Tag: Roy Blunt

The Story: In a U.S. Senate split 50-50 on partisan grounds, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, one of the two Democrats who seem most...

The Story: Eric Greitens was elected Governor of Missouri in 2016 and inaugurated the following January. He resigned in June 2018, in the midst of...

As the second year of the Trump administration comes to a close, here are five moments from this year's political news that everyone can find something to smile about, no matter your political leaning. Michelle Obama and George W. Bush's friendship Since President Barack Obama took office, protocol has placed these two next to each other during official events. Tammy Duckworth's baby on the Senate floor In April, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth gave birth to a baby girl, making her the first U.S. senator ever to give birth while in office. Weeks later, after Davidson shared a troubling Instagram post indicating he may have been feeling suicidal, Crenshaw reached out. "I told him everyone had a purpose in this world," Crenshaw said. On Elizabeth Warren's 38th wedding anniversary, her husband Bruce brought home a golden retriever named Bailey. "A few weeks ago, Bruce said, 'We're getting a dog,'" the senator wrote on Instagram. Bush enlisted the help of a new family member in his final months -- a yellow Labrador retriever service dog named Sully. Sully was set to go back into service to help other veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, according to a post on Instagram by former President George W. Bush. High Election Day turnout Voters turned out in record numbers this year, with an estimated 118 million people casting their ballots in the 2018 midterms.

In a statement posted on Medium, Kander said he has been in contact with Veterans Affairs support services for months but worried that acknowledging his personal struggles could damage his political career. “I knew I needed help and yet I still stopped short,” he wrote. I was thinking about what it could mean for my political future if someone found out. Kander, 37, said he used the VA Crisis Line just last week after having suicidal thoughts, despite positive news about his mayoral campaign and a recent book deal. He said that he felt unworthy of claiming significant mental health problems “because I didn’t earn it” during his time in the Army. “I decided to be public for two reasons: First, I think being honest will help me through this. Kander enlisted in the Army National Guard after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and volunteered for deployment to Afghanistan in 2005. His book about his time in the military — "Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage" — was published this summer. In his statement, Kander said that “when I wrote in my book that I was lucky to not have PTSD, I was just trying to convince myself.” VA and Pentagon officials over the last decade have worked to fight the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health challenges, both by expanding health services and discussing the importance of viewing the issues as treatable injuries. Veterans, troops or their families members can also text 838255 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for assistance.