Seth McLaughlin

Ted Cruz seizes lead for first time in Iowa: poll

For the first time in the 2016 presidential race, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is the top pick of likely GOP caucus-goers in Iowa, according to a Monmouth University poll.

December 7, 2015

Trump fares worst with Latino voters in 2016 White House race

A new poll challenges Donald J. Trump's repeated assertion that Hispanic voters love him in the 2016 presidential race.

December 7, 2015

Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions demand immigration information on California attackers

The shootings this week in California are escalating the debate on Capitol Hill over terrorism and immigration, and two of the Senate's most vocal opponents of President Obama's approach to both issues are now demanding the administration shares the immigration history of the San Bernardino attackers.

December 4, 2015

House leaders see visa restrictions, e-passports as ways to stop foreign terrorists

House leaders unveiled their plan Thursday to beef up restrictions on visa waivers as part of an ongoing effort to stop terrorists from entering the United States after the Paris attacks last month.

December 3, 2015

George W. Bush praises Dick Cheney’s ‘wise counsel’ as vice president at bust unveiling

Former President George W. Bush returned to Washington Thursday for the ceremonial unveiling of the bust of Richard Cheney inside the U.S. Capitol, saying his vice president had the "character, integrity and judgment" that he needed during a tumultuous time in the White House.

December 3, 2015

Chris Christie: Marco Rubio lacks the experience to be president

GOP presidential contender Chris Christie says he is confident that his experience gives him an edge over Sen. Marco Rubio in the Republican nomination race.

December 2, 2015

Donald Trump touts lifestyle without alcohol, drugs, cigarettes

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said future generations of Americans will have a better chance of being successful and living happy lives if they are encouraged to live a straight-edged lifestyle.

December 1, 2015

Chris Christie strong in New Hampshire on drug addiction issue

The drug issue in recent presidential elections has chiefly involved pot activists pushing for legalization, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is hoping to tap a different strain of the drug vote, making an appeal for compassion and treatment as he tries to woo a growing number of families affected by their relatives' addiction.

December 1, 2015

National Black Church Initiative calls for Donald Trump to drop out of 2016 race

A national coalition of black churches on Tuesday called on GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race, saying the New York billionaire is campaigning on a divisive message that runs counter to its history of fighting to "overcome racism and racist ideology."

December 1, 2015

Donald Trump leads, Ted Cruz surges, Ben Carson slips 2 months before Iowa caucuses

Donald Trump still holds a lead in the Republican presidential polls in Iowa, but Ben Carson is fading and Sen. Ted Cruz is catching up fast as the first-in-the-nation caucuses prepare for another wild finish.

November 29, 2015

Donald Trump not a ‘free market conservative,” critics say

Donald Trump's political and economic philosophies are starting to come into sharper focus, and some Republicans say the presidential candidate is shaping up to be more of a populist than anything else.

November 25, 2015

Ted Cruz bashes ‘Obama-Clinton foreign policy’ at GOP evangelical forum

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said Friday that "Obama-Clinton foreign policy" is to blame for growing threat of Islamic terrorism at a gathering of social conservatives in Iowa.

November 20, 2015

Donald Trump dubs Marco Rubio: ‘The king of amnesty’

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has a nickname for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio: "the king of amnesty."

November 20, 2015

Donald Trump feels ‘totally bad’ for Syrian refugees, but U.S. security higher priority

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump warned at a forum Thursday in Iowa that hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria will flow into the country if President Obama and Democrats get their way.

November 19, 2015

David Vitter slams Obama Syrian refugee plan in bid to win Louisiana governor runoff election

Fighting for his political life ahead of a runoff election this weekend, Louisiana gubernatorial candidate David Vitter has emerged as one of the most ardent opponents of President Obama's Syrian refugee plan, hoping to ride a wave of terrorism fears to a come-from-behind victory.

November 19, 2015

Donald Trump says Paris attack architect no mastermind, but ‘scum’

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump demanded Wednesday the news media stop describing the suspected architect of the terrorist attacks in Paris as a "mastermind" and start calling him what he really is: "scum."

November 18, 2015

Lindsey Graham wants Congress to grant war authorization against ISIS in Mideast

Presidential hopeful Sen. Lindsey Graham demanded Wednesday that Congress debate and pass a new authorization for an open-ended war against the Islamic State, as lawmakers on Capitol Hill increasingly clamored to put their own stamps on the way the U.S. is fighting in the Middle East.

November 18, 2015

Honduras stops Syrians with fake passports headed for U.S.: report

Police in Honduras have detained five Syrians they said were trying to reach the U.S. using stolen Greek passports, Reuters reported Wednesday in another development likely to hurt President Obama's efforts to welcome Syrian refugees.

November 18, 2015

Pro-Christie group dings Obama, Clinton on ISIS approach

A pro-Chris Christie group is about to release the first hard-hitting political ad taking President Obama to task over the Paris terrorist attacks, saying he and "second mate" Hillary Rodham Clinton have botched the fight against the Islamic State.

November 18, 2015

John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Lindsey Graham tout experience in wake of Paris attacks

Lagging GOP presidential candidates are moving to capitalize on the Paris terrorist attacks driving national security to the fore, making the case that their extensive government experience — a negative to many voters — is now a boon as the country searches for a leader to combat the Islamic State.

November 17, 2015