Latest Politics Headlines

All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Wells Fargo CEO Grilled at Congressional Hearing Probing Customer Abuse Scandal

Mar 12 2019 // Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Tuesday pressed Wells Fargo & Co Chief Executive Tim Sloan for proof the bank has put a string of consumer abuse scandals behind it at a tense congressional hearing that saw Sloan...

Kentucky Senate Advances First-Time DUI Offender Ignition Interlock Bill

Mar 11 2019 // Prospects for a bill supported by bourbon producers and Mothers Against Drunk Driving improved Wednesday when Kentucky lawmakers reversed course to advance the proposal aimed at increasing the use of a device that blocks a...

Trump Administration Unveils Higher Threshold to Expand Overtime Pay

Mar 8 2019 // The U.S. Department of Labor issued a long-awaited proposal on Thursday to extend mandatory overtime pay to a million more workers, far fewer than an Obama administration rule that was struck down by a federal...

Washington Commissioner’s Request for Disaster Resilience Plan Passes Senate

Mar 5 2019 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s proposal to prepare for and mitigate the effects of climate disasters passed the state Senate this week on a unanimous vote. Senate Bill 5106 would create a work...

Trump Administration Allows Lawsuits Against Some Businesses in Cuba

Mar 5 2019 // The Trump administration said on Monday it would allow lawsuits by U.S. citizens against dozens of Cuban companies and other entities on Washington’s blacklist but will maintain, for now, a ban against suing foreign...

South Carolina Medical Marijuana Bill Stalls in State Senate

Mar 1 2019 // A South Carolina senator says a bill aiming to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana will not move forward until lawmakers address concerns of stakeholders. Members of the Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee met...

Democrats Propose Ban on Mandatory Arbitration in Employment, Consumer Contracts

Mar 1 2019 // Six Google employees on Thursday joined U.S. lawmakers to support bills that would ban mandatory arbitration in employment and consumer contracts, as the workers seek to build on recent success in getting the Alphabet Inc...

Brazil Senate Passes Dam Safety Bill After Vale Disaster; Insurance Provision Eyed

Feb 28 2019 // Brazilian Senate committees on Wednesday passed a bill to tighten dam safety in the country, after a mining dam owned by Vale SA burst and killed an estimated 300 people in the town of Brumadinho. The legislation, which...

Michigan Senate GOP: Cutting Car Insurance Rates a Priority

Feb 4 2019 // Michigan Senate Republicans have proposed legislation that would make it optional for Michigan drivers to buy what is now mandatory unlimited medical coverage. Senate Bill 1 was the first to be introduced by GOP senators...

Tougher Seat Belt Law Passes North Dakota Senate

Jan 24 2019 // Dakota’s Senate wants to change the state’s seat belt law. The Senate voted 24-23 on a proposal to allow police to pull over drivers if they see them not wearing seat belts. The fine would be $50. The measure...

Louisiana’s Insurance Commissioner Draws GOP Challenger

Jan 24 2019 // Louisiana’s insurance commissioner has drawn a challenger from within his own party. Republican Tim Temple announced he will run for the office on the Oct. 12 ballot, seeking to oust GOP incumbent Jim...

Michigan Senate GOP Priority: Cutting Car Insurance Rates

Jan 17 2019 // Michigan Senate Republicans have signaled their intent to make lowering high auto insurance premiums a top priority in the two-year session, proposing legislation that would make it optional for Michigan drivers to buy...

Trump Administration Delay with Storm Mitigation Funds Frustrates States

Jan 4 2019 // The Trump administration is sitting on billions of dollars intended to help vulnerable cities and states prepare for extreme weather, prompting growing criticism from state officials worried about the next storm season. In...

Congressional Report Finds Olympic Leaders Valued Reputation Over Athletes’ Safety

Dec 28 2018 // A congressional review of the U.S. Olympic system’s handling of sex-abuse cases criticizes a culture that sought to protect reputation and image over athlete safety. A House subcommittee released the report last...

Senate OK of Farm Bill Sends It to President Trump Who Is Expected to Sign It

Dec 12 2018 // The House cleared farm legislation that renews agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families without a controversial provision backed by conservatives and President Donald Trump that would have toughened work...

Senate Passes Farm Bill with Crop Insurance, Food Stamps, Hemp Farming

Dec 12 2018 // The Senate passed a five-year farm bill renewing agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families after weeks of negotiations over work requirements for food stamp recipients and a last-minute snag over forestry...

Texas Senate Panel: Feds Paid Most of Harvey $2.7B Recovery Cost so Far

Dec 4 2018 // Hurricane Harvey recovery will end up costing the state as much as $2 billion, according to a report released Nov. 30 by the Texas Senate’s budget-writing panel, although it said costs may fluctuate based on how much...

Self-Driving Vehicle Regulation Bill Gets Late Push in Senate

Dec 4 2018 // Key U.S. senators are making a last-ditch effort to win approval of a bill to speed the use of self-driving cars without human controls, but face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill. Staff for Republican Senator John Thune...

Democrats’ Climate Change Concern Ebbs When Congress Faces Flood Insurance

Nov 30 2018 // A Congressional stalemate over flood insurance highlights the difficulty of enacting the type of reforms urged last week in a U.S. government report on climate change — even for Democrats, who embraced the...

Democrats, Republicans Tentatively Agree on Farm Bill with Crop Insurance

Nov 30 2018 // Democrats and Republicans said they reached a tentative deal on farm legislation after jettisoning controversial work requirements for food stamp recipients demanded by President Donald Trump and conservatives in the...