Sessions’ Justice Dep’t will end forensic science commission

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday he is ending an Obama-era partnership with independent scientists that aimed to improve the reliability of forensic science, as longstanding concerns remain about the quality of such evidence in court cases. The Justice Department will not renew the National Commission on Forensic Science, a panel of judges, defense attorneys, researchers and law enforcement officials that had been advising the attorney general on the use of scientific evidence in the criminal justice process.

Reversing decades of interpretation: Court expands LGBT worker rights by attacking originalism

An appeals court ruled in support of LGBT rights this week, reversing decades of interpretation that largely allowed companies to discriminate against workers on the basis of sexual orientation. In their groundbreaking decision, nine of 12 judges in an en banc panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals said that gay and lesbian workers are protected under Title VII.

Congressional Republicans takeheat at home on ObamaCare,say priority is avoiding shutdown

Congressional Republicans returned this weekend to their districts to get another earful about ObamaCare, while giving mixed statements about how close they are to replacing the health care law and suggesting that avoiding a looming government shutdown is now the priority. California GOP Rep. Tom McClintock again held a town hall event in which residents expressed concerns about the GOP-led Congress repealing and replacing ObamaCare with more expensive and less comprehensive coverage.

Things to Know: Texas lawmakers turn on corporate incentives

In this April 5, 2017, photo, University of Texas at Austin President Gregory Fenves, left, and Maurie McInnis, UT Executive Vice President and Provost, get up from their chairs at the Capitol after testifying on Senate Bill 2119 in Austin, Texas. less In this April 5, 2017, photo, University of Texas at Austin President Gregory Fenves, left, and Maurie McInnis, UT Executive Vice President and Provost, get up from their chairs at the Capitol after testifying ... more AUSTIN, Texas - Socked by sagging energy prices, Texas lawmakers have less than two months to strike a deal on an austere budget that threatens cuts to everything from higher education to Medicaid.

After 11 months without a buyer, Topeka’s St. Francis Health Center could close

Members of Topeka's medical community say St. Francis Health Center's Denver owners could close the hospital after failing to secure a deal with potential buyers. SCL Health, which has reported financial losses in recent years, placed St. Francis on the market 11 months ago, leaving 1,600 employees increasingly anxious about its future.

What to watch: Texas isn’t alone in rainy day fund fight

The rainy day fund contains $10-plus billion at a time when slumping oil prices have left the state facing a potential $6 billion shortfall just to maintain current spending levels in the 2018-2019 budget the Legislature is now devising. Democrats and Republicans in the House want to spend some of that to forego widespread cuts.

Mississippi budget: ‘Mighty ugly’ cuts and no borrowing plan

Mississippi would spend less on public schools, have no new funds for transportation and face likely tuition hikes at state colleges and universities under a spending plan approved Saturday by lawmakers that cuts next year's budget by more than 4 percent compared to what was originally planned. The spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1, described as "mighty ugly" by House Speaker Pro Tem Greg Snowden, a Meridian Republican, could also mean program cuts and layoffs among state agencies.

‘Full Measure’: FOIA new

The Freedom of Information Act , written 50 years ago, was supposed to make it easier for Americans to access public records . From his first days, former President Barack Obama spoke about transparency but in his final years, new facts show the administration spent an unprecedented amount of your tax money to keep public information out of the public hands.

EDITORIAL: Art of the Fail

EDITORIAL: Art of the Fail In hindsight, maybe the Republicans should have had a Plan B. Check out this story on yorkdispatch.com: House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., announces that he is abruptly pulling the troubled Republican health care overhaul bill off the House floor, short of votes and eager to avoid a humiliating defeat for President Donald Trump and GOP leaders, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, March 24, 2017. It's as if these guys won't be happy until Obamacare is burned to the ground and the ground is salted.

Trump’s climate policy puts spring skiing on endangered list

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump step off Air Force One with their children at Andrews Air Force Base on March 5. The couple, along with Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and their families spent their spring vacation in Aspen this month. The weather wasn't perfect this week for the Trump family's spring break in Aspen.

Republicans’ failure on health care bill also hurts prospects for Trump’s tax reform

House Republicans' failure to repeal Barack Obama's health care law deals a serious blow to another big part of President Donald Trump's agenda: tax reform. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., say they will soon turn their attention to the first major re-write of the tax code in more than 30 years.

Some win and some lose with ‘Obamacare’ still around

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., pauses as he speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 24, 2017, after Republican leaders abruptly pulled their troubled health care overhaul bill off the House floor, short of votes and eager to avoid a humiliating defeat for President Donald Trump and GOP leaders. less House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., pauses as he speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 24, 2017, after Republican leaders abruptly pulled their troubled health care overhaul bill ... more WASHINGTON - The old and the poor made out great when House Republicans failed Friday to dismantle Barack Obama 's Affordable Care Act.