West Virginia AG announces proposal to crack down on opioids abuse

West Virginia's Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Tuesday proposed a five-point strategy to rein in opioids abuse in his hard-hit corner of Appalachia, from an "enforcement surge" of 150 state troopers to limiting certain fills of pain pills to just three days. The legislative package would shield prescribers who decline to prescribe opioids - so doctors don't put economic incentives over safe care - tighten up prescribing practices under the state Medicaid program and force doctors to crosscheck a prescribing database every time they write a script for opioids, instead of just once a year.

Lessons From the Last Push for Welfare Reform

President Trump signaled its return to the forefront of national policy debates in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, when he announced a plan to "lift our citizens from welfare to work." He shouldn't have trouble finding support for it: With a collective of pro-reform officials leading key agencies, and with longtime entitlement crusader Paul Ryan as speaker of the House, the GOP in 2018 will have its best chance in a generation to make major changes to the country's safety-net programs, including Medicaid and food stamps.

A raucous Google-Uber fight is finally heading to trial

A Google-bred pioneer in self-driving cars and Uber's beleaguered ride-hailing service are colliding in a courtroom showdown revolving around allegations of deceit, betrayal, espionage and a high-tech heist that tore apart one-time allies. The trial opening Monday in San Francisco federal court comes nearly a year after Google spin-off Waymo sued Uber, accusing it of ripping off key pieces of its self-driving car technology in 2016.

St. Charles takes $3 million hit on drug costs

Efforts to rein in abuse of a drug discount program for hospitals that serve a high number of low-income patients could cost St. Charles Health System an estimated $3 million in revenue in 2018. The 340B program, created by Congress in 1992, requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to give deep discounts to safety-net hospitals and health clinics.

Carson calls for HUD inspector general to review his family’s role at the department

Eureka Garden tenant's association president Tracy Grant shows Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Sen. Marco Rubio her apartment at the troubled complex during Carson's visit to Jacksonville, Fla., on April 11, 2017. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has called on his department's inspector general to "review" the role his family members have played there, tweeting Friday evening that he has been "under attack."

Woman gets life, no parole in killing of pregnant neighbor

FILE - This file photo provided by the Cass County Sheriff's Office in Fargo, N.D., shows Brooke Crews, who pleaded guilty Dec. 11, 2017, to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder and lying to law office... FARGO, N.D. - A North Dakota woman who admitted killing a pregnant neighbor and cutting the baby from the womb while the mother was still alive was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brooke Crews, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder and lying to law officers in the August death of Savanna Greywind, 22, of Fargo.

Joe Arpaio has given at least 5 interviews to anti-Semitic publication

Maricopa County's controversial former sheriff who's now a GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate has given several interviews to a publication that traffics in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Joe Arpaio, whom President Trump pardoned last year after he was convicted of criminal contempt of court in connection with a federal civil-rights case, declined an opportunity Wednesday to distance himself from the extremist material.

Van carrying gas canisters injures 18 in Shanghai crash

An Arizona lawmaker known for his booze-fueled partying and good-ol' boy, clownish behavior, has become the first state lawmaker expelled for sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement began sweeping the nation. An Arizona lawmaker known for his booze-fueled partying and good-ol' boy, clownish behavior, has become the first state lawmaker expelled for sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement began sweeping the nation.

Woman faces sentencing in killing of neighbor, theft of baby

FILE - This file photo provided by the Cass County Sheriff's Office in Fargo, N.D., shows Brooke Crews, who pleaded guilty Dec. 11, 2017, to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder and lying to law office... Democrats are asking why the Trump administration allowed two Russian spy chiefs, who have been sanctioned in the U.S. and Europe, to meet last week in Washington with American intelligence officials. Trump's offer of a "down-the-middle compromise" in immigration repels both Democrats and Republicans, leaving no deal in sight.

Workforce Recruitment Program candidates available

The WRP is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through temporary summer or permanent jobs. The program is co-sponsored by the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor and the internships are funded by DoD at no cost to the unit.

Dallas man to die for killing daughters while mom listened

A former Dallas accountant condemned for fatally shooting his two young daughters while their mother listened helplessly on the phone is looking to the U.S. Supreme Court to spare his life. John David Battaglia is set for execution Thursday evening for the May 2001 killings of his 9-year-old daughter, Faith, and her 6-year-old sister, Liberty.

Serious Questions Surround BWMS Testing

Serious questions have been raised regarding the testing of ballast water management systems . In order for a BWMS manufacturer to sell its equipment for use on commercial vessels operating in U.S. waters, the equipment must be tested in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency requirements and the equipment must then obtain a type approval certificate from the Coast Guard.

Koch network targets Texas in push for prison reform in Trump era

It's part of a broader push by the network - backed by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch - to redouble its criminal justice reform efforts while embracing common ground with President Donald Trump and his administration, which have delivered mixed results at best for the unlikely alliances that have formed around changing the system. "We're going to meet people where they are," Mark Holden, a senior network official, told reporters here repeatedly - a kind of mantra for the network's eagerness to make progress on a host of policy issues in the Trump era.