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Betsy DeVos, President Trump's pick to be the next secretary of education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

Betsy DeVos, President Trump's pick to be the next secretary of education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month.

Senate Democrats held an all-night session Monday night into Tuesday morning in a last-ditch effort to try to stop President Trump's nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, from being confirmed.

Among those who took to the floor was Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who said it was "difficult to imagine a worse choice to head the Department of Education."

"Betsy DeVos doesn't believe in public schools," Warren said. "Her only knowledge of student loans seems to come from her own financial investments connected to debt collectors who hound people struggling with student loans, and, despite being a billionaire, she wants the chance to keep making money on shady investments while she runs the Department of Education."

During DeVos' confirmation hearing, Warren pushed the nominee on how she would "protect against waste, fraud and abuse," citing Trump University, a for-profit organization that was at the center of a $25 million settlement agreement in November.

Right now, DeVos just barely has enough votes to get confirmed. Two Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins from Maine both announced last week they won't support her nomination. That means there's a 50-50 split right now, with Vice President Pence expected to break the tie with a vote slated for Tuesday afternoon.

The tactic from Democrats can't stop a vote from happening; Cabinet members are no longer subjected to a 60-vote threshold to end debate. Instead they're hoping the overnight rally of sorts will give members of the public more time to call in and pressure their representatives to rethink their position.

"I know for a fact there are other Republicans who are feeling the heat and could come around," Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Monday afternoon on the Senate floor.

DeVos has become one of Trump's most controversial nominees, eliciting strong public backlash and prompting thousands of phone calls, letters and emails from voters urging senators to oppose her nomination.

A major GOP donor and former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, DeVos has no previous experience in public education, though she has been a longtime champion of of school choice and vouchers.

She also had a rough confirmation hearing last month that seemed to expose her weaknesses and inexperience. She was tripped up when asked about accountability standards and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Those missteps were even lampooned on Saturday Night Live over the weekend.

The delay in voting on DeVos has also had a domino effect on another of Trump's nominees. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the president's pick for attorney general, is still needed to cast a critical vote in DeVos' favor. So his confirmation vote can't be held until the education nominee is moved through.

The Senate is also primed to vote this week on Georgia Rep. Tom Price's nomination to run the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as Steven Mnuchin for secretary of the Treasury. Democrats don't have the votes to stop either one, but they have been exhausting the maximum amount of time on the floor to debate nominees, stretching the process for each one out over a couple of days.

GOP leaders have threatened to keep the Senate in session into the weekend to get all of those nominees confirmed this week.

Excerpt from:
Senate Democrats Rally Overnight Against Trump's Education Pick Ahead Of Vote - NPR

Rep. Jerrold Angerer (D-NY) (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A senior member of the House Judiciary Committee introduced a Resolution of Inquiry on Thursday that directs the Department of Justice to provide the House of Representatives with any and all information relevant to an inquiry into President Trump and his associates conflicts of interest, ethical violations (including the Emoluments Clause), and Russia ties.

The House Judiciary Committee has 14 days to debate and vote on whether the resolution Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced should be introduced to the floor, and if it does not do so within that 14-day period, then the resolution can be brought to the floor in front of the full house for a vote.

According to the Washington Post, Nadler is dusting off a little-used legislative tool to force a committee debate or floor vote on an issue.

More from the Washington Post:

Nadlers resolution asks Attorney General Jeff Sessions to provide copies of any document, record, memo, correspondence, or other communication of the Department of Justice that pertains to any criminal or counterintelligence investigation into Trump, his White House team or certain campaign associates; any investment made by a foreign power or agent thereof in Trumps businesses; Trumps plans to distance himself from his business empire; and any Trump-related examination of federal conflict of interest laws or the emoluments clause of the Constitution.

The full text of Nadlers resolution can be read here.

Nadler is the No. 2-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and he said that the move came after Democrats sent two letters to Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), one on Nov. 30, 2016 and a second on Jan. 24, 2017, and another letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) asking for investigations into Trumps financial entanglements.

All of this demands investigation, and of course theyve refused, Nadler said Thursday at the House Democrats annual policy retreat here. This resolution will force them to confront the issue.

The resolution asks for records on any investigation targeting Trump as well as national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, oil industry consultant and former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, political operative Roger Stone, or any employee of the Executive Office of the President.

Flynn, Manafort, Page and Stone have all come under scrutiny for their alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While Trump has stepped down from the management side of his businesses, he has not divested his assets, a move that was recommended by the nonpartisan Office of Government Ethics.

