JONI ERNST

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) has irked Trump even as a rival candidate, Katie Britt, has won his attention in a race that could define the Republican Party in the South.

After years of debate, Congress is on track to change how the U.S. military handles sexual assault cases, by taking some authority out of the hands of commanders and instead using independent prosecutors.

As Congress works to pass the annual defense policy bill, lawmakers work to ensure efforts to reform the military justice system remain.

"These guys really have to stretch for some of these criticisms," one critic responded to the Republican senator's claim.

Eight U.S. politicians reflect on how Sept. 11 continues to influence their own lives and leadership.

U.

The bipartisan infrastructure deal senators brokered with President Joe Biden is hanging by a thread.

Eighty-seven-year-old Chuck Grassley is trying to show Iowans that he’s not just physically ready for an eighth term, but that's he thriving.

VP Harris is hosting a dinner for GOP and Democratic women

VP Harris is hosting a dinner for GOP and Democratic women

There are signs of Democratic fatigue in Iowa, a state viewed for decades as a true political battleground.

An Iowa farmer and farmer county supervisor has become the first Democrat to announce he is running for Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley's seat.

"We want Americans to see that bipartisanship is alive and well. It takes friendships," Ernst said.

The following is a transcript of the interview with Senators Joni Ernst and Kirsten Gillibrand that aired Sunday, May 16, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

First lady Jill Biden says finally going mask-free feels like “we're moving forward.”.

NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and more appear on Sunday's "Face the Nation"

Sen. Joni Ernst spoke against the attempted purge of Cheney, telling reporters "we've got to come together as Republicans."

Republicans are increasingly using food — especially beef — as a cudgel in the culture war.

Our View: Congress has indulged the generals enough. After multiple scandals and individual nightmares, revise military law on sexual assault cases.

Some Republicans are worried the voting restrictions their party is pushing will backfire by making it harder for GOP voters to cast ballots.

The bill, long-championed by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, would dramatically reshape how the military addresses assault cases by removing them from the chain of command.

With “what’s going on in the House," the Iowa senator said, "they need to evaluate: Is this helping or hurting our party?”

The former cadet "could have brought these same claims had she been a civilian contractor employed by West Point instead of a student," Thomas noted.

The Senate has opened debate on legislation confronting the rise of potential hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the West Side Conservative Club, Friday, March 26, 2021, in Urbandale, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa – Ambitious Republicans are starting to make moves in Iowa, long a proving ground for future presidents. Pompeo's two-day Iowa trip leads an exceptionally early round of Iowa travel planned by U.S. senators, emerging as national GOP figures. Ecklund, Crawford County Republicans' communication director, has encountered Republicans “ready to move on” and “tired of the extreme controversy” in a county Trump carried by more than 30 percentage points twice. ___This story has been corrected to show Ecklund is the Crawford County Republicans' communication director, not Crawford County Republicans' co-chair.

Washington — The House voted Wednesday to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the landmark 1994 law that strengthened domestic violence protections for women. VAWA enshrines legal protections for women who have experienced domestic and sexual violence. The White House Office of Management and Budget released a statement on Wednesday saying that "the administration strongly supports" reauthorizing VAWA. The current bill would expand victims services and reauthorize grant programs for the criminal justice response to domestic and sexual violence. In 2019, the bill received support from 33 House Republicans, and the current version is cosponsored by Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick.

Washington — The House voted Wednesday to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the landmark 1994 law that strengthened domestic violence protections for women. VAWA enshrines legal protections for women who have experienced domestic and sexual violence. The White House Office of Management and Budget released a statement on Wednesday saying that "the administration strongly supports" reauthorizing VAWA. The current bill would expand victims services and reauthorize grant programs for the criminal justice response to domestic and sexual violence. In 2019, the bill received support from 33 House Republicans, and the current version is cosponsored by Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick.

The federal government announced Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, that it will support the ethanol industry in a lawsuit over biofuel waivers granted to oil refineries under President Donald Trump's administration. The Environmental Protection Agency said it is reversing course and will support a January 2020 decision by the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a lawsuit filed by the Renewable Fuels Association and farm groups. Refineries can seek waivers if they can show that meeting the ethanol quotas would create a financial hardship for their companies. The appeals court concluded the EPA improperly granted exemptions to refineries that didn’t qualify.

