Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
Drinking and driving has met its match. Marijuana intoxication has been the focal point of multiple studies finding a link between the drug and driving fatalities. Traffic fatalities involving marijuana have tripled in the U.S. over the last decade, increasing from 4 percent in 1999 to 12 percent in 2010, according to a toxicology examination…
HONOLULU—Veterans seeking care at the VA Medical Center here wait an average of 145 days. Perhaps more striking, some 64,000 veterans enrolled in the system for at least 10 years have yet to see a doctor, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs audit released Monday. Even before the audit, said Willes Lee, a West…
President Obama’s decision to exchange five terrorists for a soldier who left his base in Afghanistan endangers national security by “pretending” the Taliban isn’t targeting America, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in an interview with The Daily Signal. Rubio, speaking to a reporter between meetings on Capitol Hill, warned: “The message has been sent that…
Small business owners in Texas, Utah, Idaho, Virginia and Louisiana rated their states as having the friendliest business environments, according to a study released this morning. In contrast, small businesses gave California, Rhode Island and Illinois failing grades for business viability, and those in Connecticut and New Jersey gave their states a “D.” The study—conducted…
A joint survey by the Brookings Institution and Public Religion Research Institute reveals more Americans place their trust in Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart than MSNBC. Released yesterday, the survey polled more than 1,500 Americans concerning a host of topics ranging from immigration reform to the state of religion. However, the survey’s findings…
Hillary Clinton said in an interview today that the five Taliban leaders released in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl “are not a threat to the United States.” Clinton was responding to NBC Correspondent Cynthia McFadden’s assertion that many people feel the United States is “less safe today” as a result of the exchange. “These five…
Court-ordered reform of California’s teacher tenure program won’t happen without a fight. The California Teachers Association announced plans to appeal yesterday’s landmark court decision on teacher tenure which, many say, is a victory for students. The lawsuit, Vergara v. California, aimed to strike down statutes that make it difficult for administrators to dismiss poorly performing…
America has seen a half-century of growing federal intervention in education. This centralization, however, has not led to improved educational outcomes. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term-trend assessment, 17-year-old students today perform no better in reading and math than 17-year-olds did in the 1970s. According to the main NAEP assessment, often referred…
A Walmart store in Williston, N.D., is offering to pay entry-level workers as much as $17.40 per hour—nearly 2½ times the federal minimum wage—in an effort to compete in one of America’s most dynamic labor markets. The push for a “living wage” has gained momentum in cities such as Seattle recently. But the historic oil…
Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, lost his primary election race Tuesday to a local economics professor in Virginia’s 7th District. Dave Brat defeated Cantor by 56 percent of the vote to 44 percent, with nearly all precincts of the Richmond-area district reporting. In a concession speech shortly…
Conservative lawmakers today blamed President Obama’s policies for provoking a wave of unaccompanied immigrant children to cross the southern border into the United States. The humanitarian crisis, they said, would deter the House from pursuing “comprehensive” immigration reform similar to what the Senate passed last year. Speaking at this month’s Conversations with Conservatives event on Capitol…
MIDDLESEX, Vt.—Gov. Peter Shumlin yesterday signed a law requiring businesses in Vermont to pay workers a minimum wage of $10.50. The kicker? Shumlin, a Democrat, staged the signing at the Red Hen Baking Co., a local organic business that won’t be affected by the legislation because it has no minimum-wage workers. “[This is a time] in…
The job market and student loan debt had lawmakers waxing philosophical at today’s Conversations with Conservatives event on Capitol Hill. “When I graduated from undergrad, I had a degree in Spanish literature and a minor in philosophy. I knew I wasn’t going to get a job,” Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, said. In fact, he joked,…
Hillary Clinton pushed back in an interview that aired Monday regarding accusations that she should have handled the security situation in Benghazi prior to the consulate attack differently. Questioned by ABC’s Diane Sawyer if there was anything she “personally should have been doing to make it safer in Benghazi,” Clinton pointed to the direct orders…
Daniel Murphy, second basemen for the New York Mets, decided that skipping the first two games of the regular season to witness the birth of his son was more important than being on the field. He defended that decision yesterday when he spoke at the White House Working Families Summit: When Noah asks me one day,…
Two outspoken conservative lawmakers predicted John Boehner’s days as House speaker are numbered—despite an assurance from the Ohio Republican that he has every intention to return. In response to a question at today’s Conversations with Conservatives event on Capitol Hill, Reps. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, and Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., said Boehner won’t be back next year….
Undocumented immigrant children, some as young as 5 years old and traveling with no parent or adult, are being dropped off by the busload in Arizona as the Department of Homeland Security attempts to grapple with what is fast becoming a humanitarian disaster on our southern border. According to CNN, the federal transport of “unaccompanied…
Illegal immigration is back in to the spotlight on Capitol Hill as the White House and congressional Republicans spar over the “urgent humanitarian situation” facing thousands of young immigrants marooned in Arizona. With immigration reform supporters in Washington this week, lawmakers gather today for the monthly Conversations with Conservatives event at 11 a.m. ET in…
Using his pen again in “this year of action,” President Obama today took executive actions to ease the burden of student debt at the expense of “millionaires.” The program, “Pay as You Earn,” expands an existing federal loan option available to undergrad and graduate students. It issues caps on monthly loan payments at 10 percent…
A measure aimed at grounding an upstart airline offering affordable fares for transcontinental travel appears headed for a vote in the House of Representatives. The transportation appropriations bill is seen as a vehicle for an amendment targeting Norwegian Air International’s new service at U.S. airports, airline officials were told by consultants. Norwegian Air International, headquartered…