Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Bill Cassidy, R-La., both announced that they would vote to confirm former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to serve as Director of National Intelligence. In a party-line vote on Monday, Murkowski, Cassidy, and the other Republican senators who voted opted to move forward with the confirmation process by supporting cloture, while the members of the Senate Democratic caucus who voted opposed cloture.  “I will vote...

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ending the “procurement and forced use of paper straws.” The order directs the federal government to stop purchasing paper straws and ensure they are no longer offered in federal buildings, according to a White House fact sheet. It also requires the development of a “National Strategy” to end the use of paper straws within 45 days and “alleviate the...