Ohio Senate passes bill banning abortion after 20 weeks
CLEVELAND (Reuters) – The Ohio Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, following the passage of a similar ban by the Wisconsin Senate this month.
In new hostage policy, U.S. will not prosecute families for paying ransom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday released a new policy aimed at becoming more sensitive to the needs of families of U.S. hostages held abroad, saying the government needed to “evolve” to take account of a shift in the way groups take…
Kerry heads to Vienna on Friday for Iran nuclear talks: U.S.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will fly to Vienna on Friday to take part in Iran nuclear talks ahead of a self-imposed June 30 deadline, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
California governor signs $115.4 billion budget
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown signed a $115.4 billion budget package on Wednesday in a compromise with the Democratically controlled legislature that expands some social programs but holds back on funding for others.
Illinois governor signs first FY 2016 budget bill
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner on Wednesday signed into law a school funding bill that marks the first fiscal 2016 budget bill passed by Democratic lawmakers to be enacted.
U.S. to alter long-term detention of immigrant families with children
(Reuters) – U.S. immigration authorities plan to cut back on long-term detention for families with children who entered the country illegally while speeding up how they are processed at detention centers, the homeland security secretary said on Wednesd…
Alabama governor orders Confederate flags removed from state capitol
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Reuters) – Alabama’s governor ordered Confederate flags removed from the grounds of the Southern state’s Capitol, his office said on Wednesday, joining a growing movement of politicians to spurn an emblem widely associated with slaver…
Obamacare could create quandary for Republicans before 2016 election
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Obamacare could put Republicans in a bind in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election if the U.S. Supreme Court in the next week upends part of the law designed to make healthcare accessible to all Americans, leaving mil…
More than 30 Americans held hostage outside U.S.: White House adviser
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than 30 American are currently being held hostage outside the United States, President Barack Obama’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco said on Wednesday.
Battle over Confederate flag unfurls in South Carolina and beyond
COLUMBIA, S.C. (Reuters) – An initiative to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds picked up steam on Tuesday, a week after the massacre of nine black church members, and criticism over the emblem long associated with s…