House Democrats are busy preparing their formal case against the former president for inciting an insurrection, with arguments starting the week of Feb. 8. A week later, on Jan. 13, the Democratic-led House impeached Trump with the backing of 10 Republicans. She said that five is probably “a high mark on what you’re going to see for Republican support” for convicting Trump at trial. Some said the censure resolution was too late because Democrats had rejected GOP suggestions of censure before the House voted to impeach. “I guess if we can censure former presidents, then when Republicans get in charge, we can censure Barack Obama or Democrats can censure George Bush."

In this image from video, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is presiding over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, swears in members of the Senate for the impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Late Tuesday, the presiding officer at the trial, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was taken to the hospital for observation after not feeling well at his office, spokesman David Carle said in a statement. The vote means the trial on Trump's impeachment will begin as scheduled the week of Feb. 8. “You’re asking me to vote in a trial that by itself on its own is not constitutionally allowed?” he asked. Instead, Leahy, who serves in the largely ceremonial role of Senate president pro tempore, was sworn in on Tuesday.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump might argue the calendar is his friend when it comes to a second impeachment trial. In 2019, the last time Trump found himself impeached by the House, he had nearly a year left in his presidency. But on Wednesday, with the inauguration of Joe Biden, Trump will be out of office by the time any Senate trial gets started. On Tuesday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said she doesn’t think a post-presidency impeachment trial is constitutional. The consequence the Constitution sets up for a president who is impeached and convicted is removal from office.

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Sen. Kelly Loeffler speaks at a campaign rally on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, in Cumming, Ga. Loeffler and Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock are in a runoff election for the Senate seat in Georgia. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)ATLANTA – U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler said Monday that she will return to public campaigning after she got a second straight negative coronavirus test. A test Saturday came back inconclusive and a test Sunday came back negative, Loeffler’s campaign said. “She looks forward to getting back out on the campaign trail.”Perdue said before Loeffler’s negative test was announced Sunday that he would remain at home as he awaited Loeffler’s results. He returned to public campaigning on Monday, appearing with Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in Griffin, south of Atlanta.

Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, won re-election in Alaska, defeating independent Al Gross. (Al Drago/Pool via AP, File)JUNEAU, Alaska – Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan has won reelection in Alaska, defeating independent Al Gross in a race that attracted outside attention with control of the Senate at stake. The result in Alaska means control of the Senate won’t be decided until January Senate runoffs are held in Georgia. Sullivan campaign manager Matt Shuckerow was muted in his response Wednesday, noting ballots still were being counted in Alaska. The Gross campaign did not immediately indicate plans to concede after The Associated Press called the race for Sullivan on Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks with reporters during a press conference in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. “We’re waiting — whether I’m going to be the majority leader or not,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday. There already is a Jan. 5 runoff in the state's other Senate race. Securing the Senate majority will be vital for the winner of the presidency. John Hickenlooper defeated GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat Republican incumbent Martha McSally.

With the race unsettled in several key battlegrounds, Trump's strong Election Day surge may not be enough to overcome a Democratic operation that also turned out its vote. But the tight presidential races and unexpected Democratic losses in congressional races demonstrated the resilient power of Trump’s appeal with rural, white voters and a growing polarization that may outlast his leadership. “But in this election we found it’s not ticking fast enough for the Democrats.”Even as the winner of the White House was unclear, Republicans had victories to celebrate Wednesday and white, rural voters to thank. Trump held one of his final, largest campaign rallies in Butler, drawing an estimated 54,000 people two days before Election Day. State Republicans spent months signing up new GOP registrants in the county — the GOP netted 11,000 voters over Democrats since Trump's 2016 election.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Donald Trump’s campaign helped his GOP allies, but that state election officials were still counting ballots. Key Senate races in North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia remained undecided. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has struggled against Democrat Cal Cunningham, despite the married challenger’s sexting scandal with a public relations strategist. GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler will face Democrat Raphael Warnock, a Black pastor at the church where the Rev.

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.

