‘Sanctuary laws’ roil California in fight with Justice Department

California has become ground zero in a battle over so-called "sanctuary laws" aimed at protecting people from arrest and deportation amid a Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration. State laws that took effect Jan. 1 aim to circumvent local responsibility for immigration enforcement.

White House refuses to defend EPA chiefa s conduct

In a marked change in tone, the White House says President Donald Trump is not OK with recent revelations involving the embattled head of the Environmental Protection Agency. For his part, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is denying he knew about big raises given to two of his closest aides and insisting he did nothing wrong in renting a bargain-priced condo tied to an energy lobbyist.

Missouri lawmaker overseeing Greitens probe says ‘no’ to request for delay

Missouri State Rep. Jay Barnes speaks alongside House Speaker Todd Richardson at a press conference where it was announced that a committee has been formed to investigate the indictment of Gov. Eric Greitens on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com Eric Grietens with his family on Tuesday, August 2, 2016, at Eric Greitens watch party at the Doubletree Hotel in Chesterfield, after he was declared the winner in the Republican Governor primaries.

White House changes tone on EPA chief, reviewing his conduct

Esta foto del 3 de abril del 2018 muestra al admnistrador de la Agencia de Proteccion Ambiental de Estados Unidos, Scott Pruitt, mientras hace declaraciones en Washington. ARCHIVO - Esta foto del 3 de abril del 2018 muestra al admnistrador de la Agencia de Proteccion Ambiental de Estados Unidos, Scott Pruitt, mientras hace declaraciones en Washington.

Doctors charged with conspiracy, money laundering, in Birmingham ‘pill mill’

Four people, including two doctors, have been indicted on federal charges for a $7.8 million fraud conspiracy at a Birmingham clinic investigators called a "pill mill." The 44-count indictment was issued March 30. It charges Dr. Patrick Emeka Ifediba; his wife, Dr. Uchenna Grace Ifediba; Patrick Ifediba's sister Ngozi Justina Ozuligbo; and Clement Essien Ebio with the health care fraud conspiracy.

EPA chief gets support from Trump, warning from White House

President Donald Trump offered a measured gesture of support for Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Scott Pruitt, but those words of encouragement also came with a White House warning about the ethical questions surrounding his travel spending and ties to Washington lobbyists. "I hope he's going to be great," Trump told reporters Tuesday, declining to reiterate publicly his private praise for Pruitt's work.

EPA chief’s job not assured after Trump’s praise – and ire

Esta foto del 3 de abril del 2018 muestra al admnistrador de la Agencia de ProtecciA3n Ambiental de Estados Unidos, Scott Pruitt, mientras hace declaraciones en Washington. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, center, winks at National Automobile Dealers Association president and CEO Peter Welch, right, as he takes the podium to speak at a news conference at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, Tuesday, April 3, 2018, on his decision to scrap Obama administration fuel standards.

As pressure over his scandals builds, Scott Pruitt blacklists reporters from EPA announcement

Reporters from Politico , Buzzfeed, and other outlets noted that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt barred them from his April 3 announcement about loosening automobile fuel economy standards. Pruitt is currently under fire for a slew of scandals and seemingly corrupt activities, including a sweetheart deal he got to rent a D.C. condo from the wife of an energy lobbyist.

DACA ‘dead,’ Trump insists

President Donald Trump declared on Monday that a program shielding a group of young people from deportation -- which he moved to scrap last fall -- is "dead," and then blamed Democrats for failing to salvage the protections. "DACA is dead because the Democrats didn't care or act, and now everyone wants to get onto the DACA bandwagon," Trump said in one of a series of morning tweets on the matter.

Bipartisan group of senators question cancer drug’s 1,400% price hike

A bipartisan group of senators asked the head of a pharmaceutical company why the cost of a 40-year-old, cancer-fighting drug has spiked 1,400 percent over the last four years. A letter released Monday by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is the first step toward a Senate probe into Tri-Source Pharma and its subsidiary NextSource Biotechnology.

US Rep. Esty won’t seek re-election amid harassment queries

U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty announced on Monday she will not seek re-election this year amid calls for her resignation over her handling of the firing of a former chief of staff accused of harassment, threats and violence against female staffers in her congressional office. Esty, a Democrat from Connecticut and an outspoken #MeToo advocate, made the announcement not to seek a fourth term in the November election days after apologizing for not protecting her employees from the male ex-chief of staff.

EPA to ease back emissions standards

Environmental regulators announced on Monday they will ease emissions standards for cars and trucks, saying that a timeline put in place by President Obama was not appropriate and set standards "too high." The Environmental Protection Agency said it completed a review that will affect vehicles for model years 2022-2025.

Dietary Supplement & Cosmetics Legal Bulletin | April 2018

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2018 would apply to facilities that manufacture or process cosmetic products but would exempt most retailers, salons and research and testing facilities. The Senate committee, led by Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray , indicated in a The amendment would require manufacturers and distributors to report "serious adverse events" - including death, hospitalization, persistent disability, or significant disfigurement - to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services within 15 days.

Companies Very Positive About USDA Deregulating Plant Development Technology

COMPANIES VERY POSITIVE ABOUT USDA DEREGULATING PLANT DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY Apr. 2, 2018 Wired.com reports: FOR YEARS NOW, the US Department of Agriculture has been flirting with the latest and greatest DNA manipulation technologies. Since 2016, it has given free passes to at least a dozen gene-edited crops, ruling that they fall outside its regulatory purview.