Pricey lawyers aid distressed immigrant families at border

A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol vehicle enters the Port Isabel Detention Center where adult immigrants are detained, Tuesday, June 26, 2018 near Port Isabel. A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol vehicle enters the Port Isabel Detention Center where adult immigrants are detained, Tuesday, June 26, 2018 near Port Isabel.

EPA Proposal to Limit Science Studies Draws Opposition

Democratic lawmakers joined scores of scientists, health providers, environmental officials and activists Tuesday in denouncing an industry-backed proposal that could limit dramatically the scientific studies the Environmental Protection Agency considers in shaping protections for human health. If adopted by the Trump administration, the rule would allow an EPA administrator to reject study results in making decisions about chemicals, pollutants and other health risks if underlying research data is not made public because of patient privacy concerns or other issues.

Energy Hearings This Week

Hearings to examine the Department of the Interior's final list of critical minerals for 2018 and opportunities to strengthen the United States' mineral security. "The Future of Fossil: Energy Technologies Leading the Way" Witnesses: Dr. Roger Aines Senior Scientist, Atmospheric, Earth and Energy Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Dr. Klaus Brun, Program Director, Machinery Program, Fluids & Machinery Engineering Department, Southwest Research Institute; Ms.

Texas to Execute Convicted Killer Despite Clemency Plea by Victim’s Family

Death Row inmate Christopher Young is shown in this undated handout photo provided July 16, 2018. Texas Department of Criminal Justice/Handout via REUTERS - Texas plans to execute a man on Tuesday convicted of murdering a store owner during a 2004 robbery despite calls from some relatives of the victim to spare the life of the inmate whom they say they have forgiven.

Judge temporarily halts deportations of parents separated from children Source: Cox Media Group

U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said Monday he's become "exasperated" by the Trump administration's slow work to reunify more than 2,600 children separated from their parents, and he ordered the government to halt all deportations of parents for at least a week. Sabraw scolded the Department of Health and Human Services for taking so long to reunite children in its care with their parents held in separate government facilities.

How LePage – and his veto pen – remade Maine politics

Gov. Paul LePage's legacy as Maine's 74th governor will be complex and varied, ranging from his conservative accomplishments to verbal explosions that put Maine in a negative national light. With three of his four terms spent as Democrats held legislative majorities, the Republican governor's veto became the most formidable weapon in his efforts to simultaneously advance his conservative agenda while thwarting liberal and moderate initiatives.

As Supreme Court battle roils DC, suburban voters shrug

It stands to shift the direction of the nation's highest court for decades, but President Donald Trump's move to fill a Supreme Court vacancy has barely cracked the consciousness of some voters in the nation's top political battlegrounds. Even among this year's most prized voting bloc - educated suburban women - there's no evidence that a groundswell of opposition to a conservative transformation of the judicial branch, which could lead to the erosion or reversal of Roe v.

Pence family’s failed gas stations cost taxpayers $21M

GARDEN CITY, Ind. - Vice President Mike Pence turns nostalgic when he talks about growing up in small-town Columbus, Indiana, where his father helped build an empire of more than 200 gas stations that provided an upbringing on the "front row of the American dream."

Judge does not punish Trump administration over family separations Source: Cox Media Group

A federal judge did not rule Friday on whether to punish the Trump administration for missing a court-ordered deadline to reunite dozens of young children separated from their parents, focusing instead on pushing the government to ensure the next round of reunifications happens properly and on time. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw had ordered the administration to reunite all children under age 5 by Tuesday.

Stabenow, Peters oppose Trump’s high court nominee Kavanaugh

In this April 30, 2018, file photo, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., speaks to reporters after holding a roundtable meeting with veterans in Lansing, Mich. In a statement released Friday, July 13, 2018, Stabenow said she will oppose President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Subpoena Sought Over Allegations EPA Mishandled Records Requests

Environmental Protection Agency manipulated its handling of open records requests so that documents from the Obama years got priority over those involving the agency's embattled former chief, Scott Pruitt, and other Trump administration officials, according to congressional interviews with EPA staffers. The agency also allowed political appointees to review some planned responses to requests lodged under the Freedom of Information Act, according to interview excerpts cited by Representative Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat.

EPA aide: Scrutiny of ‘politically charged’ records requests Source: AP

The Environmental Protection Agency assigns public-records requests from environmental groups or others that it sees as "politically charged" to special internal review, a top agency official told congressional staffers investigating the actions of Scott Pruitt, the scandal-plagued former administrator who resigned this month amid mounting ethical allegations. EPA Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson told congressional investigators one such records request, from the Sierra Club, was a "fishing expedition."

Little testifies on grazing policy

Lt. Gov. Brad Little was among a set of four witnesses who appeared Thursday before a House subcommittee which held an oversight hearing on public lands grazing. Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee have in recent months been moving toward significant changes to the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Equal Access to Justice Act, which allows groups who successfully prove in court that federal agencies violated federal rules to recover attorney fees.