Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump said the U.S. will “hit” drug smugglers attempting to enter the U.S. by land after a series of lethal strikes on cartel boats at sea. The president was questioned about his use of military force to crack down on drug smugglers in the Caribbean and Pacific following the eighth such strike in recent weeks. Trump acknowledged “it...

Democrats pulled out all the stops Wednesday to delay the vote on a short-term spending bill to reopen the government, the 12th time the Senate has considered the measure since the government entered a shutdown Oct. 1. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., embarked on a nearly 24-hour speech at 6:23 p.m. Tuesday, concluding his remarks at 5 p.m. the next day. Merkley, 68, warned viewers of the authoritarianism he...

Maine Democrat Graham Platner, a first-time Senate candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says he has covered up a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol after critics unearthed old social media posts and demanded he quit the race. Platner’s campaign is facing intense scrutiny after it was revealed he once had a skull-and-crossbones tattoo resembling the Totenkopf used by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces.  Platner said he...