In The News

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 20 veterans and military members die by suicide every day across the United States, and suicide rates are nearly two times higher for veterans than for non-veteran adults.  These tragic statistics... Read More

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy cut $444 million from the state’s operating budget  last week, a move he said was critical to moving closer to a balanced budget without raising taxes or reducing the annual Permanent Fund dividend paid to every... Read More

WASHINGTON - Companies that engaged in voter engagement initiatives prior to the 2018 midterms not only help get voters to the polls, but also created additional value for the businesses themselves, a new Harvard Kennedy School study said. During the... Read More

WASHINGTON -  House Democrats sued the Trump administration in federal court Tuesday for access to President Donald Trump's tax returns, setting up a legal showdown over the records. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District... Read More

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a pair of bills extending a property tax abatement that helped make the state a wind and solar energy powerhouse while also providing greater transparency for the program. The extension of the tax abatement,... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy broke a record for its longest expansion ever on Monday, but a poll released the same day suggests the solid economy is doing little to bolster support for President Donald Trump. On Monday, the United... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Democrats are trying to block a Trump administration effort to expand uranium mining in the United States. The House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources is considering a new bill that would severely restrict uranium mining. Democrats... Read More

WASHINGTON -The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee rebuked the Border Patrol Monday after a published report revealed the existence of a secret Facebook group in which border agents have posted lewd and derogatory content involving migrants and Democratic... Read More

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham swore in the state's first-ever Ethics Commission, a move that was a long time coming and which citizens hope will bring a welcome end to a series of high profile corruption scandals. “I am... Read More

California lawmakers have advanced legislation allowing college athletes in the state to earn compensation for the use of their name, image or likeness, despite a thinly-veiled warning from the NCAA that such a move could keep those athletes out of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department, responding to an explosion in the sale of wine in cans and single-serve bottles, is seeking public comment of eliminating all but the minimum "stand of fill" for wine containers. In a Federal Register notice... Read More

WASHINGTON - Wednesday night the Democrats took the upper hand over Republicans 14-7 at the annual Congressional baseball game for charity. The game was an opportunity for spry members of Congress to show their innate athleticism, proving there is nothing... Read More

With only days left in Oregon’s legislative session, a Democrat-backed climate bill is dead, and the awol Republican state senators who helped kill it now appear to be considering what to demand before they agree to return. Last week 11... Read More

As the opioid crisis continues to devastate families and communities across the country, a new bipartisan bill, the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, promises to put more teeth in efforts to curb the activities of Chinese and other traffickers of Fentanyl and... Read More

WASHINGTON - The White House earlier this week unveiled its long-awaited and highly touted Middle East peace plan. Well, at least the economic portion of it.  To unveil the plan, Washington convened a two-day workshop in Manama, Bahrain, on June... Read More

WASHINGTON - A day after ending their current term with a pair of controversial opinions, the U.S. Supreme Court said Friday it will decide next year whether the Trump administration can shut down Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court will not revive Alabama's ban on second-trimester abortions, the justices announcing Friday they are content to have lower court orders blocking the law to remain in place. Though Alabama's Attorney General Steve Marshall regularly... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling Thursday that federal judges have no role in settling disputes over partisan gerrymandering appears likely only to intensify efforts in the states to end the practice that allows both political parties to put... Read More

WASHINGTON - As they head back to their districts for the week-long July 4 district work period, House Democrats have reason to feel proud and maybe, just a little bit tired. For the first time in 13 years, the House... Read More

WASHINGTON - In a blow to the Trump administration, the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday blocked the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census, holding that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross failed to adequately explain his reason for wanting it.... Read More

WASHINGTON - Partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions beyond the reach of the federal courts, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, means that federal courts now will have no role in... Read More

WASHINGTON - A new EPA rule published Wednesday in the Federal Register would allow political appointees to review and withhold documents requested by the public under the Freedom of Information Act. The rule was signed by EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler... Read More

WASHINGTON - A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a series of legal precedents instructing courts to defer to an agency's interpretation of its own regulations. The ruling, written by Justice Elena Kagan, is a significant development in... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Tennessee law Wednesday that requires an individual to live in the state for at least two years to be eligible for a license to sell liquor. At issue in the case... Read More

WASHINGTON - A lawsuit alleging that adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census violates the rights of minorities has been sent back to a federal court in Maryland just hours ahead of a highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Democrats passed a $4.5 billion emergency funding bill Tuesday night to address the humanitarian crisis involving the thousands of families detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Democratic leaders worked tirelessly Monday night into Tuesday to secure support... Read More

WASHINGTON - The federal debt is on track to reach unprecedented levels in the next 30 years and will rise to 144 percent of the nation's gross domestic product by 2049 if current laws are maintained, the Congressional Budget Office... Read More

WASHINGTON - Federal employees will get their day in court after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that their lawsuit over an Office of Personnel Management data breach can be reinstated. A trial court dismissed the lawsuit... Read More

WASHINGTON - It just might be the liveliest few minutes of the day in the Supreme Court press room. Quietly getting up from their desks, the 20 or so reporters who call the high court beat home on a daily... Read More

Eleven Senate Republicans in Oregon high-tailed it out of the state capitol of Salem this past week, and the Democratic governor has ordered state police to go and round them up. At issue is a vote on House Bill 2020,... Read More