Republican Senate candidate Sen. Mitch McConnell, second from right, and his wife, Elaine Chao, right, look on as aides show him the election results in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)WASHINGTON – Hopes fading for Senate control, Democrats had a disappointing election night as Republicans swatted down an onslaught of challengers and fought to retain their fragile majority. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. The Democrats' gains were in Colorado and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat GOP incumbent Martha McSally. Republican Cynthia Lummis, the former congresswoman from Wyoming, won the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mike Enzi.

Republican senators are fighting to save their majority against an onslaught of challengers in states once off limits to Democrats that are now hotbeds of the backlash to President Donald Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans are fighting to save their majority, a final election push against the onslaught of challengers in states once off limits to Democrats but now hotbeds of a potential backlash to President Donald Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill. With it, a reelected Trump could confirm his nominees and ensure a backstop against legislation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. With the chamber now split, 53-47, three or four seats will determine Senate control, depending on which party wins the White House. Swooping in to fill the gap for Republicans is the Senate Leadership Fund, tapping deep-pocketed donors.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. The 200-plus cars packed in a parking lot at the Iowa State Fairgrounds honked and cheered, with supporters leaning out of their windows in the sunny 40-degree weather. Now Democrats have rallied behind Biden, and he enjoys a 2-to-1 cash advantage over Trump. Biden also spoke about other issues important to Iowa voters, like the struggles faced by family farmers, severe floods that have swept the Midwest and the trade fight with China. But most surveys of the state show a close race between Biden and Trump, and a loss for the Republican would significantly narrow his path to reelection.

Less than two weeks from an Election Day that will determine Senate control, each party is throwing late money at an up-for-grabs Democratic seat in Michigan. The Senate Majority PAC, a political committee aligned with the chamber's Democratic leaders, has canceled its remaining $1.2 million in spending against GOP Sen. Cory Gardner in Colorado, sensing victory. He's getting outspent 3-1,” said GOP Sen. Pat Roberts, whose retirement is making the seat available. Besides Alabama, Michigan is the GOP's best chance at gaining a seat and thwarting Democrats' drive to a Senate majority. “It matters," agreed Poersch of Democrats' Senate Majority PAC, citing a shift in voters' sentiment over the final weeks of the 2016 campaign that helped Trump edge to victory.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, testifies during a Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Hearing on the federal government response to COVID-19 on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Washington. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not necessarily stand up for Fauci after Trump derided the National Institute for Health official as one of the “idiots” leading the country's coronavirus response. “The one thing we all need to do is wear a mask, practice social distancing, try to prevent the spread,” McConnell told reporters. Trump's own COVID-19 diagnosis following a Rose Garden event at the White House sent ripples to Capitol Hill. He noted that “the scientists have a great deal of influence over a lot of things, but they don’t have total influence over the entire economy and how to run it.”Fauci has served since 1984 as the director of the National Institute of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases.

Trump finds himself locked in a close race in Iowa with Democrat Joe Biden, and Ernst is as well against Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield. Walking the tightrope between pleasing the Trump base versus attracting other voters is challenging," said John Stineman, a Iowa Republican strategist unaffiliated with the Ernst or Trump campaigns. “You have the road of the radical left,” she said while introducing Vice President Mike Pence at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in August. Trump carried Iowa by 9.4 percentage points in 2016 and Ernst surprised four-term Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley by nearly as much in 2014. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee has spent $11.3 million supporting Ernst, according to Kantar.

Democratic senate candidate Theresa Greenfield (L) and Senator Joni Ernst, R-IA (R). When Iowa voters cast their ballots in 2020, they'll decide whether Ernst has lived up to that promise during her six years in Washington. This time around, national groups such as EMILY's List have made Greenfield's name front and center for Iowa voters. That broad interest in the race has brought the Greenfield campaign a large influx of funds. Toeing the line in a swing state as progressive money descends on her campaign, Greenfield has focused her message primarily on health care and Social Security.

