http://www.mail.com/subjects/1678-governments.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.20/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/1678-governments.html http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1765724-michigan-senate-oks-emergency-manager-bill.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Republican-led Michigan Legislature cleared the way Thursday for GOP Gov. Rick Snyder to sign a replacement for an emergency manager law struck down by voters, delivering another punch to Democrats still reeling from this week's rapid passage of right-to-work legislation limiting unions' power. On the final hours of the legislati... Fri, 14 Dec 2012 04:29:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1765724-michigan-senate-oks-emergency-manager-bill.html 2012-12-14T04:29:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/music/1764614-official-family-identified-rivera-remains.html MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — The remains of Mexican-American music star Jenni Rivera were headed back to the United States after being identified by her family, state officials said Thursday. The Nuevo Leon state government announced that it had released the remains. State security spokesman Jorge Domene said earlier in the day that Rivera's family had made a... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:59:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/music/1764614-official-family-identified-rivera-remains.html 2012-12-13T22:59:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1765030-time-to-decide-health-care-exchanges.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Nineteen states have turned down the Obama administration's invitation to run the new health insurance markets that will begin serving millions of uninsured Americans less than a year from now. That puts a huge task on the feds, a defining challenge for President Barack Obama's second term. Friday is decision day for states to notify Was... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:58:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1765030-time-to-decide-health-care-exchanges.html 2012-12-13T21:58:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1764982-ark-republicans-consider-unusual-health-stand.html LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Like their counterparts in other southern states, Arkansas Republicans denounced "Obamacare" during this year's election campaign and called for its repeal. But now that they've won control of the Legislature for the first time in 138 years, GOP lawmakers are considering something that would be anathema to conservatives elsewhere -- expanding governm... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:05:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1764982-ark-republicans-consider-unusual-health-stand.html 2012-12-13T19:05:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1764776-apnewsbreak-colo-gov-time-to-talk-gun-laws.html DENVER (AP) — Colorado's Gov. John Hickenlooper said "the time is right" for state lawmakers to consider gun control measures, offering his firmest stance in the aftermath of several high-profile shootings, including a movie theater rampage in suburban Denver, that have shocked the nation. The Democratic governor upset some in his party for not taking a s... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:45:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1764776-apnewsbreak-colo-gov-time-to-talk-gun-laws.html 2012-12-13T17:45:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763112-bank-repossessions-hit-9-month-high-november.html LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. home repossessions rose to a nine-month high in November, even as the number of homes starting on the path to foreclosure declined to the lowest level in six years. Banks completed foreclosure on 59,134 homes last month, an increase of 11 percent from October and up 5 percent from November last year, foreclosure listing firm Realty... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:52:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763112-bank-repossessions-hit-9-month-high-november.html 2012-12-13T04:52:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760378-court-ruling-ill-gun-ban-sets-stage-fight.html CHICAGO (AP) — Backers of Illinois' ban on concealed weapons vowed Wednesday to fight for continued controls on gun possession, a day after a federal appeals court struck down the nation's last such prohibition as unconstitutional and ordered the state to craft a law allowing it. Chicago aldermen joined gun control advocates in urging state Attorney Gener... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760378-court-ruling-ill-gun-ban-sets-stage-fight.html 2012-12-13T01:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1762600-calif-gov-brown-treated-prostate-cancer.html SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown is being treated for early stage prostate cancer but will stay on the job throughout his nearly four-week treatment, his office said Wednesday, calling the typically energetic 74-year-old chief executive's prognosis "excellent." Brown's office gave few details about his treatment or how Brown was found to be suff... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1762600-calif-gov-brown-treated-prostate-cancer.html 2012-12-13T01:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1762476-right-to-work-law-michigan-unions-task.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Now that Michigan has become a right-to-work state, unions in this stronghold of organized labor confront a new and urgent problem: convincing members to continue paying for their services instead of taking them for free. Brushing aside protests from thousands of labor supporters, the Republican-controlled state House approved measur... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1762476-right-to-work-law-michigan-unions-task.html 2012-12-12T22:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761778-nj-gov-christie-weight-bar-to-presidency.html TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he is "more than a little" overweight — but fit enough to be in the White House. The Republican governor was asked about his weight problem during an interview with Barbara Walters for her "10 Most Fascinating People" special Wednesday night on ABC. Walters told the governor some people say he is to... