Colorado teachers walk out of classes, stage rally at statehouse

All classes in Englewood were canceled Monday after more than 150 teachers in that district announced plans to walk out of classes Marchers with the Colorado Education Association picket outside the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver on Monday morning, April 16, 2018. Dozens of Colorado teachers converged on the state Capitol on Monday to demand changes in school funding and to lobby for higher teacher pay and a stronger retirement fund.

As Teacher Rebellion Catches Fire, Oklahoma’s GOP Governor…

As teachers in the historically red states of Oklahoma , Kentucky , and Arizona are following in the footsteps of educators in West Virginia and turning out in droves to demand higher pay, reliable pensions, and greater government investments in the public school system, s ome Republican state leaders are sticking to their narrative that teachers are simply asking for too much-a strategy that could backfire during the November midterm elections. Her comments followed fiery remarks by Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, who last month said that educators who were protesting legislation that would slash their retirement benefits were "ignorant," "remarkably selfish," and "throwing a temper tantrum."

Reports from Cuba: The recent ‘elections’ in Cuba and…

Last Sunday another Castro electoral farce was held in which voters were summoned to "vote" for candidates for deputies to the National Assembly of Popular Power - candidates appointed by the Government-Party-State. In Cuba, where there is no freedom of expression, association, election or economic activity, the 605 candidates appointed by the central power to form part of the Parliament were declared deputies.

Fifth Circuit, in Bankruptcy Ruling, Lets Convicted Businessman Pay…

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that a Texas businessman who was sentenced to two years in prison for bankruptcy fraud may use the sale of the proceeds of his house to pay his criminal defense attorneys, rejecting a U.S. bankruptcy trustee's attempts to claim the home sale proceeds as part of his estate. Curtis Harold DeBerry, the former owner of a failed produce company in Boerne, Texas, was eventually sentenced to two years in prison last year for hiding assets from creditors in bankruptcy.

Powerful GOP Appropriations chair Frelinghuysen to retire

Veteran Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has announced he will not seek re-election. The New Jersey Republican was facing his first competitive re-election race in decades and joins a growing roster of GOP veterans who are heading for the exits.

Fallout from Corker retirement is Tennessee’s top 2017 story

Republican Bob Corker's war of words with President Donald Trump and his surprise decision to retire from the Senate after two terms is the top Tennessee news story of 2017, according to an annual Associated Press survey of reporters, editors and broadcasters. Corker's retirement set off a scramble among potential candidates to succeed him.

RBS to pay $125 million to settle California mortgage bond claims

The settlement announced on Friday by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra was the latest by RBS aimed at resolving claims stemming from its sale of mortgage-backed securities, which were at the heart of the 2008 financial crisis. Becerra's office said those securities were typically backed by thousands of mortgage loans of varying quality in which the buyer relied on the assurance that those mortgages were carefully screened and were not overly risky.

Millions could face a tax hike if medical deduction is scrapped

Anne Hammer is one of millions of elderly Americans who could face a substantial tax hike in 2018 depending on the final negotiations over the Republican tax bill. Hammer is 71. Like many seniors, her medical bills are piling up.

John Conyers retires from Congress after 53 years

U.S. Rep. John Conyers, civil rights icon and longest-serving member still in Congress, has retired after former staffers claimed sexual harassment. From accusation to resignation, colleagues went from being warily supportive, urging caution while an investigation by the Ethics Committee was completed to outright calls for Conyers' resignation.

Senate Panel Drops TSP Catch-Up Contribution Restrictions, A Blow to Pay Parity, and More

Less than a week after floating the idea that older employees should no longer be able to make extra contributions to their retirement accounts before taxes, that proposal appears to be off the table, for now. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, had filed an amendment to the chamber's tax reform legislation last week that would restrict so-called "catch-up" contributions for workers aged 50 and above to 401 , 403 and 457 retirement accounts and the Thrift Savings Plan to Roth investments, which are taxed before the money is invested.

Congress might take away 401(k) for wrong reason

More than 62 million Americans - about a third of the nation's adult population - have put money into 401 retirement plans. Now Republicans in Congress are seriously debating changing the program, dramatically reducing the amount of money Americans can contribute tax-free to their 401 account from $18,000 a year now to just $2,400 a year.

Trump says popular retirement program will be unscathed in tax plan

President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed the possibility of curbing a popular tax-deferred U.S. retirement savings program to help pay for his sweeping tax cuts, and voiced doubts about adding another top bracket targeting the wealthiest Americans. U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 20, 2017.