I was talking to an acquaintance recently about Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. He liked the Massachusetts Democrat’s detailed policies and was impressed with her recent CNN town hall presentation. But he couldn’t back the senator because she doesn’t really stand a chance in the 2020 contest. Why not, I asked. He answered me with a rueful shrug, accompanied by one word: “Pocahontas.” That, of course, is the nickname President Trump has tagged Warren with — a reference to her having claimed Native American ancestry, including on law school faculty forms in the 1980s. (She does have...…I was talking to an acquaintance recently about Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. He liked the Massachusetts Democrat’s detailed policies and was impressed with her recent CNN town hall presentation. But he couldn’t back the senator because she doesn’t really stand a chance in the 2020 contest. Why not, I asked. He answered me with a rueful shrug, accompanied by one word: “Pocahontas.” That, of course, is the nickname President Trump has tagged Warren with — a reference to her having claimed Native American ancestry, including on law school faculty forms in the 1980s. (She does have...WW…

The lobbying campaign to save the Iran nuclear agreement was intense and took months. British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the deal with President Trump in more than a dozen phone calls. French President Emmanuel Macron pressed him on it during an elaborate state visit. So did German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a one-day work trip in April. And the Europeans made a Hail Mary pass Monday in the form of a White House visit by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. But for Trump, the decision to torpedo one of President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy achievements had...…The lobbying campaign to save the Iran nuclear agreement was intense and took months. British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the deal with President Trump in more than a dozen phone calls. French President Emmanuel Macron pressed him on it during an elaborate state visit. So did German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a one-day work trip in April. And the Europeans made a Hail Mary pass Monday in the form of a White House visit by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. But for Trump, the decision to torpedo one of President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy achievements had...WW…

President Trump has promised a top Senate Republican that he will support congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized marijuana — defusing a months-long standoff between Sen. Cory Gardner and the administration over Justice Department nominees.  In January, the Colorado Republican said he would block all DOJ nominations after Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo that heightened the prospect of a federal marijuana crackdown in states that had legalized the substance. Gardner’s home state made recreational marijuana legal in 2014.  In a phone call late Wednesday, Trump...…President Trump has promised a top Senate Republican that he will support congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized marijuana — defusing a months-long standoff between Sen. Cory Gardner and the administration over Justice Department nominees.  In January, the Colorado Republican said he would block all DOJ nominations after Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo that heightened the prospect of a federal marijuana crackdown in states that had legalized the substance. Gardner’s home state made recreational marijuana legal in 2014.  In a phone call late Wednesday, Trump...WW…

President Trump on Thursday imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum but offered relief to some U.S. allies, as the president bucked his party allies to pursue his long-held goal of rewriting what he views as rigged rules of international trade. The tariffs, set to take effect in 15 days, mark Trump’s broadest step yet to favor U.S. industries over their foreign competitors, but they stop short of his earlier plan to impose sweeping tariffs that would have hit U.S. allies and rivals alike. The tariffs contain an initial exemption for Canada and Mexico, as the administration seeks...…President Trump on Thursday imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum but offered relief to some U.S. allies, as the president bucked his party allies to pursue his long-held goal of rewriting what he views as rigged rules of international trade. The tariffs, set to take effect in 15 days, mark Trump’s broadest step yet to favor U.S. industries over their foreign competitors, but they stop short of his earlier plan to impose sweeping tariffs that would have hit U.S. allies and rivals alike. The tariffs contain an initial exemption for Canada and Mexico, as the administration seeks...WW…

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will announce a plan for the federal government to guarantee a job paying $15 an hour and health-care benefits to every American worker “who wants or needs one,” embracing the kind of large-scale government works project that Democrats have shied away from in recent decades. Sanders's jobs guarantee would fund hundreds of projects throughout the United States aimed at addressing priorities such as infrastructure, care giving, the environment, education and other goals. Under the job guarantee, every American would be entitled to a job under one of these projects...…Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will announce a plan for the federal government to guarantee a job paying $15 an hour and health-care benefits to every American worker “who wants or needs one,” embracing the kind of large-scale government works project that Democrats have shied away from in recent decades. Sanders's jobs guarantee would fund hundreds of projects throughout the United States aimed at addressing priorities such as infrastructure, care giving, the environment, education and other goals. Under the job guarantee, every American would be entitled to a job under one of these projects...WW…