While Nadler himself has not mentioned nor implied that this resolution has anything to do with impeachment of the president, many are speculating as to whether this could be the opening salvo that leads us down that path.

As a nation, we have watched the president make many questionable moves in his first three weeks in office, and the ties that many of his closest advisers in his administration have to Russia are undeniable.

As Countable notes, the information yielded by the inquiry could lead to broader calls for impeachment.

More from Countable:

As a reminder, impeachment involves the levying of charges against a government official who has committed treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. The indictment comes from the House, and if a majority of lawmakers support impeachment the case advances to the Senate. The Senate then begins a trial with witnesses and cross-examinations, and a two-thirds majority is required to convict an official. In the event of a conviction, the official is immediately removed from office and could be barred from holding office in the future or face criminal prosecution.

Nadler said that the resolution will force Republicans to debate their role in holding Trump accountable for his potential business conflicts, and it will possibly force every member of Congress to vote on the matter.

If the resolution comes to the floor, Republicans would most likely move to table it, and Nadler said, That means every Republican will have to vote, in effect, on whether or not to abdicate their responsibility to have oversight.

And thats really all a lot of us want right? Republicans are in control of the government, and they are letting Trump (someone on Twitter called him President Twitler, but I wont do that here) run around like a Bebe kid just doing whatever he wants whenever he wants without checking him. Its dangerous, and the fact that they act like they dont have the power to stop him is scary.

Even if the resolution does not lead to impeachment, lets start getting this man in check and redirect him to the purpose of his job, which is serving the American people.

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Could This Be The 1st Step In The Impeachment Process? Democrat Files 'Resolution of Inquiry' on Trump - The Root

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Tulsi Gabbard, a charismatic, two-time Veteran of the Iraq war, and congresswoman from Hawaii, is turning the Democratic Party on its head. Refusing to play partisan politics, she instead opts to cosponsor policy that could be best described as common sense. Despite falling very much on the Progressive side of the ideological scale, she has caught the ire of many Democrats. She has committed three egregious sins in their eyes; the first being her apparent willingness to work with President Trump, as she demonstrated by her post-election visit to Trump Tower in late November. Secondly, she was one of the most outspoken Democratic critics of President Obamas foreign policy. She condemned the former President for not using the words Islamic extremism a favorite attack line of Republicans, including the then candidate Donald J. Trump. Finally, as Vice-Chair of the DNC, she refused support for the rigged Democratic Primary, and instead resigned. In the process, she rebuked Clinton stooge and DNC Chair, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and backed populist candidate Senator Bernie Sanders in a coup de foudre. She was totally vindicated five months later when WikiLeaks exposed high level corruption which then ultimately forced the resignation of Wasserman-Schultz. This would be the first, but not the last, time she demonstrated her incredible political instincts.

Her meeting at Trump Tower in New York, and her comfortable appearance as a guest on Fox News with Tucker Carlson, should not come as a surprise but rather indicate a calculated political strategy. She is reaching out to a demographic that has been written off by the DNC. She may be one of the only Democratic politicians who, left in the wake of Novembers election, truly gets it. The election was less about identity politics than the left so desperately tried to define it as, and was more Americanism vs. globalism. It was no coincidence Senator Sanders and President Trumps campaign had similar anti-globalist and anti-government corruption themes. This is why candidate Trump tried to appeal to disenfranchised Sanders voters in the fall out of Clintons nomination; a demographic taken for granted by Clinton. Congresswoman Gabbard saw the power of populism in the meteoric rise of the Sanders campaign, and started hedging her political aspirations; backing Sanders over Clinton shows she is laying groundwork for a similar campaign in 2020 and beyond.

Further demonstrating her populist appeal is the Hill.coms report that Congresswoman Gabbard is a favorite of Steve Bannon, the populist architect of the Trump campaign. It also explains why she was an early consideration for Secretary of State in the Trump Administration an option which still may be on the table for a second-term Trump presidency as part of a sweetheart deal to keep her out of the race as a challenger. She has real potential as a future Presidential candidate as far as electoral math is concerned. As William F. Buckley once said, The Average American is not a liberal nor is he a conservative. He may have liberal leanings or Conservative leanings; but it is a mistake to think of him as a conscious agent. Here is where Congresswoman Gabbard stands to capitalize: her progressive Democratic platform has appeal on the Liberal coasts, but her refusal to take a hard-line stance on gun control and her disdain for globalist trade deals could bring the Aloha Spirit to Trump Republicans in the Midwest. Her common sense legislation like the Stop Arming Terrorists Act and general opposition of foreign conflict could garner her support with Libertarians and other ideological moderates. She also fits many different political demographics as a mixed race woman and Veteran if a race was defined as around identity politics. Most importantly, she is maneuvering away from the herd: when Democrats are happy to settle for obstructionism, she is looking like a pragmatist.

