Sex slaves: Prostitution arrests point to human trafficking

Shady massage parlors and "spas" that offer sex -- commonly referred to as a "happy ending" -- after your back rub highlight a serious and often overlooked issue -- human trafficking of sex slaves. Store fronts that peddle prostitution may seem innocent enough -- even though they are illegal-- with ads on sites like Backpage.com featuring scantily clad women, who are usually Asian, posing for provocative photos alongside captions that "promise a good time."

Schools brace for impact if Congress cuts Medicaid spending

For school districts still getting their financial footing after the Great Recession, the Medicaid changes being advanced as part of the health care overhaul are sounding familiar alarms. Administrators say programming and services even beyond those that receive funding from the state-federal health care program could be at risk should Congress follow through with plans to change the way Medicaid is distributed.

More states allow sunscreen at schools without doctor’s OK

Susan Grenon makes sure her son is lathered with sunscreen before he leaves for school in the morning, but the fair-skinned 10-year-old can't bring a bottle to reapply it without a doctor's note. Many school systems categorize sunscreen as an over-the-counter medication requiring special paperwork, but several states have been pushing to loosen restrictions to make it easier for kids to protect themselves from skin cancer.

GOP lawmakers mark success by flipping rules from Obama era

In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., right, confers with Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the committee's confirmation hearing for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.

.com | GOP wins in reversing Obama-era rules on guns

Congressional Republicans anxious to show voters they can get something done, are hailing their reversal of more than a dozen Obama-era regulations on guns, the internet and the environment. Over a few months, lawmakers used an obscure legislative rule to ram through changes that will have far-reaching implications for the coal industry, broadband customers, hunters and women seeking health care at Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.

GOP wins in reversing Obama-era rules on guns, environment

In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., right, confers with Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the committee's confirmation hearing for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.

The Biggest American Health Care Act Myth of All

Since Nov. 8, 2016, when Donald Trump was declared the next President of the United States, there was the belief that the Affordable Care Act , the landmark healthcare legislation put in place by former President Obama, was living on borrowed time. Trump campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare, as the ACA is more commonly known, and Republicans retained a majority of seats in the House and Senate, which was supposed to make the repeal and replace process even easier.

Trump considering numerous candidates for FBI director

In this Jan. 3, 2006, file photo, then-Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Alice Fisher briefs reporters at the Justice Department in Washington. President Donald Trump is considering nearly a dozen candidates to succeed ousted FBI Director James Comey, choosing from a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

Here’s how the EPA can help states with their smog problems

Richard L. Revesz and Jack Lienke are co-authors of "Struggling for Air: Power Plants and the 'War on Coal.' a <" For many in the Northeast, May is a hopeful time, promising longer, warmer, brighter days ahead.

Larry Klayman v. President of the United States of America Deputy…

LARRY E. KLAYMAN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Justice, Head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, c/o U.S. Department of Justice Attn: Attorney General Loretta Lynch 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530, Defendants-Appellees.

Senate confirms Scott Gottlieb as FDA commissioner

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Dr. Scott Gottlieb as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration despite Democratic questions about his financial ties to medical companies the agency regulates. Gottlieb is a physician-turned-health consultant who has criticized many FDA regulations as unnecessary and has faced criticism from Democrats over his financial entanglements.

ICE arrests increase under Trump showing a gloves are being taken offa

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made 35 percent more arrests nationwide in roughly the first three months under President Donald Trump compared to the same period last year, though arrests were down 23 percent over 2014, according to government data. Nationwide, ICE made 41,898 arrests from Jan. 20 to April 29 compared to 31,128 in that period last year, according to ICE data.

Kansas City Tuesday Night Link Look

Dozens of retired teamsters held a rally Tuesday just outside the government agency tasked with overseeing retirement funds. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver joined the rally near Union Station at the Employee Benefits Security Administration Offices to raise the profile of a bill introduced Tuesday by Senator Bernie Sanders and co-sponsored by Missouri Sen. Oak Street, which lines up with the Heart of America Bridge and goes by the federal courthouse, the City Hall and Sprint Center, has seen unending construction over the years.

Republican congressmen send fiery response to HHS

Two influential Republican congressmen are blasting a Department of Health and Human Services memo to division heads as a "potentially illegal and unconstitutional" infringement on whistleblowers' rights to call attention to waste, fraud and abuse in the executive branch. The May 3 memo from HHS Secretary Tom Price's chief of staff, Lance Leggitt, instructed employees not to have "any communications" with members of Congress or their staffs without first consulting the department's assistant secretary for legislation.

Greg Sargent: How Democrats can unmask Trump’s populist scam

Now that Senate Republicans are plunging into a protracted, divisive debate over the monstrous House GOP health bill, top Democratic strategists are consumed with questions. How can the party seize on this moment to hold GOP lawmakers accountable in 2018, keep the grass roots engaged, and, more broadly, bring about a period of Democratic renewal? In a new memo to fellow Democrats, two senior Democratic strategists are arguing that the party must highlight the fact that the GOP health bill would not only leave many millions of people stranded without coverage - but, crucially, it would do this while delivering an enormous tax cut to the rich.