Congress Sets Sights on Federal Cryptocurrency Rules

Jolted by the global investment craze over bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, U.S. lawmakers are moving to consider new rules that could impose stricter federal oversight on the emerging asset class, several top lawmakers told Reuters. Bipartisan momentum is growing in the Senate and House of Representatives for action to address the risks posed by virtual currencies to investors and the financial system, they said.

Few states let courts take guns from people deemed a threat

The warnings around Nikolas Cruz seemed to flash like neon signs: expelled from school, fighting with classmates, a fascination with weapons and hurting animals, disturbing images and comments posted to social media, previous mental health treatment. In Florida, that wasn't enough for relatives, authorities or his schools to request a judicial order barring him from possessing guns.

Kasich: ‘No confidence’ Congress will address guns

Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich said the deadly school shooting on Wednesday should be a rallying moment for the nation on guns, but that he predicted Congress would not live up to the task. "Do I think they can do anything on guns? I hope they prove me wrong and they can because I have no confidence in them," Kasich said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

House budget would expand Medicaid, seek federal approval of work requirement

The House Appropriations Committee on Sunday will consider a proposed two-year budget that includes extending Medicaid coverage to more than 300,000 uninsured Virginians under the Affordable Care Act and using the savings to pay for a blockbuster higher education initiative in Northern Virginia, a big infusion of cash into K-12 and early childhood ... (more)

Trump suggests FBI ‘spending too much time’ on Russia probe to stop Florida shooter

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at the FBI, saying the agency "missed all of the many signals" sent by the suspect in the Florida school shooting before the deadly rampage. Nineteen-year-old former student, Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over the killing of students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday.

Gov. Deal wants study of offshore drilling ‘pros and cons’

Gov. Nathan Deal says he's asking a state agency to study the "pros and cons" of drilling for oil off the Georgia coast. The Republican governor told WTOC-TV Friday he wants to examine the state Department of Natural Resources' findings before taking a position on President Donald Trump's plan to expand drilling in waters off Georgia and other coastal U.S. states.

Gov. Rick Scott on Shooting: ‘Absolutely Pure Evil’

Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday described the shooting at a South Florida high school that killed 17 students and adults as "absolutely pure evil" - and the state will pay funeral costs for the victims and counseling for survivors. "As soon as you hear something like this is happening, the first thing you start thinking about the families," Scott, a two-term Republican, told reporters at a late-night news conference in Parkland, Fla.

Source: Pillich to leave governora s race, back Cordray

Ohio Democrats' lone female gubernatorial candidate will leave the race Wednesday to back rival Richard Cordray, as the former federal consumer watchdog positions for his hoped-for bid against Republican Mike DeWine, a source said. A Democrat close to Cordray's campaign told The Associated Press that former state Rep. Connie Pillich will drop out and endorse Cordray at an event the campaign announced Tuesday.

Gov. Deal opposes medical marijuana cultivation in Georgia

Possessing medical cannabis oil may be legal in Georgia, but Gov. Nathan Deal says he opposes allowing medical marijuana to be grown in the state. GOP Rep. Allen Peake, who uses cannabis oil, had been spearheading a push to allow for in-state cultivation of medical marijuana to treat certain conditions.