http://www.mail.com/subjects/368-legislature.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/368-legislature.html http://www.mail.com/news/us/2107128-i-5-bridge-collapses-wash-river-injuring-3.html MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — An Interstate 5 bridge over a river collapsed Thursday evening, dumping two vehicles into the water and sparking a rescue effort by boats and divers who searched the chilly waterway north of Seattle. Authorities said it appeared nobody was killed, but three people were injured in the bridge failure that raised the question about... Fri, 24 May 2013 06:05:28 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/2107128-i-5-bridge-collapses-wash-river-injuring-3.html 2013-05-24T06:05:28Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2106654-rep-jo-bonner-resigning-to-take-ala-college-post.html MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner announced Thursday that he is resigning from Congress effective in August to take a post with the University of Alabama system. In the letter to his congressional colleagues, the six-term Republican said he will resign to become vice chancellor of government relations and economic development at the University of Al... Fri, 24 May 2013 02:39:53 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2106654-rep-jo-bonner-resigning-to-take-ala-college-post.html 2013-05-24T02:39:53Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2106964-maine-governor-moves-office-tv-dispute.html AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine's governor, who has gained attention in the past for telling the NAACP to "kiss my butt" and comparing the Internal Revenue Service to the Gestapo, has moved out of his office at the State House and says he'll work out of the governor's mansion because of a dispute over a television screen. Republican Gov. Paul LePage has tempo... Fri, 24 May 2013 01:07:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2106964-maine-governor-moves-office-tv-dispute.html 2013-05-24T01:07:33Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2104984-ny-senator-assaults-military-culture-continue.html ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Charges that an Army sergeant secretly photographed and videotaped women at West Point are part of a military-wide pattern of sexual misconduct, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Thursday. The military has been rocked by a series of arrests and incidents of sexual misconduct. But the news from the venerable U.S. Military Academy — wher... Fri, 24 May 2013 00:49:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2104984-ny-senator-assaults-military-culture-continue.html 2013-05-24T00:49:15Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2104648-obama-sees-narrower-terror-threat-defends-drones.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama sought Thursday to advance the U.S. beyond the unrelenting war effort of the past dozen years, defining a narrower terror threat from smaller networks and homegrown extremists rather than the grandiose plots of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida. In a lengthy address at the National Defense University, Obama defended his c... Thu, 23 May 2013 23:20:16 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2104648-obama-sees-narrower-terror-threat-defends-drones.html 2013-05-23T23:20:16Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2104680-irs-replaces-official-tea-party-controversy.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Moving quickly to stem a raging controversy, the new acting head of the Internal Revenue Service started cleaning house Thursday by replacing the supervisor who oversaw agents involved in targeting tea party groups. A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner was placed on administrative leave, acc... Thu, 23 May 2013 23:18:46 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2104680-irs-replaces-official-tea-party-controversy.html 2013-05-23T23:18:46Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2106634-tea-party-vs-guard-gop-senate-rift.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and tea partyers broke into full view Thursday, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minority party. Tactics for dealing with the government's budget and debt became the latest qua... Thu, 23 May 2013 22:51:16 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2106634-tea-party-vs-guard-gop-senate-rift.html 2013-05-23T22:51:16Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2106652-senate-votes-to-cut-crop-insurance-aid-wealthy.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday voted to limit the amount of government subsidies the wealthiest farmers receive when purchasing crop insurance. The vote was one small victory this week for critics of a massive, five-year farm bill that would cost almost $100 billion a year and includes generous subsidies for the nation's biggest crops. Supporter... Thu, 23 May 2013 22:07:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2106652-senate-votes-to-cut-crop-insurance-aid-wealthy.html 2013-05-23T22:07:33Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2104670-house-backs-variable-rate-student-loans.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Dismissing a veto threat from President Barack Obama, lawmakers in the House passed legislation that links student loan rates to the ups and downs of the financial markets in a vote largely along party lines. The Republican-backed bill would allow students to dodge a scheduled rate hike for students with new subsidized Stafford loans nex... Thu, 23 May 2013 21:53:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2104670-house-backs-variable-rate-student-loans.html 2013-05-23T21:53:33Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2106180-rep-desjarlais-reprimanded-sex-with-patients.html NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rep. Scott DesJarlais, a licensed physician, was reprimanded and fined by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners for having sex with patients before he was elected to Congress, according to documents released Thursday. The Republican won re-election last year despite revelations he had affairs with patients and once urged one of ... Thu, 23 May 2013 21:33:13 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2106180-rep-desjarlais-reprimanded-sex-with-patients.html 2013-05-23T21:33:13Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2106154-wyden-fracfocus-constructive-tool-drilling.