Confirmation hearings are set to begin Monday for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee giving Republicans one last chance to salvage their Senate majority by wresting attention away from the White House and its COVID-19 response and onto the GOP’s longtime goal of fashioning a conservative court. Only two GOP senators balked at quick confirmation. This time, it's much about securing his own legacy reshaping the judiciary into what allies call the “McConnell Court” as giving his majority a landing pad after a tumultuous four years with Trump. Having already bent Senate rules to allow 51-vote threshold to advance Supreme Court nominees, rather than 60 as was tradition, McConnell is now poised to usher a third Trump justice to confirmation. “It’s not going to be remembered as the McConnell Court,” said Stevens.

President Donald Trump waves as he walks from Marine One to the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, as he returns from Bedminster, N.J. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump doesn't want to talk about abortion. His campaign worries it could turn off voters who support abortion rights and drive on-the-fence or undecided voters — especially women — to turn out for Biden en masse. While Trump insisted during the debate that Barrett's views on Roe v. Wade are unknown, there is little doubt she opposes abortion personally. But advocates of abortion rights say the alarm bells are justified, with 17 cases currently in the legal pipeline. “President Trump has governed as the most pro-life president in our nation’s history and never misses an opportunity to bring up his pro-life policy victories on the campaign trail," she said.

But there are signs Iowa may be competitive again. Deep concerns about the economy and dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of the coronavirus have changed dynamics of the race. However, Iowa, where Trump won by 9.4 percentage points in 2016, echoes the trend in Ohio, where Trump won by 8 but is now in a pitched battle with Biden. “I believe it is a close race in Iowa," former Iowa Gov. In 2018, Democrats showed signs of resurgence, even though Republican Kim Reynolds became the first woman to be elected Iowa governor.

The political battle is being quickly joined over replacing Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)WASHINGTON – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death drew mourners to the steps of the Supreme Court, where they sang “Amazing Grace” in the dark. Inevitably, and against her last wishes, Ginsburg became a political football mere minutes after her death was disclosed Friday night. “BREAKING: The future of the Supreme Court is on the line,” said a fundraising email from Republican Sen. Joni Ernst’s Iowa campaign shortly after the justice's death was announced. But not Christopher Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative foil to the liberal Ginsburg who also happened to be a dear friend.

People gather at the Supreme Court on the morning after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 in Washington. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Democrats raised more than $71 million in the hours after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, demonstrating how the liberal icon's passing and the contentious nomination fight that lies ahead have already galvanized the party's base. In Iowa, vulnerable Republican Sen. Joni Ernst sent out fundraising pleas shortly after Ginsburg's death was announced, drawing a swift online backlash. "BREAKING: The future of the Supreme Court is on the line,” read the subject line of fundraising email from Ernst. “The next Supreme Court nominee will shape major decisions for decades to come.”Ernst later issued an apology.

By November, voters will decide who had the right approach — a high-stakes gamble as the coronavirus pandemic rewrites the rules of political campaigning. "But we’re making the most of it.”The House and Senate campaigns are courting voters as attitudes shift about COVID-19. One party strategist said Democrats believe voters will appreciate candidates who take COVID-19 risks seriously, attempting to draw a contrast to Trump and Republicans. He said the rate at which people answer the door is up at least 18% compared with pre-pandemic numbers. Pelosi noted that in some places it may be safe to go door to door.

Experts refute that and new data suggests that the toll is probably significantly higher than the official count. Ernst said she, too, is so skeptical of the official numbers. Of those deaths, 1,125 were reported in Iowa, according to the state website at midday Wednesday. In recent tweets, supporters of QAnon misrepresented CDC figures, stating that the government's health agency had reduced the number of U.S. COVID-19 deaths to just over 9,000. For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned.

This isnt a party convention, its a Trump convention, said Rory Cooper, a Republican strategist and former congressional staffer who opposes Trump. If Republicans lose the Senate in November, we should look back at this week as a lost opportunity to introduce the country to more GOP congressional candidates. Scalise made no direct reference to the GOP's faint hopes of regaining the House majority in November's elections. Sean Parnell, a GOP challenger for a Democratic-held seat in western Pennsylvania, didnt specifically ask listeners to award Republicans House control. The inattention to the GOP's congressional efforts might have changed Wednesday when Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, delivered prime-time remarks.