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761778-nj-gov-christie-weight-bar-to-presidency.html 2012-12-12T21:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761934-virgin-galactic-future-spaceport-uncertain.html ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The deal was sold to New Mexicans in classic Richard Branson fashion. If taxpayers would build the colorful British businessman a $209 million futuristic spaceport, he would make New Mexico the launching point for a space tourism business catering to the rich and famous. Now, with Spaceport America nearly complete but still mostly... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1761934-virgin-galactic-future-spaceport-uncertain.html 2012-12-12T19:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760382-mich-right-to-work-despite-protests.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — In a dizzyingly short time span, Republicans have converted Michigan from a seemingly impregnable fortress of organized labor into a right-to-work state, leaving outgunned Democrats and union activists with little recourse but to shake their fists and seek retribution at the ballot box. The state House swiftly approved two bills redu... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:44:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760382-mich-right-to-work-despite-protests.html 2012-12-12T16:44:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1759658-americans-finding-dozens-ways-to-mark-12-12-12.html A Michigan sixth-grader will put aside her nerves and get her ears pierced on her 12th birthday. Two law-enforcement officials will exchange wedding vows at 12:12 p.m. in Pittsburgh's federal courthouse. And gamblers can take advantage of promotions some casinos are using to lure in patrons who want to test their luck. With a once-a-century date arriving ... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1759658-americans-finding-dozens-ways-to-mark-12-12-12.html 2012-12-12T00:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1758844-michigan-lawmakers-approve-right-to-work-bills.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Over the chants of thousands of angry protesters, Republican lawmakers made Michigan a right-to-work state Tuesday, dealing a devastating and once-unthinkable defeat to organized labor in a place that has been a bastion of the movement for generations. The GOP-dominated House ignored Democrats' pleas to delay the final passage and in... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1758844-michigan-lawmakers-approve-right-to-work-bills.html 2012-12-12T00:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757598-mich-house-approves-right-to-work-limiting-unions.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan House approved the first of two right-to-work bills Tuesday that would weaken union power in the historical labor stronghold as hundreds of protesters rallied at the Capitol. The Republican-dominated chamber passed a measure dealing with public-sector workers 58-51 as protesters shouted "shame on you" from the gallery an... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757598-mich-house-approves-right-to-work-limiting-unions.html 2012-12-11T16:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1756216-ariz-powerball-jackpot-winners-released.html PHOENIX (AP) — The second winner of the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot is a 37-year-old electronics industry professional who grew up in a modest home in Pennsylvania and moved to an affluent Phoenix suburb last year before striking it rich in the lotto. The winner is Matthew Good of Fountain Hills, who chose to remain anonymous after claiming the prize... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1756216-ariz-powerball-jackpot-winners-released.html 2012-12-11T13:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1756440-solid-evidence-elusive-right-to-work-debate.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder says one reason he supports right-to-work legislation in Michigan is the economic boost a similar law has given Indiana, although officials have provided no conclusive evidence that the policy by itself has drawn new businesses to the state next door. It's an example of the flurry of claims supporters and opponents w... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1756440-solid-evidence-elusive-right-to-work-debate.html 2012-12-11T00:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1756720-oregon-lawmakers-to-vote-nike-expansion-plan.html SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Athletic footwear and apparel giant Nike Inc. plans to expand its operations in Oregon and hire hundreds of workers but wants the government to promise that tax rules won't change, prompting a special session of the Legislature. Gov. John Kitzhaber said he'll call lawmakers together Friday in Salem to create a new law authorizing him to... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1756720-oregon-lawmakers-to-vote-nike-expansion-plan.html 2012-12-11T00:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1756742-pot-legalized-colo-with-govs-proclamation.html DENVER (AP) — Marijuana for recreational use became legal in Colorado Monday, when the governor took a purposely low-key procedural step of declaring the voter-approved change part of the state constitution. Colorado became the second state after Washington to allow pot use without a doctor's recommendation. Both states prohibit public use of the drug, an... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:02:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1756742-pot-legalized-colo-with-govs-proclamation.html 2012-12-10T23:02:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1756980-feds-rule-health-care-laws-medicaid-expansion.html WASHINGTON (AP) — States must commit to fully expanding their Medicaid programs to take advantage of generous funding in the federal health care law, the Obama administration said Monday. The ruling affects a federal-state program that covers nearly 60 million low-income and severely disabled people, caught in a tug-of-war between Republican governors and... