Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
The Internal Revenue Service is under investigation by an oversight subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee for signing a $4.46 million contract with a Canadian company called CGI Federal – despite the fact that the same company was responsible for the disastrous launch of HealthCare.gov. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., sent a letter to…
In a new Gallup poll, Americans called “health care costs” and “lack of money/low wages” the “most important financial problems” facing their families. Fourteen percent of Americans said that health care costs or low wages were their biggest concern. Gallup notes that this is the first time that health care costs have “returned to the…
An influential Democratic state senator says he’s unlikely to support a bill requiring background checks on gun purchases because he believes the checks are unnecessary and unconstitutional in Vermont. “I need to be convinced that Vermont needs a background check. I doubt it’s necessary,” state Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, told Vermont Watchdog. The statement echoes comments…
We might be enjoying lower gas prices, but oil-rich areas of Texas are not. Economists are worried that the Lone Star state could lose tens of thousands of jobs due to falling prices. “We’re not going to know if this is a bust unless it lasts an extended period of time,” Andrew Lipow, the president…
The potential collapse of a controversial project off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass., is blowing some doubt around the future of offshore wind energy in the United States. Earlier this month, the Cape Wind project — calling for construction of 130 wind turbines off the coast of Nantucket Island to supply electricity to the area at a cost…
The governor of South Carolina has proposed lowering the state’s income tax rate from 7 percent to 5 percent, accompanied by a 10 cent hike in the state’s gas tax. In her annual State of the State address on Wednesday, Gov. Nikki Haley, R-S.C., said the state’s income tax puts it at a competitive “disadvantage.” “In order…
When King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died on Friday, the loss could be felt in the United States. That’s because Abdullah, 90, who assumed the throne in 2005, had led one of the West’s key strategic allies in the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia is also the world’s largest exporter of oil. The king’s death creates…
A bill has been introduced to the D.C. City Council that would allow non-citizens to vote. Councilmember David Grosso, I-At-Large, introduced the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015, a bill that, if passed, would allow non-citizens with permanent resident immigration status to vote in municipal elections. Grosso said in a statement that non-citizens…
A year before Iowa voters decide who they like most for president, a lineup of likely conservative candidates will present themselves in Des Moines to activists from across the state and media from around the country. Organizers bill the sold-out Iowa Freedom Summit as devoted to “how we can get America back on track by…
New information from the federal government suggests workers’ interest in unions continues to fall, with union membership reaching its lowest rate in 100 years. According to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today, the union membership rate fell to 11.1 percent, with just 14.6 million wage and salaried workers maintaining membership. In 2013,…
Former Navy Seal and friend of Chris Kyle Jason Redman blasted Seth Rogen and Michael Moore for their controversial tweets on the high-grossing movie “American Sniper,” which is based on Kyle’s Seal service. American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that’s showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds. — Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen)…
Washington state may become the first state to make the legal smoking age the same as the legal drinking age: 21. State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, is behind the new proposal, according to Fox News. In a statement, Ferguson said, “The harmful consequences of tobacco are clear. Smoking kills 8,300 Washingtonians every year,…
At least 10 of the likeliest Republican candidates for president support legislation banning most abortions in pregnancies beyond 20 weeks, along the lines of a bill abruptly pulled from an anticipated vote in the House of Representatives. Among them are Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former governors Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Jeb Bush of Florida, former…
For Eileen and Sadie Haupt, this year’s March for Life, centered around the theme “Every Life is a Gift,” held special meaning. During her pregnancy with Sadie, her second daughter, doctors asked Eileen if she wanted to undergo prenatal testing to see if her child had any health issues. Just as she had done with…
As hundreds of thousands of pro-life demonstrators participated in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., to protest abortion, President Obama threatened to veto a bill prohibiting federal funds from being used to pay for the controversial procedure. “I am deeply committed to protecting this core constitutional right, and I believe that efforts like H.R….
Rep. IIeana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., today criticized what she called President Obama’s “wrong-headed” move to normalize relations with Cuba. As landmark talks for the United States and Cuba to restore diplomatic ties wrapped up today in Havana, Ros-Lehtinen, who is Cuban-American, warned the Obama administration to proceed cautiously. “It’s a bad deal for the United States…
In the wake of a State of the Union address heavy on confidence and promise, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough today charted a “urgent” and aggressive future for Democratic power. After declaring that the White House “feels quite good” about the State of the Union, McDonough went on to hint that presumed presidential…
The March for Life, held each year on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, drew an estimated 500,000 pro-life activists to Washington, D.C., today. Braving the cold to take a stand against abortion, these individuals, groups and students displayed a variety of signs showcasing their views. Check out some of the signs we captured today:
Some federal agencies continue to stonewall when it comes to the ongoing investigation into the Benghazi terrorist attacks, according to insiders familiar with the process. They say the House Benghazi Select Committee isn’t getting access to all relevant documents and witnesses. That will be the topic of the committee’s first public hearing of 2015 called…
By giving Iran more leeway as it tries to build a nuclear weapon, President Obama is trusting a “rabid dog,” former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said last night. “You don’t take the chain off a rabid dog,” Huckabee told Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, “but that’s what we’ve done.” Huckabee, who recently left his own…