Second House panel approves Obamacare replacement plan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Republican plan backed by President Donald Trump to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system passed through a second congressional panel on Thursday, despite controversy among lawmakers, hospitals and insurers about its unknown cost…
More states seek to halt Trump’s new travel ban in court
(Reuters) – Several states said on Thursday they would move forward with legal challenges to a revised executive order signed by President Donald Trump this week that temporarily bars the admission of refugees and some travelers from a group of Muslim-…
FBI’s Comey meets with top U.S. congressional leaders
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – FBI Director James Comey on Thursday met with senior congressional leaders, including the intelligence committee chiefs, FBI and congressional officials said.
New Hampshire legislature blocks bill on transgender rights
(Reuters) – State legislators in New Hampshire narrowly blocked a bill on Thursday that would have prohibited discrimination against transgender people, including allowing them to use the public bathrooms that match the gender with which they identify….
Senate panel backs Trump nominee to be ambassador to Israel
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 12-9 on Thursday to approve President Donald Trump’s nominee as ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, an outspoken bankruptcy lawyer aligned with the Israeli right.
To Moscow, Trump’s choice for envoy makes Russian thaw less likely
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Reports that Jon Huntsman will become the next U.S. ambassador to Russia stirred anxiety in Moscow on Thursday, with one politician calling him a hawk and pro-Kremlin media recalling what they said was his worrying history of hostile…
EPA chief unconvinced on CO2 link to global warming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday he is not convinced that carbon dioxide from human activity is the main driver of climate change and said he wants Congress to weigh in on whether CO2 is a harm…
Senate Banking Committee approves capital formation bills
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. Senate panel on Thursday approved with bipartisan support a raft of bills aimed at spurring capital formation, marking its first step this year toward modernizing market rules that critics have said are outdated and get in…
Trump meets with U.S. community bankers, pledges to scale back regulations
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump promised in a meeting with community bankers on Thursday to strip away some Dodd-Frank financial regulations and ensure they can continue giving small businesses access to capital.
China gives greenlight to dozens of Trump trademarks
SHANGHAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China has granted preliminary approval for 38 trademarks linked to Donald Trump, documents on China’s state trademark office show, giving the U.S. President and his family protection were they to develop the “Trump” bran…