Pence, whose future political aspirations could hinge on November, has campaigned aggressively for the president. Pence has helped steer the White House response to the coronavirus, leading a task force and frequently working with the nations governors. The GOP convention has mentioned the virus far less than Democrats did last week, but Pence could throw it back into focus if he speaks about the work hes led. Conway, whose husband has become an outspoken Trump critic, says she is stepping away to spend more time with her family. Clarence Henderson, a civil rights activist from the 1960s, is expected to speak on the true meaning of peaceful protest."

The breakthrough on testing money, though, was key after days of debate between Republicans and the White House, showing a potential shift in the administration's thinking about the importance of tracking the spread of the virus. Despite deep differences among Republicans, McConnell is trying to push forward with what he calls a starting point in negotiations with Democrats. Were still on the 20-yard line? Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, referring to White House comments. Where have the Republicans been?The White House negotiators, Mnuchin and Mark Meadows, the presidents acting chief of staff, arrived late at the Capitol. Were still struggling.Congress approved a massive $2.2 trillion aid package in March, the biggest of its kind in U.S. history.

Democrats have at least a punchers chance of grabbing Republican-held seats in four states Trump won by double digits: Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky and South Carolina. They argue that Trump's name on the ballot will give Senate candidates in Republican states a major edge and say they're spending there because Democrats are raising sums that can't be ignored. An expensive battle is brewing over Ernst's Iowa seat, with outside Democratic and GOP groups each planning to spend over $20 million. Kelly has a solid chance of defeating GOP Sen. Martha McSally while Harrison is waging an unlikely drive to oust Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally. Republicans are eyeing Alaska, where GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan's likely opponent is Al Gross, an independent with Democratic support.

FILE - This June 30, 2020, file photo shows the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have made it crystal clear: Given the chance theyll push through a Supreme Court justice nominee should a vacancy open on the high court before Election Day. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have tried to make it clear: Given the chance, they would push through a Supreme Court nominee should a vacancy occur before Election Day. He said he would release a new list of Conservative Supreme Court Justice nominees by Sept. 1. In 2018, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said that if he were still the committee chairman in 2020 and there were a Supreme Court vacancy, he would not take up the nomination.

This would be the fifth virus rescue bill since spring, all told an unprecedented federal intervention to counter the times. Senate Republicans are floating some $50 billion to $75 billion in education funds, but talks are still ongoing. This week, GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, along with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chair of the Health, Education and Labor Committee, proposed child care grants to providers who safely reopen. One uncertainty is how to improve the nation's poor performance on virus testing. Pelosi's bill provides $75 billion more for virus testing and contact tracing, with directives to the federal government to set up a national testing program.

Still another said Republicans worry the GOP brand of cutting taxes could be overshadowed by Trump's drive to defend Confederate monuments. 2 Senate Republican leader John Thune of South Dakota said last week. He said GOP candidates need to do what they need to do to win. Republican Senate candidates will have to defend things President Trump says and does between now and Election Day, said Rory Cooper, a Republican strategist and longtime Trump foe. He said he believes independent swing voters abandoning Trump will be willing to back GOP Senate candidates and expressed cautious optimism.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)DES MOINES, Iowa After Donald Trump carried Iowa in 2016 by nearly 10 points, its swing state status was in doubt. But now, with stunning swiftness, Iowa Democrats have spun from distraught to hopeful. I am more hopeful than I have been, said Scott Brennan, a former Iowa Democratic Party chairman who is now a member of the Democratic National Committee. An Iowa poll conducted last week by The Des Moines Register underscored the shifting landscape for the president. President Trump won Iowa by over 150,000 votes in 2016, flipping Iowa by 9% after Obama won the state twice," campaign spokesman Ken Farnaso said.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, facing a competitive North Carolina reelection contest, is looking forward to campaigning" with Trump, Tillis' spokesperson said. GOP Sen. Steve Daines tweeted, Montana cant wait to have you back, Mr. President! after Trump promised to help him battle a strong Democratic challenger. Republican candidates are hostages, said Trump critic Tim Miller, an aide to past GOP presidential contenders including Jeb Bush. Anyone who wants to win in November should be running with the president, said Trump campaign spokesperson Erin Perrine. In the House, Democrats hope to use allegiance to Trump that GOP candidates touted in primaries against them in general elections.

