GOP Rep Labrador predicts “we’re going to see some of the greatest…

Someone should be collecting all the big talk we have heard from elected officials and pundits about the ground-breaking criminal justice reforms that are purportedly soon to happen in Congress . As noted in this prior post , at least one notable commentatory was saying in summer 2013 that "momentum for sentencing reform could be unstoppable."

Senate Majority Leader Sanctions Racism as Strategy

In a stunning bit of punditry television, McConnell was confronted on Sunday by Chuck Todd of Meet the Press about Trump's declaration that Gonzalo Curiel, the federal judge presiding over a case against the now-defunct Trump University, should be disqualified because of the judge's Mexican heritage, seeing as how the Republican standard-bearer has called for the building of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Todd read McConnell words recently penned by the right-wing blogger and Red State website founder Erick Erickson, who on June 4 at The Resurgent wrote the following about Trump's repeated claims regarding Judge Curiel: The attacks are racist.

Outside the Box: Why Kansas conservatives should call the state’s big income-tax cuts unfair

When Kansas enacted the largest income-tax cut in U.S. state history in 2012, Gov. Sam Brownback called it a first step on the path to eliminating the state's income tax altogether. The hope was that the tax reform would attract people and jobs to Kansas and that this economic growth would generate enough new revenue to pay for the cuts.

Top GOP Congressman Pushes To Repeal And Replace Dodd-Frank

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling is slated to preview legislation offering an alternative to Dodd-Frank, which he says is hurting the economy, during a speech at the Economic Club of New York Tuesday morning. The Texas Republican has been a staunch critic of the 2010 Wall Street reform act placing additional regulations on financial institutions, saying it is hurting the economy and calling for it to be repealed and replaced.

Ryan Set To Lay Out GOP Poverty Agenda At Drug Rehab Center In DC

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan listens to a question during his weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., April 28, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst House Speaker Paul Ryan is slated to unveil the GOP's plan to tackle poverty Tuesday at a drug and alcohol rehab facility in Anacostia - one of Washington, D.C.'s poorest neighborhoods.

Donald Trump Is Correct To Hit – La Raza’ Judge For Latino Identity Politics

Those words were spoken by Newt Gingrich - a man believed to be on Donald Trump's Vice Presidential shortlist - during an interview on "Fox News Sunday." The controversy erupted when Trump told CNN's Jake Tapper that Gonzalo Curiel - the judge in the Trump University class action lawsuit - might not give him a fair shake because of the judge's connection to Mexican political activism.

Letter: Supreme Court orders aren’t voluntary

Once again, the extremist Republican Kansas Legislature in cahoots with the equally extremist Gov. Sam Brownback has made a dangerously irresponsible decision against public education and our third branch of government. Apparently, it was insufficient to decrease funding for higher education - they now seek to further damage our elementary and secondary school children by defying another Kansas Supreme Court order to give children quality educations by an equitable distribution of funds throughout the state.

Barack Obama eager to lend his popularity to Hillary Clinton, shred Donald Trump

Washington: US President Barack Obama, after months of sitting on the sidelines of the rancorous contest to succeed him, is now ready to aggressively campaign for Hillary Clinton, starting with a formal endorsement of her candidacy as early as this week. The White House is in active conversations with Mrs Clinton's campaign about how and where the president would be useful to her, according to senior Obama aides.

Oklahoma education official says lawmakers helped schools

Oklahoma's top public education official says a measure that Gov. Mary Fallin has signed into law that axes end-of-instruction exams will help end an "over-testing culture." State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister has commended the Oklahoma Legislature for approving the law, which she says in a statement will allow schools to develop more personalized student-assessment tools.

The Latest: Reid hits McConnell for backing Trump

The Latest on the presidential campaign a day before voters choose their candidates in six states : Top Senate Democrat Harry Reid is going after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the Kentucky Republican declined to label Donald Trump's criticism of U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel as racist. The feisty Nevada Democrat Reid called McConnell, "the poster boy for Republicans' spinelessness that allowed Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee."

Union: New airport towers must be remodeled before opening

In this May 17, 2016, file photo, a plane lands at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Union officials says new, state-of-the-art airport towers due to go into operation this fall in San Francisco and Las Vegas need extensive remodeling so they can accommodate technology dating back more than half a century but still relied on by air traffic controllers.

Tempers likely to soar in summer congressional session

Temperatures and tempers are likely to run hot as lawmakers return to Washington on Monday for an abbreviated 6-week summertime session featuring a handful of must-do legislation and the roll-out of a House GOP campaign agenda that's a priority for House Speaker Paul Ryan. The spring was a little bumpy for the Wisconsin Republican, yo-yoing between his role as the top elected Republican in the country in the era of Donald Trump and manager of the difficult-to-control House.

Union: No room for old technology in new airport towersabout 2 hours ago

Two state-of-the-art airport towers due to go into operation this fall in San Francisco and Las Vegas will first need extensive remodeling to make room for technology that dates backs to the early days of air traffic control, according to union officials. The new rooms on top of the towers where controllers watch aircraft operations were designed for equipment that helps controllers track planes electronically.

New Balance Close to Win in Buy-America Foot Race for Military

New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. is close to winning an almost decade-long marathon: A buy-American provision in the massive defense policy bill the Senate will debate this week could force the Pentagon to purchase the company's sneakers for new military recruits. Currently, the Pentagon issues about $15 million in vouchers a year, covering 225,000 to 250,000 pairs of athletic shoes, New Balance estimates.