National groups send a prayer to the Supreme Court
GREECE, New York (Reuters) – Bankrolled by powerful outside interests, what began as a dispute aired in the pages of a town’s local newspaper next week moves to the U.S. Supreme Court where justices could potentially roll back legal precedents that lim…
Pair of U.S. lawmakers urge budget negotiators to set early spending cap
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A senior U.S. Senate Democrat and a high-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives urged congressional budget negotiators on Thursday to agree on a 2014 spending level by November 22 – even if they have not yet figured o…
Kerry to make first trip to Egypt since Mursi’s ouster
CAIRO (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Egypt on Sunday for the first time since the army toppled the country’s first freely elected president on July 3, state news agency MENA said.
Pentagon chief criticizes states over ID cards for same-sex couples
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel criticized nine U.S. states on Thursday for refusing to issue identity cards to same-sex spouses and said he expected the adjutants general for the state militias to comply with lawful directions and…
Senate panel passes plan to restrict but keep mass surveillance
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate Intelligence Committee approved legislation on Thursday that would tighten controls on the government’s sweeping electronic eavesdropping programs but allow them to continue.
Enrollment in Obamacare very small in first days: documents
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Enrollment in health insurance plans on the troubled Obamacare website was very small in the first couple of days of operation, with just 248 Americans signing up, according to documents released on Thursday by a U.S. House of Re…
Mayor in Hawaii vetoes measure curbing pesticides, GMO crops
LIHUE, Hawaii (Reuters) – The mayor of the tropical island of Kauai, Hawaii, vetoed a measure on Thursday that reins in pesticide use by agricultural companies and limits where they can plant genetically modified crops, saying the bill was “legally fla…
Book says Obama aides considered replacing Biden with Clinton: NYT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s top aides considered replacing Vice President Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton for Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign but decided it would not significantly help, the New York Times reported on Thursday, cit…
Obamacare controversy hits close to home for Capitol Hill staff
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican lawmakers opposed to Obamacare have been grappling with a predicament of their own making as they decide whether to move their staff into the new insurance marketplaces tied to President Barack Obama’s healthcare overh…
Biden urges U.S. lawmakers to hold off on any new Iran sanctions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Vice President Joe Biden led a high-powered delegation to Capitol Hill on Thursday to try to persuade U.S. lawmakers to hold off on any more sanctions against Iran and let delicate diplomatic talks over Tehran’s nuclear program u…
