State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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opinion
Personal Trainers Next on Washington’s Over-Regulation List?
When Andrew Killion opened District Crossfit in 2010, he was training a few handfuls of people in a converted auto garage. Today, Killion oversees one of the largest Crossfit gyms in Washington, D.C., with six full-time employees—called “coaches” in the Crossfit lingo—who help more than 400 members sweat their way through daily workouts in a… -
news
Oregon Judge Who Won’t Officiate Gay Weddings Fights to Keep His Job
>>> Update adds judge's comments in televised interview. An Oregon judge is fighting an investigative panel’s accusation that by declining to perform same-sex weddings on religious grounds, he violated both the state’s constitution and code of conduct for judges. This and other allegations could result in the judge’s suspension or removal from office. However, a close… -
news
The Washington Post’s Questionable Claim About a Community Health Center
The Washington Post published a questionable claim about a community health center in a story about an Ohio Planned Parenthood clinic. In a story published Tuesday titled “Planned Parenthood is a symbol. This is the reality of one Ohio clinic,” a Washington Post reporter shared anecdotal stories about a day she spent at a Planned Parenthood clinic… -
news
California Republican Resigns From Conservative Group Over Tactics
A California Republican has resigned from the conservative House Freedom Caucus, arguing that the group’s tactics have done more harm to conservative policy than good. In a letter delivered to Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Rep. Tom McClintock criticized the strategy used by the conservative group in fights over Planned Parenthood, immigration, and trade…. -
news
13 Photos of the Devastating California Wildfires
More than 550 homes in flames, 62,000 acres scorched, and one death — the Valley Fire in Middletown, Calif. is only 30 percent contained, according to the Los Angeles Times, and doesn’t look like it is anywhere near done raging through Northern California. Its cousin, the Butte Fire, now about 45 percent contained, forced evacuations and… -
news
Connecticut Homeowners Fight to Prevent City From Taking Their Homes for Redevelopment
Every day, Janet Rodriguez sits at her home in West Haven, Conn., and she waits. She waits for a knock at her front door, a knock she fears will bring news that Rodriguez and her family will be forced to leave the home they’ve lived in for nearly a decade. A knock that means the… -
opinion
What Miss Tennessee Got Wrong About Planned Parenthood and Women’s Health
Miss Georgia may have won the Miss America pageant, but it’s Miss Tennessee who probably won Planned Parenthood employees’ hearts Sunday night. That’s because Miss Tennessee, 21-year-old Hannah Robison, helped perpetuate the myth that ending federal funding for Planned Parenthood could hurt women’s access to health care. Asked if Planned Parenthood should continue to receive… -
opinion
What’s Missing From the Washington Debate on Criminal Justice Reform
There has been a lot of talk lately on Capitol Hill about criminal justice reform, and it is expected that both the House and the Senate will take up the issue now that Congress is back in session. Rumor has it that behind-the-scenes discussions are taking place to try to forge bipartisan, bicameral compromise on… -
opinion
New York City’s Latest Attempt to Control Uber
Earlier this year, when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to cap the growth of Uber and other ridesharing companies, he was forced to back down. The public, it seems, likes the convenient and reliable services these companies offer. And it did not help the mayor’s cause that he had no evidence to… -
news
2 of 3 Abortion Clinics in South Carolina Suspended for Violations of State Laws and Regulations
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has suspended two of three abortion clinics in the state—including a Planned Parenthood facility—for violating state law, the agency announced Friday. The clinics—Planned Parenthood of South Atlantic in Columbia and Greenville Women’s Clinic—were found by the DHEC to be in violation of state laws and regulations… -
news
At Home With Dave Brat: Conservative Who Ousted Eric Cantor Sees Little Change in Washington
GLEN ALLEN, VA.—Rep. Dave Brat is weaving his way through a crowd of businessmen and women at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, stopping to shake hands and say hello to nearly all of the 50 attendees who’ve come to watch him speak. To those observing the Republican congressman, it seems as if he knows nearly… -
news
In Washington State, Thousands of Kids Aren’t Returning to School
As charter school teachers in Seattle are showing up to work despite a court’s ruling their schools unconstitutional, public school teachers in the city are on strike, leaving 53,000 students at home for the first few days of the 2015-16 school year. “There’s a big irony here right now in Seattle,” said Liv Finne, director… -
news
California Assembly Approves Legislation to Legalize Assisted Suicide
The California State Assembly passed a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide on Wednesday. According to a report by Reuters, the bill is likely to be approved by the state Senate, but Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif., has not made his position on the bill known. The bill, ABX2-15, requires a patient seeking life-ending drugs to make a… -
opinion
How an Alabama Woman Used Voter Fraud to Get Her Boyfriend Elected
In Dothan, Ala., the verdict is in: it was election fraud. Last week, a jury convicted 66-year-old Olivia Reynolds on 24 felony counts of absentee ballot fraud in the contested 2013 election for the Dothan City Commission. Reynolds worked on the re-election campaign for District 2 incumbent Amos Newsome. During the tainted 2013 election, she… -
news
What’s Next for Freed Kentucky Clerk? Her Lawyer Speaks Out
The lawyer for Kim Davis blames Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear for his client’s protracted religious liberty fight that has played out nationally over the last two months. “He is forcing same-sex marriage onto Kim Davis and the other clerks despite their religious convictions and conscience,” Mat Staver tells The Daily Signal. “That is unconscionable and… -
opinion
Watch Ryan T. Anderson Talk About Release of Kentucky Clerk Jailed Over Marriage Licenses
In an interview with CNN Tuesday night, The Heritage Foundation’s Ryan T. Anderson discussed the relationship between the religious liberty rights of Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who doesn’t want to issue same-sex marriage licenses, and the gay and lesbian couples in her area of Kentucky who wish to get married. >>>For more on this,… -
opinion
Thanks to Federal Assistance, Low-Income Americans Live in Luxury Apartments in Chicago
The U.S. inspector general estimates that 25,226 households occupying public housing units exceed the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD)’s 2014 eligibility income limits. In New York City, one household was making an annual income of $497,911 and living in taxpayer-funded public housing. The public housing income cap in New York City is $67,100. According… -
news
In 12 Oklahoma Counties, Millions Seized From Property Owners Who Were Never Charged With Crimes
In Oklahoma, law enforcement agencies across 12 counties took $6 million in cash over a five-year span. Less than half of the money came from property owners who were charged with a crime. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma analyzed records regarding cash seizures that took place in a dozen counties along Interstate 40,… -
opinion
Fight Over North Carolina Election Rules Shows Obama Will Stop at Nothing to Win Elections
The recently concluded federal trial over North Carolina’s election rules proved one thing beyond a reasonable doubt: The Obama administration and its partisan, big-money, racial-interest-group allies will stop at nothing to win elections. And using the courts to change election rules is a key part of their strategy. That was clearly evident in the federal… -
news
5 Million People Left California Over the Past Decade. Many Went to Texas.
About 5 million California residents left the Golden State during the past decade, marking an “unprecedented” number according to a report released this week. The Sacramento Bee analyzed tax return data from the Internal Revenue Service between 2004 and 2013, the height of the housing crash and recession, which impacted California more sharply than most states….