Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
During a confirmation hearing for a high-ranking Justice Department nominee, Sen. Ted Cruz accused the agency of abusing its power as part of its involvement in Operation Choke Point. “By cutting off financial resources to lawful small businesses, Operation Choke Point is an abuse of power that undermines the integrity of the DOJ,” Cruz, R-Texas,…
Before 11 of the 23 nonprofit insurers created under Obamacare announced they would be closing their doors, the top executives running their operations raked in large sums of money. According to 2013 tax filings accessed through Guidestar.org, the top executives at the 11 co-ops that have announced they will be winding down operations made an…
Federal health officials need to “provide a complete accounting” of what led to the failures of a dozen Obamacare co-operatives, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebr., said today in testimony before a House subcommittee. The co-ops, nonprofit insurance companies, were created under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, to sell insurance plans to consumers seeking health coverage….
Panera Bread, a popular American bakery and cafe, is undergoing a major renovation. According to reports from Business Insider, Panera Founder and CEO Ron Shaich predicts a “tech revolution” is upon the restaurant industry, and says that Panera Bread is steadily joining the movement. The company is in the process of rolling out improved and…
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced a bill Wednesday to lift federal prohibitions on marijuana and throw the decision on legalizing the drug squarely into the hands of the states. Sanders’ plan would strike marijuana from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of the “most dangerous” substances, which currently classifies weed alongside drugs such as heroin, ecstasy, and LSD. The legislation also would remove…
The House today rejected an amendment that would have prohibited the Export-Import Bank from providing loans, loan guarantees, and credit to state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the amendment amid concerns that President Barack Obama would issue waivers to state sponsors of terrorism that…
Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, is poised to become the new chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, after defeating Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, in a closed-door meeting. Brady will succeed Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who gave up the chairmanship to ascend to speaker of the House after being drafted by Republican colleagues. Ryan gave…
Republicans retained control of the Virginia Senate in a closely watched election Tuesday, preventing the Democrat governor from pursuing an expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare. “We had a great night,” Bill McCollum, chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee, said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday, citing the party’s victories in Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and…
Every day, 3,500 abortions take place in America. That’s approximately one abortion per every 25 seconds. The pro-life nonprofit Online for Life wants that statistic to change, and just celebrated a milestone of their own: 3,500 babies saved. It didn’t come easily. Brian Fisher, co-founder and president of Online for Life (OFL), has spent the past…
Sen. Ben Sasse spent much of his freshman year without taking the podium. In a studied decision to use his previous reticence as leverage, the Nebraska Republican devoted his first speech on the Senate floor Tuesday to sounding the alarm on the rapid expansion of an “administrative state” comprised of unelected federal bureaucrats. “The growth of the administrative state, the fourth branch…
Failing to pass the Houston Equal Rights Protection Ordinance Tuesday night came as a blow to LGBT advocates, who have won recent victories at the U.S. Supreme Court and beyond. “We are disappointed with today’s outcome,” said a coalition of partners that make up Houston Unites, the group behind the sexual orientation and gender identity…
Sen. Mike Lee warned the Obama administration on Wednesday that it should reconsider its plan to not submit for congressional approval an international climate change agreement that could be signed later next month. To avoid the inevitable objection of congressional Republicans, the Obama administration has indicated it plans to work-around the constitutional requirement that a…
Radio host Dennis Prager and his business partner Allen Estrin had a big problem on their hands. It was October, 2013. Several years earlier, the duo—friends for decades—co-founded PragerU, a small digital university for conservatives with a modest audience. Now, a stranger was suing them. The man, a photographer in Ireland, alleged through a Houston…
A school board member in Northern Virginia who supported a new policy on transgender students lost re-election Tuesday at the polls. The Fairfax County School Board voted earlier this year to include “gender identity” in its nondiscrimination policy. Jeannette Hough defeated incumbent board member Ted Velkoff, who backed the policy. Velkoff has been on the board…
Before the House of Representatives votes on a bill that could bring the controversial Export-Import Bank back to life, lawmakers will address measures aimed at, among other things, boosting the agency’s financing for small businesses and diversifying its portfolio. The House was set to vote today on 81 amendments to a bill reauthorizing the Highway Trust…
Elections were held around the country Tuesday, and results in Kentucky made history. Matt Bevin, the Republican candidate for Kentucky governor, and running mate Jenean Hampton won by a margin of 53 percent to 44 percent over Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, a Democrat, according to CNN. Conway had been at the top in polls leading up to the…
Arizona has cut the umbilical cord off Planned Parenthood, no longer allowing the organization to receive donations from state employees on the government’s dime. Republican Governor Doug Ducey, who serves as the chairman of the State Employee Charitable Campaign, “absolutely supports” the move to remove Planned Parenthood from the program, called the State Employee Charitable…
Sen. Ben Sasse, a 43-year-old conservative from Nebraska and former university president who possesses five college degrees, didn’t need to experience Congress very long to learn that the institution is broken. But Sasse, who refers to himself as a “historian by training,” decided he would reject the norms of today and return to tradition by…
Citizens of Houston overwhelmingly voted down a measure that would have created legal protections in 15 categories, including sexual orientation and gender identity. For months, opponents waged a war on the so-called “bathroom ordinance” that would allow transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their choice. On Tuesday, their work paid off, with more than…
A top official with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services explained today why 11 nonprofit insurance companies created under Obamacare have shut their doors, leaving more than 690,000 Americans to purchase new insurance. During testimony before the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, Mandy Cohen, chief operating officer of the Centers for Medicare and…