First Run News

Catalans vote on Thursday for a new regional Parliament, an election that could decide whether the region persists in its drive for independence or instead seeks to negotiate a settlement with the Spanish central government after months of feuding.

BARCELONA — After Catalonia declared independence two months ago, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain took extraordinary control of the region and called elections, gambling that voters would punish the separatists who had propelled the nation’s worst constitutional crisis in decades. That election now com

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, who has openly criticized powerful governments, including the Trump administration, has made the unusual decision to not seek a second four-year term, saying it “might involve bending a knee in supplication.” The decision by the official, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, a Jordanian prince and former diplomat, was conveyed in a short statement that was emailed to his staff early Wednesday and shared with The New York Times.

WASHINGTON — An end-of-the-year showdown that was once promised over delicate issues like immigration, health care and surveillance appeared to fizzle on Wednesday as key Republicans dropped their demands to shore up shaky health insurance markets and Democrats appeared to abandon their goal to force adoption of a measure protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Instead, Congress moved toward a one-month punt that would keep the government funded into January and once again put off policy confrontations. As Republicans celebrated the passage of their tax overhaul at the White

WASHINGTON — The House, forced to vote a second time on the $1.5 trillion tax bill, moved swiftly to pass the final version on Wednesday, clearing the way for President Trump to sign into law the most sweeping tax overhaul in decades. House lawmakers approved the tax bill 224 to 201 on Wednesday, after being forced to vote on the bill again after last-minute revisions were made to it in the Senate, which passed the measure 51 to 48 early Wednesday morning. The final House vote was essentially a formality, as the changes, which were made to comply with Senate budget rules, did not significantly

WASHINGTON — The House, forced to vote a second time on the $1.5 trillion tax bill, moved swiftly to pass the final version on Wednesday, clearing the way for President Trump to sign into law the most sweeping tax overhaul in decades. House lawmakers approved the tax bill 224 to 201 on Wednesday, after being forced to vote on the bill again after last-minute revisions were made to it in the Senate, which passed the measure 51 to 48 early Wednesday morning. The final House vote was essentially a formality, as the changes, which were made to comply with Senate budget rules, did not significantly

Robert Mueller. Upon returning to the White House from ABC News' Alexander Mallin and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.

Hours after the President Trump argued that the accident highlights the need for infrastructure spending. "The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, Wash., shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble!

After struggling to answer basic legal questions during his confirmation hearing last week, President Donald Trump’s nominee for a U.S. District Court Matthew Spencer Petersen has withdrawn his name from consideration. "Mr. Petersen has withdrawn his nomination and the president has accepted," a White House official told ABC News. Petersen’s withdrawal comes after a video went viral of him fumbling through a line of questioning on points of basic legal procedure by Republican Sen.

The TAKE with Rick Klein The win might be the biggest and the best, the most incredible and most unbelievable thing to ever happen in American politics. It rattled the gavel off of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s podium.