In four years, an exhausted Democratic Party establishment, tired from battling President Trump, will be primed for a shocking primary defeat to a populist candidate, akin to the Republicans in 2016 after eight years of battling Obama. That candidate is Tulsi Gabbard.

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A Progressive Democrat Is Populism's Heir Apparent - Daily Caller

Reports that President Donald Trump's national security adviser secretly called Russia's ambassador to the US to discuss sanctions before Trump took office raise "serious questions of legality and fitness for office," the House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat said Friday.

The Washington Post and the New York Times reported on Thursday night, citing nearly a dozen current and former officials in total, that the adviser, Michael Flynn, had spoken with Russia's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, about sanctions before Trump was sworn in including at least one call on the day President Barack Obama imposed new penalties on Russia for its election-related meddling.

"The allegation that General Flynn, while President Obama was still in office, secretly discussed with Russia's ambassador ways to undermine the sanctions levied against Russia for its interference in the Presidential election on Donald Trump's behalf, raises serious questions of legality and fitness for office," Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the committee, wrote in a statement.

"If he did so, and then he and other Administration officials misled the American people, his conduct would be all the more pernicious, and he should no longer serve in this Administration or any other," Schiff added.

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Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn

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Retired United States Army lieutenant general Michael T. Flynn introduces Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump before he delivered a speech at The Union League of Philadelphia on September 7, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Trump spoke about his plans to build up the military if elected. Recent national polls show the presidential race is tightening with two months until the election.

(Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, prepares to testify at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Dirksen Building titled 'Current and Future Worldwide Threats,' featuring testimony by he and James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence.

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn arrives at the Trump Tower for meetings with US President-elect Donald Trump, in New York on November 17, 2016.

(EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, at podium, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attend a campaign event with veterans at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave., NW, where Trump stated he believes President Obama was born in the United States, September 16, 2016.

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

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Both Flynn and Vice President Mike Pence had previously denied that the sanctions were discussed on the calls, but counterintelligence officials told The Times they had transcripts of the conversations. Flynn denied the allegations through Wednesday, according to The Post, but then backed away from those denials through his spokesperson on Thursday.

Flynn, the spokesperson said, "indicated that while he had no recollection of discussing sanctions, he couldn't be certain that the topic never came up."

The former officials told The Post and The Times that while Flynn did not make any explicit promises about lifting the sanctions on Russia, Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, "was left with the impression that the sanctions would be revisited at a later time."

Federal officials who have read the transcript of the call "were surprised by Mr. Flynn's comments, since he would have known that American eavesdroppers closely monitor such calls," The Times reported. "They were even more surprised that Mr. Trump's team publicly denied that the topics of conversation included sanctions."

Schiff is one of seven top Democratic lawmakers calling on the Defense Department to investigate whether Flynn ran afoul of the Constitution by being paid to speak at a gala in Moscow in December 2015 celebrating the 10th anniversary of the state-sponsored news agency Russia Today.

"Since his retirement in 2014, General Flynn has made regular appearances on Russia Today (RT), that country's state-sponsored propaganda outlet," the lawmakers wrote. "He has admitted to being paid on at least one of these occasions at an RT gala in Moscow where he dined with Russian President Vladimir Putin."

Flynn told The Washington Post last year that he had been paid to speak at the event, but he did not disclose the amount.

The emoluments clause of the Constitution deals with conflicts of interest that might arise by accepting gifts or payments from a foreign country. It has been cited by critics of Trump's refusal to sell off his businesses, which operate in four continents and nearly two dozen countries.

The lawmakers, in a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, requested that Mattis provide "all documents in the possession or control" of the Defense Department relating to Flynn's communications with Russian government officials, interactions with RT officials, and payments received from "any foreign source" from the time he retired through January 20 the date on which Trump was inaugurated.

