President Trump gives new versions of what he told Putin

After clarifying that he did not intend to side with Vladimir Putin against American intelligence agencies, President Donald Trump now offers a new version of what he told the Russian strongman in their private meeting Monday.

House Speaker Ryan won't run for re-election as GOP worries about midterms

House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Wednesday he will retire rather than seek another term in Congress as the steady if reluctant wingman for President Donald Trump, sending ripples through a Washington already on edge and spreading new uncertainty through a party bracing for a rough election year.

Rauner compares foes' tactics to 'mafia racket'

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Thursday compared the business practices of Illinois' powerful House speaker with mafia tactics, opening a new attack on his longtime political foe while urging Republican unity following a bruising primary he barely won.

Rauner, Pritzker win primaries in Illinois governor's race

The race for Illinois governor will be a battle between two deep-pocketed candidates who've already sunk more than $120 million combined into the contest, putting it on pace to become the costliest such campaign in U.S. history.

Early voting for Illinois primary far exceeds last midterm

Far more people have cast early ballots for Illinois' primary than did so four years ago, an increase that comes amid competitive contests for governor and other offices and record-breaking spending that has made the election nearly impossible to ignore.