State senator asks Justice Department to monitor gay marriage in Texas
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – A Texas Democratic state senator has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to keep an eye on same-sex marriage in the state after a Republican leader said county clerks could deny wedding licenses on religious grounds, the senato…
Democrat Sanders raises $15 million in presidential campaign
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has raised $15 million from about 250,000 individual donors in the two months since he announced he was seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination to run for president, the Sanders campaign s…
Regional Feds’ head-hunting under scrutiny over insider bias, delays
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Efforts to fill top positions at some U.S. Federal Reserve regional branches are casting a spotlight on a decades-old process that critics say is opaque, favors insiders, and is ripe for reform.
Texas attorney general could face felony indictment: special prosecutor
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Special prosecutors will ask a Texas grand jury as early as this month to indict the state’s attorney general on first-degree felony charges for suspected securities laws violations, one of the prosecutors said on Thursday.
Wisconsin’s Walker to announce presidential bid July 13: aides
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on July 13, aides said on Thursday, a high-profile late entry into the race and one whose hopes largely depend on how he does …
California moves to strike ‘lynching’ language from state law
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday was considering whether to sign a bill that would remove the word “lynching” from a 1933 law that used the term to describe the crime of trying to wrest a person from police custody…
Wisconsin Governor Walker signs bill banning microbeads
(Reuters) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on Wednesday signed a bill into law that bans the manufacturing and sale of personal care products containing tiny plastic beads that are known to pollute waterways.
Chicago mayor urges legislature to tackle teacher pension funding woes
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday called on the Illinois Legislature to make fundamental changes to the funding of teachers pensions to stop the financial free fall at the city’s public school district.
U.S., Cuba restoring diplomatic ties after 54 years
HAVANA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and Cuba formally agreed on Wednesday to restore diplomatic relations on July 20, setting up a trip to Havana by John Kerry, who would become the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the country in 70 y…
Obama pushes state Medicaid expansion in healthcare hub Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) – Fresh from another Supreme Court validation of his landmark healthcare law, President Barack Obama visited healthcare hub Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday to push state governments to expand the Medicaid health program for…