Sen. Rand Paul wants to stop sending surplus U.S. military equipment to local law enforcement. And GOP Sen. Mitt Romney is trying to assemble a bipartisan package of bills in response to police violence. I think we should all be optimistic right now," Scott, the only black GOP senator, told reporters at the Capitol. Lawmakers are watching as demonstrations erupt in all corners of the country, from the biggest cities to the smallest towns, and acknowledging the arrival of a mass movement for law enforcement changes as politically impossible to ignore. Obviously this is a national awakening, GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said Tuesday on CNBC.

WASHINGTON WASHINGTON (AP) Freshman Sen. Tom Cotton has risen to the ranks of potential 2024 Republican presidential contenders by making all the right enemies. By lining up behind President Donald Trumps law-and-order recipe for controlling civic unrest, hes making even more. Representing a state that has turned increasingly Republican in recent years, Cotton faces reelection in November with no Democratic opponent. Senator Cotton is standing with President Trump to take on China and keep America great, the announcer says. Hes a really serious guy.Cotton served one House term before being elected to the Senate in 2014, defeating Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor.

FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2019, file photo, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, speaks during a news conference in Des Moines, Iowa. The nine-term congressman, shunned by his party leadership in Washington and many of his longtime supporters at home, lost to well-funded state Sen. Randy Feenstra in a five-way GOP primary. But the focus was on the 4th District primary featuring King, the lone Republican in Iowas U.S. House delegation. Establishment Republicans suggested Kings ouster would easily keep the seat in the partys hands, warning a King primary victory would jeopardize it. State Rep. Ashley Hinson won her two-way Republican primary to face freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer.

DES MOINES, Iowa Four relatively unknown Iowa Democrats are competing in a primary Tuesday to take on Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, an endeavor viewed as a long shot when better-known prospects last year took a pass on running. But as Democrats are increasingly bullish about their prospects in places such as Arizona and Colorado, the Iowa race is getting renewed attention as a potential battleground that could help the party regain the Senate majority. Greenfield's fundraising prowess reflects a broad array of support among Iowa Democrats. As of a week ago, nearly 500,000 Iowa voters, about one-quarter of the states electorate, had requested absentee ballots, the highest number of absentee ballot requests for any Iowa election, primary or general. The influx of primary-voting Democrats, including those who have been less active in recent cycles, could signal a resurgence of Iowa Democrats.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trumps lawyers wrapped up their arguments in his impeachment trial on Tuesday with a plea for acquittal, and sought to marginalize former national security adviser John Boltons explosive allegations as inadmissible. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney Jay Sekulow depart after concluding their opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 28, 2020. It would dangerously change our country and weaken - weaken - forever all of our democratic institutions.The Senate cannot allow this to happen. And you simply cant have a fair trial without witnesses.SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER CHUCK SCHUMERGive me a break! She just came out and flat said it: You know the whole impeachment trial for Trump is just a political hit job to try to smear me because he is scared to death to run against me.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON, DC The Latest on Congress and a package of spending bills (all times local):2:40 p.m.Democrats opposing President Donald Trump's border wall demands have again blocked passage of a massive, almost $700 billion Pentagon funding measure. They are demanding language to again prevent Trump from shifting Pentagon funds to help pay for the border wall. Trump originally promised Mexico would pay for the border wall. At issue are annual spending bills totaling $1.4 trillion that would translate this summer's hard-won budget deal into binding legislation. But there has been little progress, if any, on the tricky trade-offs needed to balance Democratic demands for social programs with President Donald Trump's ballooning border wall demands.

(CNN) - Two Republican senators said Tuesday the rape allegation made against President Donald Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll should be explored to determine the veracity of the allegation against the President -- even as many Senate Republicans sidestepped questions over the matter and defended Trump. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said both Trump and Carroll should be questioned about the alleged assault. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican of North Carolina, also said he will take Trump's denial "at face value." "I don't know what case you're talking about," said Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican of Florida. I don't know anything about them," said Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee.

Joni Ernst: Balance the budget, replace Obamacare Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican who's running for the U.S. Senate in 2014, offers a standard Republican message in the weekly GOP address.