Republican battles over Medicaid turn to God and morality
(Reuters) – Ohio’s Republican governor, John Kasich, is no fan of President Barack Obama’s health reform law. But he has become an unlikely proponent of one element of Obamacare – expansion of Medicaid healthcare coverage for the poor – and he has a wa…
Ex-congressman Weiner takes lead in NYC mayoral race: poll
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former Congressman Anthony Weiner, attempting a political comeback two years after resigning in disgrace from the legislature, has taken the lead over his Democratic rivals in the race for New York City mayor, a poll showed.
Flaws found in security checks by U.S. contractors four years ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Government auditors discovered four years ago that a select group of private contractors conducting background checks for high-security jobs were not doing enough to ensure the quality of their investigations.
Democratic Rep. Markey tops Republican in Massachusetts Senate race
BOSTON (Reuters) – Veteran Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts on Tuesday won the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry and helped Democrats maintain their majority in the chamber.
Supreme Court guts key part of landmark Voting Rights Act
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday gutted a core part of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act and challenged Congress to come up with a replacement plan to protect blacks and other minorities in places where discrimination still pe…
Obama takes on power plants as part of new climate plan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama tried to revive his stalled climate change agenda on Tuesday, promising new rules to cut carbon emissions from U.S. power plants and other domestic actions including support for renewable energy.
Analysis: U.S. chief justice realizes longstanding vision in voting-rights case
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – For an often enigmatic figure at the U.S. Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts spoke to the essence of his legal philosophy on Tuesday in eliminating a voting-rights provision enacted to protect blacks and other minorities.
Missouri governor vetoes bill aimed at restricting union dues
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) – Missouri Democratic Governor Jay Nixon on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would force unions in the state to get written permission before withholding dues from paychecks of public employees.
House Republican says IRS awarded ‘inappropriate’ contracts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Virginia company inappropriately secured contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars from the Internal Revenue Service based on false statements and personal ties to an IRS official, the top Republican investigator in the U…
White House threatens to veto proposed USDA funding bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House threatened on Tuesday to veto the agricultural funding bill awaiting debate in the House, saying it would weaken regulation of the futures market and might force the furlough of meat inspectors, shutting down meat…