by Catherine Reid | Mar 13, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON—In 2009 Anna Kalmbacher and her husband Gabriel adopted two boys from Uganda after spending time there doing missionary work. “You can’t go into it blindly or else you’re going to be taken advantage of, or the child is going to be taken advantage of,”...
by Cathaleen Chen | Mar 13, 2013 | Immigration, Politics
WASHINGTON — When Delali Dagadu found herself jobless, almost homeless and facing deportation after working five years as a career counselor, the Liberian native filed for asylum to avoid deportation and a return to her tribe, where she feared becoming a victim...
by Stephanie Yang | Mar 13, 2013 | Environment, Politics
WASHINGTON— The U.S. government has declared 50 percent more national disasters on average over the last 10 years when compared to the previous decade, but the nation’s main disaster relief agency is about to lose more than $1 billion in federal funding. How much it...
by Summer Delaney | Mar 13, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON –Twilight’s Ashley Greene, the latest celebrity to hit Capitol Hill, helped launch the first “branding” symbol to combat domestic violence and sexual assault Wednesday, saying young victims need to better understand how to stand up for themselves. The...
by Marshall Cohen | Mar 12, 2013 | Business, Politics
The Senate Banking Committee held two confirmations today: Mary Jo White, right, for chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Richard Cordray, left, for director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (Audrey Cheng/Medill)Republicans blocked...
by Alyssa Howard | Mar 12, 2013 | National Security, Politics
Members of Team 26, a group of cyclists who rode from Newtown, Conn. to Washington to call for gun control laws, wipe each other off after finishing the 400-mile ride. (Tom Meyer/ Medill News Service)Rep. Elizabeth Esty, a Connecticut Democrat, hugs Monte Frank, the...
by Mitchell Armentrout | Mar 12, 2013 | National Security, Politics
WASHINGTON — The military’s top cyber-security fighter said Tuesday that network threats to the nation are on the rise, calling on lawmakers to pass legislation that helps establish lines of authority in cyberwarfare. “When you look at the strategic landscape from our...
by Rachel Janik | Mar 12, 2013 | National Security, Politics
WASHINGTON – Although the more controversial assault weapons ban remains stalled, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Tuesday that would require universal background checks on gun buyers, sending the measure to the full Senate for a vote. Sen. Chuck...
by Josh Solomon | Mar 12, 2013 | National Security, Politics
WASHINGTON — One day after North Korea threatened a preemptive nuclear strike against the U.S., , intelligence officials testified at a Senate panel Tuesday that it is very possible for the “belligerent” nation to attack its neighbors to the south. In a rare hearing...
by Kris Anne Bonifacio | Mar 12, 2013 | National Security, Politics
WASHINGTON — Chuck Hagel faced an uphill battle winning confirmation as secretary of Defense, but his first few weeks on the job are proving to be an even bigger challenge. For his first foreign trip as defense secretary, Hagel headed to Afghanistan where his visit...
by Rachel Janik | Mar 7, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act into law Thursday after a 500-day journey to reauthorization that was fraught with controversy. Even now, some of the most significant gains of the new law may be the least talked-about. The...
by Kimberly Railey | Mar 7, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON — Despite a Supreme Court decision to hear new challenges to campaign spending limits, campaign finance reformers are doubling down on efforts to restrict the role of money in politics. The country’s highest court agreed Feb. 19 to hear McCutcheon v....