Dec 03 Congress overwhelmingly backs 5-year transportation bill By Joan Lowy, Associated Press WASHINGTON -- After years of stymied efforts to address the nation's aging and congested highways and transit systems, Congress found the sweet spot for passage on Thursday -- a 5-year, $305 billion bill laden with enough industry favors, parochial projects,… Continue reading
Dec 03 Watch 6:16 News Wrap: San Bernardino shootings prompt Congress debate By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Thursday, the mass shooting in San Bernardino renewed debate in Congress on how to stop gun violence. While Senate Democrats offered proposals on expanding background checks, Republicans called instead for overhauling the mental health system. Also,… Continue watching
Dec 03 Senate set to OK Republican bill unraveling health care law By Alan Fram, Associated Press Republicans drove legislation toward Senate approval Thursday that would demolish President Barack Obama's signature health care law and block Planned Parenthood's federal money, edging toward a veto fight the GOP knows it will lose but believes will delight conservative voters… Continue reading
Dec 03 Obama: U.S. must make it harder to carry out violence By Associated Press WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says it's possible the mass shooting in California was related to terrorism but that authorities still don't know. He says it's possible it was workplace-related or that there were mixed motives. Continue reading
Dec 02 What the presidential candidates are saying about the San Bernardino shooting By Rachel Wellford Less than a week after the mass shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood facility, gun politics is again at the center of the presidential campaign. Candidates on both sides took to Twitter today to weigh in on the ongoing situation… Continue reading
Dec 02 Budget talks hit snag over environmental issues, refugees By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Talks on a massive, government-wide spending bill have hit a snag as Republicans press demands for policy provisions on the environment, regulation of the financial services industry and making it more difficult for Syrian and Iraqi refugees to enter the… Continue reading
Dec 01 In slap at Obama, GOP-led House moves to block climate rule By Matthew Daly, Associated Press WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama worked to hammer out a global climate agreement in Paris, Republicans in Congress were moving to block his plan to force steep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants. The House was… Continue reading
Dec 01 Quiz: The politics of climate change By Lisa Desjardins Scientists call it a global crisis, but not every politician in the U.S. is so sure. As world leaders meet in Paris to discuss climate change, we thought we’d test what we know about the difficult politics of climate change… Continue reading
Dec 01 Syrian refugees become issue in Illinois Senate race By Erica Werner, Associated Press WASHINGTON — A Republican senator in a tough re-election race is attacking his top Democratic rival for supporting more Syrian refugees in the U.S., marking the issue's first appearance in Senate campaign advertising. Continue reading
Dec 01 Supreme Court's new lineup rich in high-profile cases By Mark Sherman, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's lineup of new cases is fit for an election year. Affirmative action, abortion and another look at the Obama health care law all are before the court, and they could well be joined by immigration,… Continue reading