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1756980-feds-rule-health-care-laws-medicaid-expansion.html 2012-12-10T21:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1755870-top-jindal-aides-use-personal-email-to-strategize.html BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Top officials in Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration used personal email accounts to craft a media strategy for imposing hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid cuts — a method of communication that can make it more difficult to track under public records laws despite Jindal's pledge to bring more transparency to state government. ... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:48:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1755870-top-jindal-aides-use-personal-email-to-strategize.html 2012-12-10T20:48:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1756420-fiscal-cliff-stalemate-spurs-anxiety.html JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A plunge over the federal "fiscal cliff" may sound like a terrifying risk for many state officials anxiously watching as Washington struggles to avert automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to start with the new year. Yet their greatest angst may stem not from the potential loss of billions of dollars, but the confusion surrounding it all. ... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1756420-fiscal-cliff-stalemate-spurs-anxiety.html 2012-12-10T19:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1756438-fiscal-cliff.html As Congress and the White House negotiate over ways to avoid a "fiscal cliff" at the start of the new year, governors and state lawmakers are watching anxiously because of the potential effect on state budgets. Here are five things to know about the political stalemate: CLIFF NOTES The term "fiscal cliff" refers to the potentially negative economic effect... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1756438-fiscal-cliff.html 2012-12-10T17:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755758-ap-source-obama-to-help-unveil-factory-expansion.html DETROIT (AP) — President Barack Obama will help announce expansion of a truck engine plant when he visits a Detroit suburb on Monday. The president is visiting the area to build support for his plan to avoid the "fiscal cliff," the combination of tax hikes and spending cuts that are to take effect in January unless a budget deal is reached. ... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755758-ap-source-obama-to-help-unveil-factory-expansion.html 2012-12-10T14:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1755288-minn-gay-couple-71-marriage-case-united.html MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Jack Baker proposed to Michael McConnell that they join their lives together as a couple, in March 1967, McConnell accepted with a condition that was utterly radical for its time: that someday they would legally marry. Just a few years later, the U.S. Supreme Court slammed the door on the men's Minnesota lawsuit to be the first sam... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1755288-minn-gay-couple-71-marriage-case-united.html 2012-12-10T08:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754262-ap-exclusive-georgia-details-nuke-investigations.html BATUMI, Georgia (AP) — On the gritty side of this casino resort town near the Turkish border, three men in a hotel suite gathered in secret to talk about a deal for radioactive material. The Georgian seller offered cesium, a byproduct of nuclear reactors that terrorists can use to arm a dirty bomb with the power to kill. But one of the Turkish men, wearin... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 04:27:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754262-ap-exclusive-georgia-details-nuke-investigations.html 2012-12-10T04:27:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754282-obama-boehner-meet-to-discuss-fiscal-cliff.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met Sunday at the White House to discuss the ongoing negotiations over the impending "fiscal cliff," the first meeting between just the two leaders since they both won re-election. Spokesmen for both Obama and Boehner said they agreed to not release details of the conversation, but em... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:05:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754282-obama-boehner-meet-to-discuss-fiscal-cliff.html 2012-12-10T02:05:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754480-unions-vow-political-payback-right-to-work-law.html LANSING, Mich. (AP) — With defeat in the Michigan Legislature virtually certain, Democrats and organized labor intend to make enactment of right-to-work laws as uncomfortable as possible for Gov. Rick Snyder and his Republican allies while laying the groundwork to seek payback at the polls. Shellshocked opponents of the laws spent the weekend mapping stra... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 23:02:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754480-unions-vow-political-payback-right-to-work-law.html 2012-12-09T23:02:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754340-nj-mayor-booker-to-decide-governors-bid.html NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Democratic Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, N.J., a prominent figure in his party, said Sunday that he'll decide within two weeks whether to challenge Republican Gov. Chris Christie next year. Booker, who leads the state's largest city, also told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he's thinking about running for the U.S. Senate. He said he has to... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:49:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754340-nj-mayor-booker-to-decide-governors-bid.html 2012-12-09T19:49:00Z