U.S. Edition
(CNN) – After soon-to-be congressman Mark Sanford is sworn into office this week, he’ll begin working with the national Republican Party, despite their campaign wing’s decision to pull out of his race just weeks ahead of the May 7 vote.
“I think always past is past, and I look forward to working with the entire Republican team,” Sanford said on “Fox News Sunday.” FULL POST
(CNN) - Republicans continued to put Hillary Clinton at the center of their inquest into last September's attack in Benghazi, claiming Sunday the former secretary of state wasn't assigned enough blame in an independent probe of the incident.
But in singling out the top Democratic presidential prospect for 2016, Republicans find themselves balancing their quest for answers with charges of being overly aggressive in a bid for political gain. FULL POST
(CNN) - The way the military has prosecuted sexual assaults within its ranks is deplorable, two congresswomen who have served in the armed forces said Sunday, calling for a new system for reporting those kinds of crimes.
Reps. Tammy Duckworth and Tulsi Gabbard, both Democrats, said last week’s report indicating a 30% rise in the number of service members anonymously reporting sexual assaults was an indication the military’s leadership has failed in its duty to protect members of the armed forces. FULL POST
(CNN) – President Barack Obama should personally condemn the Internal Revenue Service for putting extra scrutiny on conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status, Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday.
The Maine Republican said the disclosure that a government agency would go after groups with "tea party" or "patriot" in their names would only add to a growing sense of mistrust Americans have in their government. She was one of a number of Republicans who blasted the IRS on Sunday's talk shows. FULL POST
(CNN) – The leader of a panel charged with reviewing September’s attack in Benghazi, Libya, said Sunday that criticism of his report was unfounded and did not accurately reflect how his review was carried out.
Thomas Pickering, a former ambassador and co-chair of the Benghazi Accountability Review Board, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that critics at last week’s congressional hearing into the attack were wrong in their assertions his board failed to interview key witnesses. FULL POST
(CNN) - The mayor of San Antonio, Texas, Julián Castro, is likely to win re-election when the remaining votes from Saturday's election are tallied. With over 98% of precincts reporting, a preliminary tally showed Castro held 67% of the vote and stood 53 points ahead of his closest competitor in the six-way race.
Candidates do not declare a party affiliation, but Castro is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. He was in the spotlight as keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention last summer, a launching pad for others' successful political careers. FULL POST