California legislature may ditch plan to radically reduce emissions

Gov. Jerry Brown has taken the national stage to tout California's fight against global warming, telling cheering throngs at the Democratic National Convention that the state has “the toughest climate laws in the country.” Yet inside the state Capitol, the fate of the policy's centerpiece - legislation to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions - is in peril. One ominous sign: Brown on Thursday opened a fundraising committee, taking the first step toward putting an environmental initiative on the 2018 ballot in case the bill fails in the Legislature.

Florida governor criticizes Washington for lagging in Zika fight

Florida Gov. Rick Scott speaks at a press conference about the Zika virus as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Tom Frieden , Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and Florida Surgeon General Celeste Philip look on in Doral, Florida, U.S. on August 4, 2016. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott on Sunday accused the federal government of lagging in providing assistance to combat the spread of the Zika virus in a Miami-area neighborhood, the site of the first U.S. transmission of the virus.

Clinton Leading Trump by Eight Points: Poll

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, is leading her Republican rival Donald Trump by eight points, a latest opinion poll said today. In a latest poll, The Washington Post/ABC News said Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, now lead Trump and his running mate Mike Pence by 50 to 42 per cent among registered voters.

Dem Veep Nominee Admits Iran Payment Was Ransom

Sunday on on NBC's "Meet the Press," while commenting on the $400 million dollar payment to Iran by the White House at the same time American hostages were released, Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine bragged the U.S. government had "bargained it down to a fraction and paid a portion of the claim" and added "we got hostages home." You get what you pay for.

After 2 years, ‘Ferguson’ known

Amid the tear gas and tweets, armored vehicles and expletive-laced chants that followed the death of Michael Brown at the hands of a police officer two years ago, a new generation of demonstrators embraced a different paradigm. They shunned the tactics of the civil-rights movement of the 1960s, and spoke of rage and pain instead of love and unity.

[Shawn Hubler] Competence isn’t sexy, but it’s needed in the White House

In 2003, the year Californians swept Arnold Schwarzenegger into the governor's office, a Democratic friend shared a theory on why poor Gov. Gray Davis had been recalled. "Some years, people want a plumber," he shrugged, "and some years, they want glamour.

11-year-old Pence questioner: “I’m full on with the Trump campaign”

The 11-year-old who made national headlines this week for questioning Mike Pence about Donald Trump's rhetoric said on Friday that he "wasn't trying to be hostile" and emphasized his support for the Republican presidential nominee. "I really think that listening to a few bad words coming out of Donald Trump is a lot better than people getting blown up by terrorists, people getting burned alive, people getting their heads chopped off and people getting drowned," Matthew Schricker said in an interview on "New Day" on CNN.

Clinton drawing record cash from Silicon Valley despite techies’ cool embrace

Four years ago, Meg Whitman burned the midnight oil raising money for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, while Johnvey Hwang volunteered 100-hour weeks building apps for Barack Obama. Eight years after left-leaning technology executives and workers first threw their enthusiastic support to Obama, a new alliance has formed to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.

Does Tim Kaine support Right to Work? Depends when you ask him

As Hillary Clinton continues her efforts to consolidate her support among labor unions - the Democrats largest Super PACs - she may be encountering a bit of trouble on that front because of her selection of Tim Kaine as her running mate. As we all know, unions hate Right to Work laws because they provide competition in labor costs and provide more options for workers, not to mention the fact that open shops don't automatically steal their workers' wages and donate them to the Democrats without their consent.

Lots of elbows in 4-way GOP primary to replace Kline

Minnesota Republicans are finally ready to make their pick in the 2nd Congressional District, crystallizing the field in what's likely to be a tight contest to replace one of Minnesota's most prominent members of Congress. Tuesday's Republican primary will settle a bitter four-way primary between GOP candidates eager to take over for retiring Rep. John Kline.

North Carolina to seek Supreme Court stay of voter ID law

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said his state will petition the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and reinstate a voter identification law that was struck down by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which said the law discriminated against minorities. After overturning the North Carolina law, which requires voters to show a form of state-issued photo identification before voting and also cuts down on the amount of time allowed for early voting, the Fourth Circuit also refused to stay its order pending an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Chuck Douglas’ Message to Trump: Get with it or get out

Brazil unfurled a vast canvas celebrating its rainforest and the creative energy of its wildly diverse population to the tune of samba, bossa nova and funk in welcoming the world on Friday to the... Employment jumped in July for a second month and wages climbed, pointing to renewed vigor in the U.S. labor market that will sustain consumer spending ... (more)

Kasich: I don’t know if I’ll vote for Trump

John Kasich says he's no closer to endorsing Donald Trump for president, cementing his place as one of the most prominent holdouts in the Republican Party. Kasich, the governor of Ohio, a state that Trump almost certainly must win to take the White House, said he didn't know how he would vote in November.

Governor requests drought disaster relief for New Hampshire farmers

In response to a drought-stricken season for New Hampshire farmers, Gov. Maggie Hassan requested Thursday that the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issue a drought disaster declaration for three of the state's counties. The USDA Farm Service Agency's State Emergency Board voted Wednesday to seek the disaster declaration.