Latest Politics Headlines

All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Tougher Seat Belt Law Passes North Dakota Senate

Jan 24 2019 // Dakota’s Senate wants to change the state’s seat belt law.The Senate voted 24-23 on a proposal to allow police to pull over drivers if they see them not wearing seat belts. The fine would be $50. The measure...

Louisiana’s Insurance Commissioner Draws GOP Challenger

Jan 24 2019 // Louisiana’s insurance commissioner has drawn a challenger from within his own party.Republican Tim Temple announced he will run for the office on the Oct. 12 ballot, seeking to oust GOP incumbent Jim Donelon. Temple,...

Michigan Senate GOP Priority: Cutting Car Insurance Rates

Jan 17 2019 // Michigan Senate Republicans have signaled their intent to make lowering high auto insurance premiums a top priority in the two-year session, proposing legislation that would make it optional for Michigan drivers to buy...

Trump Administration Delay with Storm Mitigation Funds Frustrates States

Jan 4 2019 // The Trump administration is sitting on billions of dollars intended to help vulnerable cities and states prepare for extreme weather, prompting growing criticism from state officials worried about the next storm season.In...

Congressional Report Finds Olympic Leaders Valued Reputation Over Athletes’ Safety

Dec 28 2018 // A congressional review of the U.S. Olympic system’s handling of sex-abuse cases criticizes a culture that sought to protect reputation and image over athlete safety.A House subcommittee released the report last...

Senate OK of Farm Bill Sends It to President Trump Who Is Expected to Sign It

Dec 12 2018 // The House cleared farm legislation that renews agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families without a controversial provision backed by conservatives and President Donald Trump that would have toughened work...

Senate Passes Farm Bill with Crop Insurance, Food Stamps, Hemp Farming

Dec 12 2018 // The Senate passed a five-year farm bill renewing agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families after weeks of negotiations over work requirements for food stamp recipients and a last-minute snag over forestry...

Texas Senate Panel: Feds Paid Most of Harvey $2.7B Recovery Cost so Far

Dec 4 2018 // Hurricane Harvey recovery will end up costing the state as much as $2 billion, according to a report released Nov. 30 by the Texas Senate’s budget-writing panel, although it said costs may fluctuate based on how much...

Self-Driving Vehicle Regulation Bill Gets Late Push in Senate

Dec 4 2018 // Key U.S. senators are making a last-ditch effort to win approval of a bill to speed the use of self-driving cars without human controls, but face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill.Staff for Republican Senator John Thune and...

Democrats’ Climate Change Concern Ebbs When Congress Faces Flood Insurance

Nov 30 2018 // A Congressional stalemate over flood insurance highlights the difficulty of enacting the type of reforms urged last week in a U.S. government report on climate change — even for Democrats, who embraced the...

Democrats, Republicans Tentatively Agree on Farm Bill with Crop Insurance

Nov 30 2018 // Democrats and Republicans said they reached a tentative deal on farm legislation after jettisoning controversial work requirements for food stamp recipients demanded by President Donald Trump and conservatives in the...

U.S. Senate Committee Holding Hearing on Massachusetts Natural Gas Incident

Nov 21 2018 // U.S. senators are holding a hearing in Lawrence, Mass., to review the response to the September natural gas explosions that rocked Merrimack Valley communities.The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation...

Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Regulate Proxy Advisors

Nov 15 2018 // Six U.S. senators on Wednesday introduced a bill that would require the U.S. securities watchdog to directly regulate firms such as Glass, Lewis & Co and Institutional Shareholder Services, which advise investors on...

Democrat Lara Leads Poizner in California Insurance Commissioner Race

Nov 7 2018 // Democrat Ricardo Lara was leading Republican-turned-independent Steve Poizner in the race for California Insurance Commissioner.Lara had 50.8 percent of the vote, leading by 105,733 votes, with 95.7 percent of precincts...

Drug Ads on TV Would Show Prices Under Trump Administration Proposal

Oct 16 2018 // The U.S. government, in an effort to increase pressure on drugmakers to lower costs for U.S. consumers, said on Monday it will propose requiring companies to include the price of their prescription medicines in television...

Trump Administration Moves to Speed Up Fully Autonomous Vehicles

Oct 5 2018 // The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to revise safety rules that bar fully self-driving cars from the roads without equipment such as steering wheels, pedals and mirrors, according to a document made public...

Senate Approves Bill on Commercial Drones, Airline Passengers, Disaster Relief

Oct 4 2018 // Airline passengers can no longer be removed from flights under legislation that passed the Senate on Wednesday, while the government will write new rules to allow commercial drones to deliver packages and get new authority...

Glen Mulready, Republican Candidate for Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner

Oct 1 2018 // Glen Mulready has 35 years of experience in the insurance industry and is a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He previously served as the House insurance committee chair and is now the floor leader...

Kimberly Fobbs, Democratic Candidate for Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner

Oct 1 2018 // While this is the first time Kimberly Fobbs has run for statewide office, she is no stranger to either politics or the insurance industry. She has long been active in Tulsa county politics and currently serves as chair of...

Kitchen Torch Behind Fire at Home of Michigan GOP Lt. Gov. Candidate

Sep 19 2018 // Republican lieutenant governor candidate Lisa Posthumus Lyons says the fire that burned down her western Michigan home started after one of her children used a kitchen torch inside the attached garage. She said at a news...