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A website partially funded by the oil and gas industry could be a "constructive" tool for federal regulators as they consider requiring public disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations, Senate Energy Committee Chairman Ron Wyden said Thursday. Wyden, D-Ore., stopped short of endorsing the website, FracFocus.org, but... Thu, 23 May 2013 21:21:47 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2106154-wyden-fracfocus-constructive-tool-drilling.html 2013-05-23T21:21:47Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2106192-house-immigration-group-resolves-dispute.html WASHINGTON (AP) — House members writing a bipartisan immigration bill said Thursday they had patched over a dispute that threatened their efforts, even as they and the rest of Congress prepared to return home for a weeklong recess where many could confront voters' questions on the issue. The eight lawmakers in the House immigration group have struggled fo... Thu, 23 May 2013 21:13:21 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2106192-house-immigration-group-resolves-dispute.html 2013-05-23T21:13:21Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2106196-senate-confirms-obama-nominee-to-key-appeals-court.html WASHINGTON (AP) — After five years of trying, President Barack Obama has placed his first nominee on a key appeals court in Washington. The Senate voted unanimously on Thursday, 97-0, to confirm Sri Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The court is considered the most important in the country after the Supreme Cour... Thu, 23 May 2013 21:05:21 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2106196-senate-confirms-obama-nominee-to-key-appeals-court.html 2013-05-23T21:05:21Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2105890-smooth-confirmation-hearing-pritzker.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's nominee for commerce secretary was questioned briefly about her ties to a subprime mortgage lender that failed in 2001 and her role as a beneficiary of family offshore trusts in the Bahamas, but those were minor bumps in an otherwise smooth Senate confirmation hearing Thursday. Chicago billionaire business execut... Thu, 23 May 2013 20:54:29 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2105890-smooth-confirmation-hearing-pritzker.html 2013-05-23T20:54:29Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2104740-colorado-killers-reprieve-sharply-criticized.html DENVER (AP) — Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper's decision to block the execution of convicted killer Nathan Dunlap for as long as he is governor infuriated victims' relatives and drew quick criticism from Republicans ahead of the 2014 election. Hickenlooper on Wednesday granted an indefinite reprieve to Dunlap, who is on death row for the ambush slayings... Thu, 23 May 2013 15:15:50 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2104740-colorado-killers-reprieve-sharply-criticized.html 2013-05-23T15:15:50Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2103812-4-americans-killed-2009-us-drone-strikes.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 2009. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama in which he plans to pledge more transparency to Congress in his counterterrorism policy. ... Thu, 23 May 2013 02:45:12 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2103812-4-americans-killed-2009-us-drone-strikes.html 2013-05-23T02:45:12Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2103094-who-took-5th-baseball-star-banker.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The baseball star, the Hollywood 10, Oliver North. And Lois Lerner of the IRS. The official enmeshed in a probe of the tax agency is the latest on a roll call of witnesses brought before Congress who refused to answer lawmakers' questions. A few well-known names who invoked Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination: ... Thu, 23 May 2013 01:10:38 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2103094-who-took-5th-baseball-star-banker.html 2013-05-23T01:10:38Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2103328-house-passes-gop-bill-to-speed-pipeline-approval.html WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans pushed through a bill Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. Democrats criticized the legislation as a blatant attempt to allow a foreign company to avoid environmental review. The bill was approved, 241-175, largely along party lines. Republicans said t... Thu, 23 May 2013 00:38:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2103328-house-passes-gop-bill-to-speed-pipeline-approval.html 2013-05-23T00:38:01Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2104158-vote-pot-shops-lingering-la-issue.html LOS ANGELES (AP) — Voters approved a law limiting the number of medical pot shops in Los Angeles after politicians failed for years to corral the blossoming industry. The winning ballot measure on Tuesday caps the number of nonprofit dispensaries at about 135 from a high of nearly 1,000 a few years ago. It also imposes higher taxes, regulates hours of ope... Wed, 22 May 2013 23:37:20 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2104158-vote-pot-shops-lingering-la-issue.html 2013-05-22T23:37:20Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2102266-broke-laws-irs-official-then-takes-5th.html WASHINGTON (AP) — At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers' further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself. In one of the most elec... Wed, 22 May 2013 23:25:52 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2102266-broke-laws-irs-official-then-takes-5th.html 2013-05-22T23:25:52Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2102900-kerry-us-allies-ready-to-step-up-aid-to-rebels.html AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The U.S. and several key allies looked again Wednesday for a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem the Assad regime's military gains and Washington still unwilling to join those providing the rebels with lethal military aid. