New legislation will allow Puerto Rico debt restructure

Debt-hobbled Puerto Rico will be able to restructure its debt in a bankruptcy-style arrangement under new legislation agreed by the US Congress and the White House Thursday. The "Promesa" legislation will place the US territory under a powerful oversight board that will be charged with overseeing fiscal and structural reforms aimed at stabilizing its finances.

Another piece of the Confederate flag’s aura is chipped away

If you think the nation's internal debate over the Confederate battle flag's place in the United States was over, you're wrong. This morning , the U.S. House of Representatives voted for a bill that would bar the Confederate flag from being displayed at cemeteries run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

House chairman complains about Pentagon response on Benghazi

The chairman of the House Benghazi committee on Thursday complained that the Pentagon has failed to provide the names of all the pilots who sent drones over Libya the night of the deadly 2012 attacks, slowing the more than two-year-old investigation. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said in a statement that the Defense Department ignored a request for nearly five weeks for the pilots who sent drones over Benghazi and Tripoli, and that the Pentagon, at the end of April, then provided an incomplete list.

Oklahoma lawmakers pass bill criminalizing performing abortion

Oklahoma lawmakers have moved to effectively ban abortion in their state by making it a felony for doctors to perform the procedure, an effort the bill's sponsor said Thursday is aimed at ultimately overturning the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The bill , which abortion rights group Center for Reproductive Rights says is the first of its kind in the nation, also would restrict any physician who performs an abortion from obtaining or renewing a license to practice medicine in Oklahoma.

This Would Be Perfect Year for – None of the Above’by John FundEven…

"It's not like 'none of the above' is a potential option," GOP Texas governor Greg Abbott said on MSNBC's Nevada senator Dean Heller, also a Republican, disagrees. "I vehemently oppose our nominee and some of the comments and issues he brought up during the campaign," he told reporters this month.

House GOP moves forward to help Puerto Rico after delays

After weeks of delays, House Republicans are moving ahead with legislation to help Puerto Rico manage $70 billion in debt. A revised bill introduced late Wednesday would create a control board to help manage the U.S. territory's financial obligations and oversee some debt restructuring.

Mark Zuckerberg Meets WIth Conservatives in Bid To End Facebook ‘Liberal Bias’ Controversy

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg heard from more than a dozen U.S. conservative leaders on Wednesday and said he will work to build trust with users who believe the social network displays politically biased news content. After a closed-door meeting at the company's Silicon Valley headquarters, Zuckerberg defended his company's practices but acknowledged that many conservatives believe Facebook is politically liberal.

Gage Skidmore / Flickr; Tony Alter / Flickr

Donald Trump has cleared the field of competitors for the Republican nomination but has still not won over one particular, and significant, constituency. Legislators have been curiously resistant to his charms, far more so than those with executive branch experience.

The Latest: Clinton campaign slams Trump Supreme Court list

Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman has released a scathing statement in response to likely rival Donald Trump's list of potential Supreme Court picks. John Podesta says Trump's list of 11 Supreme Court candidates includes "no people of color, but does include a judge who upheld a law requiring doctors to use scare tactics to impede reproductive rights and another judge who equated homosexual sex to bestiality, pedophilia and necrophilia."

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Last week, Alaska senators Lisa Murkowski , Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young asked Secretary of State John Kerry to negotiate with Canadian leaders to make sure appropriate environmental safeguards are in place for mine development in Southeast Alaska. The congressional delegation explained the importance of this issue to Alaskans and the need for assurances that the water quality in transboundary waters between Alaska and Canada will be maintained.

Judge Sets Trial Date in Lawsuit Against Duckworth

A judge in southern Illinois has set an Aug. 15 trial date in a workplace retaliation lawsuit filed against U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth. The Democratic congresswoman is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk in one of November's most competitive Senate races.

William Weld to run as VP on Libertarian ticket

Seizing new fuel for his appeal to Donald Trump's critics, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has joined forces with another former Republican governor to strengthen his Libertarian presidential bid. William Weld, who served two terms as the Republican governor of Massachusetts in the 1990s, will announce plans Thursday to seek the Libertarian Party's vice presidential nomination, Johnson confirmed in a Wednesday interview with the Associated Press.