Governing

Our Food-Safety System Is A Patchwork With Big Holes, Critics Say

3:41pm March 30, 2015

by Grant Gerlock

More than a dozen federal agencies play a part in keeping food from making Americans sick. Critics say the system has gaps, and we'd all be safer if federal food safety efforts were under one roof.

Some of the hundreds of people who gathered outside the Indiana Statehouse on Saturday, for a rally against legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Mike Pence.

Indiana Governor: Lawmakers To 'Clarify' Anti-Gay Law

11:18am March 30, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Mike Pence, who signed the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act last week, says he didn't anticipate the level of hostility the law has engendered.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, wearing sunglasses to protect an injured eye. His announced retirement should set off a scramble to replace him.

With Reid Out, Republicans See An Opportunity

8:07pm March 27, 2015

by Domenico Montanaro

Democrats argue the top Senate leader's retirement might be a good thing. But it's going to set off a scramble to replace him in one of the most hotly contested races in 2016.

House Speaker John Boehner takes the gavel from Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Jan. 6 at the start of the 114th Congress.

Amazingly, Congress Actually Got Something Done

6:58pm March 26, 2015

by Ron Elving

The leaders and members must, in a word, compromise. And on this occasion, Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi did just that, with skill and savvy.

A riot late last month forced officials to close the Willacy County Correcitonal Center in Wallcy County, Texas.

Closure Of Private Prison Forces Texas County To Plug Financial Gap

9:17am March 26, 2015

by John Burnett

A riot at a private immigration prison in Willacy County, Texas, forced officials to close the facility and relocate 2,800 inmates. But it also left the county with a $2.3 million budget shortfall.

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Steam from a coal-fired power plant is silhouetted against the sun near St. Marys, Kan. Industry groups say there should be a far more aggressive consideration of costs of regulation than the Obama administration took into account.

Obama Administration Emissions Rules Face Supreme Court Test

7:20pm March 25, 2015

by Nina Totenberg

The rules are aimed at limiting the amount of hazardous pollutants coming from coal- and oil-fired utility plants. They're being challenged by industry groups and more than 20 states.

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Polls show changing American opinion on marijuana, and it's having an effect on politics.

Obama, 2016 Contenders Deal With Changing Attitudes On Marijuana

3:23pm March 25, 2015

by Juana Summers

As Americans move toward more favorable views of pot, politicians are moving, too — in some cases.

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Polls have found that the health care law has remained consistently unpopular.

Obamacare Five Years Later: Thriving Or On Political Life Support?

12:27pm March 25, 2015

by Domenico Montanaro

The health care law has sliced the number of uninsured by a third. Yet it remains deeply polarizing, and its fate could be decided by the Supreme Court and the coming presidential election.

Supreme Court Declines To Hear Challenge To Strict Wisconsin Voter ID Law

3:52pm March 24, 2015

by Pam Fessler

Ahead of the 2016 presidential election, a handful of challenges to state voter ID requirements are making their way through the courts. Texas and North Carolina are among them.

Rainbow flags fly in front of San Francisco City Hall in 2013 after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California.

Calif. Lawyer Proposes Ballot Initiative To Kill Gays And Lesbians

12:35pm March 24, 2015

by Richard Gonzales

The "Sodomite Suppression Act" is unlikely to get a vote, but it's making waves in the Golden State, where all it takes is $200 and a few hundred thousand signatures to get on a ballot.