TheRepublic.com - Washington & Politics News

Labor board nominees advance

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:37:03 -0400

WASHINGTON - A Senate panel has endorsed President Barack Obama's slate of five nominees to sit on the National Labor Relations Board. Two of them advanced despite strong GOP opposition.

House panel seeks to curb military sexual assaults

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:36:24 -0400

WASHINGTON - Determined to check the growing epidemic of sexual assaults in the armed forces, a House panel is poised to approve a series of revisions to longstanding military law. They include stripping commanding officers of their unilateral authority to change or dismiss a court-martial conviction and requiring that service members found guilty of sexual offenses be dismissed or dishonorably discharged.

IRS official Lerner: 'I did nothing wrong'

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:09:41 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the storm over the agency's targeting of conservative groups told Congress on Wednesday that she had done nothing wrong in the episode, and then invoked her constitutional right to refuse to answer lawmakers' questions.

More doctors, hospitals using electronic records

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:48:03 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration says more doctors and hospitals are embracing technology as adoption of computerized medical records reaches a "tipping point" in America.

Obama seeks to make acting GSA head permanent

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:40:58 -0400

WASHINGTON - The White House says President Barack Obama will nominate Dan Tangherlini to run the General Services Administration, the agency in charge of federal buildings and supplies.

FEMA Chief: Feds won't go 'when the cameras leave'

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:54:05 -0400

WASHINGTON - The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says U.S. officials are "going neighborhood to neighborhood" to make sure Oklahoma gets the help it needs.

Republican divisions may hinder party's momentum

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:24:24 -0400

WASHINGTON - A string of unrelated events is highlighting divisions among Republicans just when they'd like to show a united front and take full advantage of President Barack Obama's latest political problems.

Walters: California State Bar bill hits at competition

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:46:37 -0400

By DAN WALTERS - California, it's now acknowledged, has a glut of lawyers.

Henry: Talking points? Raise your voice in protest

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:46:47 -0400

By REG HENRY - Raise a voice, loudly, against talking points

Gov't dysfunction may be baked into the system

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:30:53 -0400

WASHINGTON - The works do seem to be "gummed up" on Capitol Hill. And President Barack Obama isn't the only one to say so.

Officials say Benghazi suspects under surveillance

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:20:28 -0400

WASHINGTON - Five men are under round-the-clock U.S. surveillance in Libya, wanted for questioning in the attack last year on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. The White House believes there is enough proof for a military force to seize them as terrorist suspects, officials say, but prefers to wait until investigators have enough evidence to try them in a U.S. civilian courtroom.

Apple case seen as possible spur to tax action

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:15:07 -0400

WASHINGTON - Now that tech darling Apple Inc. has been dragged front and center into the debate over the U.S. tax code, lawmakers are hoping that the spotlight on such a high-profile company could be the catalyst for Congress to take action to close loopholes or reform the law.

Pentagon wants $450M for Guantanamo prison

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:51:11 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is asking Congress for more than $450 million for maintaining and upgrading the Guantanamo Bay prison that President Barack Obama wants to close.

McKeon: State didn't ask for help before Benghazi

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:18:26 -0400

WASHINGTON - A senior House Republican says U.S. military forces weren't in a position to help those under attack at a U.S. diplomatic post in Libya because the State Department had failed to ask the Pentagon for help in securing the compound before the raid.

Key senator to let Myanmar sanctions bill lapse

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:14:11 -0400

WASHINGTON - Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, easing up on his long-held tough stance on Myanmar, said Tuesday he planned to allow key sanctions legislation against the Southeast Asian nation to lapse because of the country's progress toward democracy.

No new funds needed for Okla. tornado recovery

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:07:18 -0400

WASHINGTON - Top lawmakers and officials said Tuesday that the federal government has plenty of money on hand to pay for recovery efforts in the wake of the devastating tornado that struck Oklahoma.

Senate votes to make small cut to food stamps

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:02:04 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Tuesday to keep a $400 million annual cut - or roughly a half of 1 percent - to the food stamp program as part of a major five-year farm bill.

Feds halt data cull for State Dept terror report

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:47:50 -0400

WASHINGTON - The federal government has given the job of compiling statistics used by the State Department to analyze trends in global terrorism to an academic group, a move that may complicate accurate unclassified assessments of patterns of terrorist activity for years to come.

Senate panel approves weapons for Syrian rebels

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:25:54 -0400

WASHINGTON - A Senate panel voted on Tuesday to provide weapons to rebels battling the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, the first time lawmakers have endorsed the aggressive U.S. military step of arming the opposition in the 2-year-old civil war.

Fort Jackson commander facing adultery charges

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:27:38 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Army says the commanding general of Fort Jackson, South Carolina, has been suspended in connection with charges of adultery and involvement in a physical altercation.