Wisconsin governor signs bill ending early weekend voting
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on Thursday signed a measure into law that eliminates absentee voting on weekends ahead of elections but vetoed a provision that restricted weekday voting hours across the state.
Senate advances bill to renew expired jobless benefits
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A White House-backed bill to renew expired jobless benefits for 2.2 million Americans cleared a Republican procedural hurdle on Thursday in the Democratic-led Senate.
Senate panel plans to make losers pay for frivolous patent lawsuits
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. senators seeking to curb frivolous patent litigation plan to add a “loser pays” amendment into a bill that many believe has a good chance of becoming law, a leading lawmaker said on Thursday.
Alabama candidate takes shot, literally, at Obamacare in ad
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) – A congressional candidate in Alabama is taking aim – literally – at the federal statute known as Obamacare in a new campaign advertisement in which he fires rounds from several weapons into a paper copy of the healthcare…
Read his lips: Former U.S. President Bush to be honored for tax compromise
BOSTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush was pilloried in 1990 when he broke his “Read my lips: no new taxes” campaign pledge, and may have lost his chance at re-election as a result. But this year he is getting an award for the decis…
White House unveils plan to end NSA’s bulk collection of phone data
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Thursday announced details of its plan to end the government’s vast bulk collection of data about phone calls made in the United States, including new procedures to get judicial approval before asking …
Obama hears Vatican’s concerns over health care, invites Pope to US
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama heard the Catholic Church’s concerns over his health care plan while on a visit to the Vatican on Thursday, but drew a cheerful response from Pope Francis when inviting him to visit Washington.
U.S. senator urges GM to tell owners of recalled cars not to drive them
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – General Motors should promptly warn consumers not to drive GM cars recalled because of faulty ignition switches that can unexpectedly turn off engines and air bags as the vehicles are running, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said…
New Jersey governor’s internal investigation clears him in ‘Bridgegate’
NEW YORK (Reuters) – An investigation commissioned by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie cleared the potential Republican presidential contender on Thursday of wrongdoing in the “Bridgegate” scandal and blamed senior staffers for orchestrating the mass…
Faulty state Obamacare exchanges weigh joining HealthCare.gov
(Reuters) – A few U.S. states whose newly created Obamacare insurance exchanges were stalled by technology failures may join the federal government’s HealthCare.gov marketplace for next year, while only two states that relied on the administration plan…