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry allowed that President Barack... Wed, 22 May 2013 22:01:53 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2102900-kerry-us-allies-ready-to-step-up-aid-to-rebels.html 2013-05-22T22:01:53Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2103236-senate-rejects-bid-to-food-stamps.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday rejected a Republican bid to turn the federal food stamp program over to the states. Known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the food stamp program is administered by the Agriculture Department and federal dollars are unlimited as long as recipients qualify. The program cost $78 billion la... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:58:28 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2103236-senate-rejects-bid-to-food-stamps.html 2013-05-22T21:58:28Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2103124-pentagon-record-plan-wont-help-vet-backlog.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has decided to buy a new computerized health records system to be able to better share and merge its data with the Department of Veterans Affairs, but officials cautioned that it was part of a "long-term modernization" effort and would not help ease the backlog in VA disability claims. The announcement Wednesday came on a da... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:55:08 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2103124-pentagon-record-plan-wont-help-vet-backlog.html 2013-05-22T21:55:08Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2103808-senators-warm-to-transportation-nominee.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's nominee for transportation secretary — Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx — received a friendly reception from senators of both parties Wednesday laced with warnings that the nation needs to make a host of transportation improvements with no clear way to pay for them. Foxx told a jammed Senate confirmation hearing that... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:43:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2103808-senators-warm-to-transportation-nominee.html 2013-05-22T21:43:57Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102180-key-house-chairman-slams-senate-immigration-bill.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A key House committee chairman on Wednesday sharply criticized a wide-ranging immigration bill just passed by a Senate committee, underscoring the difficulties ahead as the politically volatile measure moves forward in a divided Congress. Separately, a bipartisan House group that has been working behind the scenes to craft its own immigr... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:36:42 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102180-key-house-chairman-slams-senate-immigration-bill.html 2013-05-22T21:36:42Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2103932-school-storm-protection-spotty-tornado-zones.html MOORE, Okla. (AP) — With its single-story design and cinder-block walls, Plaza Towers Elementary School may have seemed sturdy when it was built a couple of generations ago. But a powerful tornado revealed the building's lack of modern safety standards, destroying the school and killing seven students. Unlike several other schools in the Oklahoma City are... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:31:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2103932-school-storm-protection-spotty-tornado-zones.html 2013-05-22T21:31:01Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2103672-obama-threatens-veto-house-student-loan-plan.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Wednesday threatened to veto legislation by House Republicans that would avert a doubling of student loan interest rates on July 1 but allow them to vary with the markets going forward. The White House issued the warning a day before the full House was scheduled to vote on the bill. Leaders from both parties exp... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:27:02 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2103672-obama-threatens-veto-house-student-loan-plan.html 2013-05-22T21:27:02Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2103300-house-committee-passes-iran-sanctions-legislation.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A new push to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions by crippling the country's economy gathered momentum on Capitol Hill Wednesday with approval of legislation by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would impose even tougher economic sanctions against Tehran. And the Senate resolved that the United States should support Israel if it is fo... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:25:32 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2103300-house-committee-passes-iran-sanctions-legislation.html 2013-05-22T21:25:32Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102282-house-panel-moves-to-curb-military-sexual-assaults.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of a House panel angry over the growing epidemic of sexual assaults in the military took a key step toward tackling the problem by passing legislation Wednesday that would strip commanding officers of their longstanding authority to unilaterally change or dismiss court-martial convictions in rape and assault cases. Lawmakers believe the revision wil... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:06:51 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102282-house-panel-moves-to-curb-military-sexual-assaults.html 2013-05-22T21:06:51Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102278-amid-immigration-reform-calls-to-change-asylums.html SEATTLE (AP) — As Congress debates legalizing about 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, immigration advocates are pushing plans they say will open the asylum process for thousands of more people who flee persecution in their home countries. The Senate version of the immigration bill, which passed out of the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday n... Wed, 22 May 2013 18:27:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102278-amid-immigration-reform-calls-to-change-asylums.html 2013-05-22T18:27:15Z