Arkansas judge strikes down voter ID law as unconstitutional
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) – An Arkansas judge declared the state’s new voter identification law unconstitutional on Thursday since it stipulates that voters must meet an additional requirement before casting a ballot.
Colorado lawmakers advance bill to crack down on ‘revenge porn’
DENVER (Reuters) – A bill that would criminalize the posting of intimate images over the Internet as an act of humiliation – so-called “revenge porn” – passed its first test in the Colorado state legislature on Thursday, sailing unanimously through a k…
California lawmakers aim to tighten handgun restrictions
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) – A bill banning the sale of single-shot handguns that can be modified into semi-automatic weapons advanced in the California legislature on Thursday as lawmakers sought to close what the bill’s supporters say is a loop…
Senate panel to vote on Fischer, other Fed nominees on Tuesday
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate Banking Committee will vote next week on three nominees to the Federal Reserve’s board, including Stanley Fischer for vice chairman, in a big step toward bulking up the U.S. central bank’s depleted ranks.
Obama administration may unveil new deportation policy in two stages
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House is considering small steps in the near term to ease the threat of deportation for some undocumented immigrants, but advocates in communication with the administration expect President Barack Obama to make bigger c…
Conservative group pulls photo of Colorado theater massacre from attack ad
DENVER (Reuters) – A conservative advocacy group has pulled a photograph used in an attack ad against Democratic Senator Mark Udall that depicted him with a grim-faced President Barack Obama in the aftermath of the Colorado theater massacre, after vict…
Judge strikes down NY limits on donations to ‘super PACs’
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal judge on Thursday reluctantly struck down New York’s limits on donations to independent political action committees as unconstitutional, potentially ushering in a new era of “super PACs” in state campaigns.
Michelle Obama changes Kansas speech date after students protest
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – First lady Michelle Obama has switched her plans to address a high school commencement ceremony in Topeka, Kansas, in May after students protested that her presence would limit the number of family members they could invite to th…
U.S. trade bank urges lawmakers to renew charter, avoid ‘political games’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers should back a bill renewing the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s charter and stop playing “political games” that will only hurt American exports and jobs, the bank’s president said on Thursday.
Politics clouds proposed overhaul of U.S. housing finance system
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate Banking Committee appears likely to back a bill to wind down government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to sources familiar with talks on the legislation.