In the three years since the start of the Iran nuclear agreement, a cluster of buildings near the Austrian capital has served as an unblinking eye over Tehran’s most sensitive factories and research labs. But perhaps not for much longer. Every day, workers arrive at the United Nations nuclear agency here to monitor live video from inside Iran’s once-secret uranium enrichment plants, part of an unbroken stream of data delivered by cameras and other remote sensors installed as part of the . Each week, scientists in lab coats analyze dust samples collected from across Iran, looking for minute...…In the three years since the start of the Iran nuclear agreement, a cluster of buildings near the Austrian capital has served as an unblinking eye over Tehran’s most sensitive factories and research labs. But perhaps not for much longer. Every day, workers arrive at the United Nations nuclear agency here to monitor live video from inside Iran’s once-secret uranium enrichment plants, part of an unbroken stream of data delivered by cameras and other remote sensors installed as part of the . Each week, scientists in lab coats analyze dust samples collected from across Iran, looking for minute...WW…

Desktop notifications are on   | Get breaking news alerts from Turn on desktop notifications? Two of Scott Pruitt’s top aides provided fresh details to congressional investigators in recent days about some of the EPA administrator’s most controversial spending and management decisions, including his push to find a six-figure job for his wife at a politically connected group, enlist staffers in performing personal tasks and seek high-end travel despite aides’ objections. The Trump administration appointees described an administrator who sought a salary that topped $200,000 for his wife and...…Desktop notifications are on   | Get breaking news alerts from Turn on desktop notifications? Two of Scott Pruitt’s top aides provided fresh details to congressional investigators in recent days about some of the EPA administrator’s most controversial spending and management decisions, including his push to find a six-figure job for his wife at a politically connected group, enlist staffers in performing personal tasks and seek high-end travel despite aides’ objections. The Trump administration appointees described an administrator who sought a salary that topped $200,000 for his wife and...WW…

Desktop notifications are on   | Get breaking news alerts from Turn on desktop notifications? Nineteen people have died of Ebola in Congo as health officials plan to send an experimental vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus that killed thousands in West Africa a few years ago. The World Health Organization said there have been 39 confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola over the past five weeks as the virus spreads across three rural areas covering nearly 40 miles in the northwest part of the country. Among the dead were three health-care workers. Health officials are following up with...…Desktop notifications are on   | Get breaking news alerts from Turn on desktop notifications? Nineteen people have died of Ebola in Congo as health officials plan to send an experimental vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus that killed thousands in West Africa a few years ago. The World Health Organization said there have been 39 confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola over the past five weeks as the virus spreads across three rural areas covering nearly 40 miles in the northwest part of the country. Among the dead were three health-care workers. Health officials are following up with...WW…

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The deadly wildfires that have ravaged Northern California over the past week — killing dozens and forcing thousands to flee their homes — continued to burn Sunday, as officials hoped lighter winds would help fire-suppression efforts. The said wind gusts north of San Francisco would gradually decrease Sunday, though “warm and very dry conditions” would persist. A red-flag warning remained in place in the region through Sunday morning. Overnight Saturday, stronger winds of 35 to 45 mph had prompted a new round of mandatory evacuations for thousands of residents in  and ,...…SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The deadly wildfires that have ravaged Northern California over the past week — killing dozens and forcing thousands to flee their homes — continued to burn Sunday, as officials hoped lighter winds would help fire-suppression efforts. The said wind gusts north of San Francisco would gradually decrease Sunday, though “warm and very dry conditions” would persist. A red-flag warning remained in place in the region through Sunday morning. Overnight Saturday, stronger winds of 35 to 45 mph had prompted a new round of mandatory evacuations for thousands of residents in  and ,...WW…

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced up to $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers caught in an escalating trade war, seeking to temper growing Republican dissent over President Trump’s trade policies. The aid is designed to help farmers facing tariffs in China, Mexico and other countries that imposed the levies on U.S. products in response to Trump’s new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. It is the latest sign that growing trade tensions between the United States and other countries are unlikely to end soon. White House officials say farmers will begin seeing payments by...…The Trump administration on Tuesday announced up to $12 billion in emergency aid to farmers caught in an escalating trade war, seeking to temper growing Republican dissent over President Trump’s trade policies. The aid is designed to help farmers facing tariffs in China, Mexico and other countries that imposed the levies on U.S. products in response to Trump’s new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. It is the latest sign that growing trade tensions between the United States and other countries are unlikely to end soon. White House officials say farmers will begin seeing payments by...WW…