NOW WATCH: Watch protesters and Trump supporters get into a fiery argument on the National Mall right after the new president was sworn in

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Top-ranking intel Democrat: Flynn 'should no longer serve' if he made secret calls to Russian ambassador - AOL News

(1 of ) Water trickles down as workers inspect part of the Lake Oroville spillway failure on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017 in Oroville, Calif. The Department of Water Resources said the erosion at Lake Oroville does not pose a threat to the earthen dam or public safety, and the reservoir has plenty of capacity to handle the continuing rain. (Randy Pench/The Sacramento Bee via AP) (2 of ) Water flows through break in the wall of the Oroville Dam spillway, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. The torrent chewed up trees and soil alongside the concrete spillway before rejoining the main channel below. Engineers don't know what caused what state Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See called a "massive" cave-in that is expected to keep growing until it reaches bedrock. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (3 of ) Water flows through break in the wall of the Oroville Dam spillway, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. The torrent chewed up trees and soil alongside the concrete spillway before rejoining the main channel below. Engineers don't know what caused what state Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See called a "massive" cave-in that is expected to keep growing until it reaches bedrock. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (4 of ) Water flows through break in the wall of the Oroville Dam spillway, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Oroville, Calif. Engineers don't know what caused what state Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See called a "massive" cave-in that is expected to keep growing until it reaches bedrock. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (5 of ) The Pee Wee Golf course is inundated by floodwaters Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (6 of ) Part of the River Bend recreation area are submerged under floodwater Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, near Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (7 of ) The Pee Wee Golf course is seen under floodwaters Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (8 of ) A man operates a motor boat in a flooded area Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (9 of ) Grape vines at Korbel vineyards are submerged under floodwater Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, near Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (10 of ) A man takes a photo of a flooded street on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (11 of ) Residents traverse a flooded street by rowboat, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (12 of ) Grape vines at Korbel vineyards are flooded Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, near Guerneville, Calif. The Russian River rose above its flood stage again on Friday due to excessive rain in the area causing minor flooding. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) (13 of ) A mudslide reaches a home after a series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (14 of ) A mudslide damages as home after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (15 of ) A contractor flies a drone over a property damaged by a mudslide after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (16 of ) A contractor flies a drone over a property damaged by a mudslide after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (17 of ) A mudslide covers a hillside after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (18 of ) A mudslide damages as home after series of storms Friday, Feb. 10, 2017, in Orinda, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

JOHN ANTCZAK

ASSOCIATED PRESS | February 10, 2017, 8:17PM

| Updated 10 hours ago.

LOS ANGELES California Gov. Jerry Brown asked President Trump on Friday to declare a major disaster in the state because of damage from a month of storms as more rain hit the south.

Browns letter said a powerful series of January storms brought relentless rain and high winds that caused flooding, mudslides, evacuations, erosion, power outages and at least eight deaths. Northern California was hardest hit.

Brown said the storm system was so severe and widespread that state and local governments need federal assistance to continue dealing with the problems it created.

In a separate action, the governor added Amador, Mono and Riverside to the 49 counties included in an emergency proclamation Brown issued last month.

A so-called atmospheric river weather system continued to pummel the upper two-thirds of the state this week but it weakened as if moved south down the coast on Friday.

The region from Ventura County to the Mexican border generally saw less than a half-inch of rain, although the National Weather Service said rain could continue to fall into Saturday, particularly in the mountains.

Thanks to a wet winter, downtown Los Angeles already has recorded 15.7 inches of rain since the Oct. 1 start of the water year, exceeding its annual rainfall total with the season far from over.

In the north, which reeled this week from fierce downpours, rising water and damaging mudslides, the rain tapered off. But problems persisted.

In Butte County, workers scrambled to rescue millions of baby salmon from a hatchery being buried in mud from the crumbling spillway of the Lake Oroville Dam. The fish were evacuated by tanker trucks.

Damage to the spillway could approach $100 million, officials said.

On Friday, state officials said they may be able to avoid emergency releases from the rain-choked reservoir by further sacrificing the concrete spillway.

Basically its going to be a triage situation. We know were going to have erosion going on but its in the best interest of the lake right now to be able to keep using the spillway to evacuate water, California Department of Water Resources spokesman Eric See.

A vast swatch of Californias northern interior and areas of the Central Valley remained under flood advisories or warnings into Saturday.

In the Sierra Nevada, winter storm warnings were to remain in effect until early Saturday in the greater Lake Tahoe area and Mono County.

Link:
Gov. Brown seeks disaster declaration for California flooding - Santa Rosa Press Democrat