded a report from the Senate intelligence committee. They fear the Trump administration's decision to limit what it tells Congress and by extension the American people about election threats will allow the propaganda to spread. The intelligence statement did not offer specifics about what tactics Russia is using, but the past provides important clues. What people need to be looking for is stuff that is seemingly trying to get a rise out of them, Jankowicz said.

In the past, delivering all-member briefings in-person, he said, has resulted in leaks for political purposes within moments. A falsehood, yet again another lie by the president, responded Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. We will compel the intelligence community to give Congress the information that we need, Schiff said. Ratcliffe insisted that China is the graver threat to election security than Russia. Trump on Saturday said Ratcliffe got tired of intelligence about election security leaking from Congress.

WASHINGTON Donald Trump isnt just changing the presidency during his first term in office. Republicans shrug it off as Trump being Trump, leaving Democrats almost alone to object. But typically presidents only go so far, knowing Congress is eyeing their every move, ready and willing to intervene. Trump rejects that model outright, treating the Congress as support staff to his presidency and relying on sheer force of personality to shape the government to his will. Congress is evolving, said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., once a Trump rival for the White House.

WASHINGTON Donald Trump isnt just changing the presidency during his first term in office. Republicans shrug it off as Trump being Trump, leaving Democrats almost alone to object. But typically presidents only go so far, knowing Congress is eyeing their every move, ready and willing to intervene. Trump rejects that model outright, treating the Congress as support staff to his presidency and relying on sheer force of personality to shape the government to his will. Congress is evolving, said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., once a Trump rival for the White House.

Thomson's nomination as CIA inspector general comes as Trump is attacking the inspector general and whistleblower system. Trump has fired or replaced inspectors general across the federal government in recent months, including the former watchdogs for the intelligence community and State Department. "If I was fired for doing my job in a lawful way, in an appropriate way, then I would be fired,'' Thomson said. The White House Counsel's office interviewed him before his nomination, but he did not speak personally with Trump, Thomson said. "I never perceived any kind of loyalty test at all with regard to the president,'' Thomson said.

WASHINGTON The day he declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, President Donald Trump made a cryptic offhand remark. That prompted 10 senators to look into how sweeping Trump believes his emergency powers are. They have asked to see this administration's Presidential Emergency Action Documents, or PEADs. The senators think the documents would provide them a window into how this White House interprets presidential emergency powers. The most publicized example was Trumps decision last year to declare the security situation along the U.S.-Mexico border a national emergency.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Several U.S. senators have urged congressional leaders to accept the White Houses offer of rapid coronavirus testing for lawmakers, saying they could otherwise unwittingly spread the disease when they returned to their home districts. Some senators who returned to Washington this week said congressional leaders should rethink that decision - or find another way to deploy testing for lawmakers. King and Republican Senator Roy Blunt said they agreed with another Republican, Lamar Alexander, who raised the issue on Tuesday. The Senate came back into session this week after a recess of over a month because of the coronavirus. If I knew before I left that I had COVID-19 (the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus), I shouldnt go, Blunt said.

Sign Up For NewslettersIRS to delay tax filing deadline until May 17Learning what it takes to bring students back to schoolBrenda Vaccaro is having a good timeSenator Tammy Duckworth on striving for "that more perfect union"Canceled culture? Reconsidering the art of controversial artistsCuellar says influx of migrants still overwhelming border facilitiesFrustration over WHO-led search for COVID-19's originFauci warns against potential new COVID-19 surge as cases remain highSen. Angus King, I-Maine, discusses a report from the Senate Intelligence Committee on the CIA's controversial post-9/11 interrogation tactics. Angus King: Torture report shows CIA misled Congress Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, discusses a report from the Senate Intelligence Committee on the CIA's controversial post-9/11 interrogation tactics. Be the first to knowGet browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not NowTurn On