by Alyssa Howard | Feb 27, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON – New Yorkers will be sipping – not gulping – their sugary soft drinks this weekend when Mayor Michael Bloomberg starts enforcing a citywide ban on purchasing sugary beverages of more than 16 ounces. And Bloomberg isn’t the only one targeting...
by Rachel Janik | Feb 27, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON—The Violence Against Women Act passed an important procedural hurdle in the House Wednesday, but its future remains uncertain. The House now faces votes on not one bill, but two—the version of the bill passed by the Senate two weeks ago and an alternative...
by Josh Solomon | Feb 27, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON — Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta warned Wednesday that if mandatory federal budget cuts go into effect as scheduled Friday, the FAA likely would furlough employees, delaying flights at airports around the country. Huerta was...
by Kimberly Railey | Feb 27, 2013 | Politics
Vice President Joe Biden worked to create a larger support group for President Barack Obama’s gun control proposals at the National Association of Attorneys General meeting on Wednesday. (Audrey Cheng/Medill)Vice President Joe Biden said the special election win...
by Fritz T. Burgher | Feb 27, 2013 | Business
WASHINGTON — With $85 billion in mandated budget cuts only two days away unless Congress acts, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Wednesday suggested swapping the sequestration, as the cuts are called, for a long-term economic policy. “I think a good policy...
by Mitchell Armentrout | Feb 27, 2013 | National Security
WASHINGTON – Decade-long efforts to streamline medical recordkeeping for military personnel between the defense and veterans affairs departments are costing at least $1 billion in “down-the-drain-funding,” the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman said Wednesday....
by Marshall Cohen | Feb 27, 2013 | Business, Politics
Most states follow the federal minimum wage, but some states have taken matters into their own hands and raised the pay limit. Graphic by Marshall Cohen/MedillWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama caught the political world off guard when he proposed raising the minimum...
by Catherine Reid | Feb 27, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON — When comedian Seth MacFarlane joked about Jews running Hollywood during the Academy Awards, the Anti-Defamation League quickly labeled the remark “offensive and not remotely funny.” An official of the ADL told a congressional hearing Wednesday that...
by Kris Anne Bonifacio | Feb 27, 2013 | Living, Politics
WASHINGTON – Supreme Court justices pointedly questioned two key provisions of the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday, possibly signaling trouble for the landmark civil rights legislation. During oral arguments in Shelby County v. Holder, conservative justices questioned...
by Cathaleen Chen | Feb 26, 2013 | Immigration
WASHINGTON –A top congressional staffer said Tuesday that it would take “something short of Armageddon” to derail the upcoming immigration reform legislation. In a discussion held by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund,...
by Fritz T. Burgher | Feb 26, 2013 | Health & Science, Politics
WASHINGTON — When Alonzo J. King, Jr. was arrested for threatening a group of people with a shotgun in Wicomico County, Md., he quickly pled guilty and was convicted of second-degree assault. However, what transpired during his arrest has brought his case to the...
