by Sylvan Lane | Feb 6, 2014 | Politics
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Montana Senator Max Baucus’s appointment as ambassador of China on Thursday on a 96-0 vote. Baucus “is an extremely smart person, and certainly versed in what goes on here in the Congress of the United States,” said Senate...
by Cat Zakrzewski | Feb 6, 2014 | National Security
WASHINGTON — As the White House negotiates a U.S. presence in Afghanistan after the last combat troops withdraw this year, a group of bipartisan senators pushed Thursday for congressional approval for any military action in the war-torn nation after 2014. Sens. Jeff...
by Vesko Cholakov | Feb 6, 2014 | Health & Science, National Security
WASHINGTON — Financial regulators are struggling in the face of a changing environment – sophisticated cyber threats and inadequate safeguards prescribed by the Dodd-Frank Act, witnesses said at a Senate hearing Thursday. “The banking industry has existing...
by Ryan McCrimmon | Feb 6, 2014 | National Security
WASHINGTON – With Afghanistan farmers cultivating opium at a record pace, U.S. officials expressed concern that the country’s drug trade will continue to grow unchecked as the U.S. scales back troop presence in the country. Counternarcotics experts from the State,...
by Jonathan Palmer | Feb 5, 2014 | Education
WASHINGTON- A government investigative agency released a report Wednesday that was critical of the organization and effectiveness of current early childhood education and care programs. The Government Accountability Office report, “Early Learning and Childhood Care,...
by Lauren Caruba | Feb 5, 2014 | Health & Science
WASHINGTON — Second lady Jill Biden, a doctor and health care advocate, said Wednesday that family members and friends who are taking on more responsibilities as caregivers as troops return home and the baby boom generation ages need more training and support. Opening...
by Ellen Garrison | Feb 5, 2014 | Environment
WASHINGTON – The programs that won Environmental Protection Agency awards for sustainable growth Wednesday show economic growth and environmental protection work together, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in announcing the winners. McCarthy and the project winners...
by Stephanie Haines | Feb 5, 2014 | National Security
WASHINGTON — The al-Qaida threat in Iraq has grown more menacing, according to the House Foreign Affairs Committee which met Wednesday to discuss the severity of terrorism in the region. In 2013, there were 9,000 deaths related to the conflict in Iraq, the highest...
by Preetisha Sen | Feb 5, 2014 | Business
WASHINGTON — The Volcker rule was designed to prevent another financial crisis similar to 2009, but some critics say it will only slow economic recovery. The House Financial Services Committee examined the Volcker rule today in an effort to weigh its impact on job...
by Sophia Bollag | Feb 5, 2014 | Health & Science
WASHINGTON –The federal government should set higher digital security standards for companies collecting consumer information to avoid future data breaches like those at three major national retailers that affected millions of Americans’ data over the last few months,...
by Sylvan Lane | Feb 4, 2014 | Health & Science
WASHINGTON – A top official in the national drug czar’s office insisted Tuesday that President Barack Obama’s comments about the safety of marijuana usage do not reflect the White House policy on the legalization of the drug. Michael Botticelli, the deputy director of...
