Texas to stop refugee aid as Obama plans more resettlements

Texas will stop helping the U.S. government provide aid and services to refugees, state officials said Wednesday, severing ties at a time when President Barack Obama has announced intentions to dramatically increase the number of resettlements in 2017. Kansas and New Jersey also have pulled out of the federally funded refugee resettlement program due to what Republicans have called security concerns.

Mayor Emanuel, Chicago Public Library Announce Animal, Vegetable,…

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Library today announced that the 27th One Book, One Chicago selection is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. One Book, One Chicago is a citywide program that, for 15 years, has helped bring communities together around one central book and theme through diverse programming.

IRS Chief Tells House Panel He Does Not Deserve Impeachment

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen expressed regret to Congress on Wednesday for his agency's past mistreatment of tea party groups, but said he has cooperated with congressional investigators and does not deserve to be impeached. The IRS chief made the remarks at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on a drive by hard-line conservatives to oust Koskinen.

Chicago to add 970 new police positions over next 2 years

The Latest on explosive devices being found in New York and New Jersey : 10:30 a.m. Attorney General Lorett FILE - In this April 13, 2016 file photo, Chicago's police superintendent Eddie Johnson, left, shakes hands with other officers at a city council meeting in Chicago. The Chicago Police Department plans to hire more than 500 additional officers as it struggles to deal with a violent year full of killings and gun crimes, a city official told The Associated Press on Tuesday Sept.

‘Broad shoulders’ and ‘a presidential look’: The Trump campaign uses…

What do voters hear when Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, in interview after interview, praises his running mate Donald Trump's "broad shoulders"? What do they hear when Trump repeatedly criticizes Hillary Clinton for not looking presidential - "and you need a presidential look"? Or when he time and again calls into question her strength and stamina? Many people, to use one of Trump's favorite phrasings, hear an effort to raise questions about whether a woman can serve as president. "Could it be more obvious?" asked pollster Christine Matthews, who has studied women voters for years amid work on Republican political campaigns.

Mylan CEO set to defend EpiPen prices amid public outcry

The head of pharmaceutical company Mylan is defending the cost for life-saving EpiPens, signaling the company has no plans to lower prices despite a public outcry and questions from skeptical lawmakers. "Price and access exist in a balance, and we believe we have struck that balance," Heather Bresch says in prepared testimony released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ahead of her Wednesday appearance before the panel.

A new prostitution scandal roils a Louisiana Senate race

For a state accustomed to explosive sex scandals, the one dominating a U.S. Senate race here simmered for a long time before boiling over into public view last week. In a new book, " Murder in the Bayou ," author Ethan Brown cites multiple anonymous sources who claim that Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr., a top Republican candidate for the Senate race, had been the client of three prostitutes who were later murdered.

Peppered with questions, Wells Fargo CEO seemed taken aback

Facing bipartisan outrage from a Senate panel over accusations of employee misconduct, Well Fargo CEO John Stumpf appeared taken aback by the intensity of the verbal lashing. At a few points, he seemed flustered and stumbled a bit over his words.

The wife of the accused NYC bomber left the US before the…

Asia Bibi Rahami, the wife of the man suspected in bombing incidents last weekend in New York and New Jersey, is currently out of the country. After a shootout on Monday, police arrested her husband , Ahmad Khan Rahami , in connection with the bomb that injured 29 people in Manhattan Saturday night and another that exploded near a planned charity race that morning.

APNewsBreak: Official: Chicago to hire 100s more officers

In this file photo, Chicago's police superintendent Eddie Johnson, left, shakes hands with other officers at a city council meeting in Chicago. The Chicago Police Department plans to hire more than 500 additional officers as it struggles to deal with a violent year full of killings and gun crimes, a city official told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Mylan CEO defends EpiPen prices

In this file photo, a pharmacist holds a package of EpiPens epinephrine auto-injector, a Mylan product, in Sacramento Mylan CEO Heather Bresch is defending the cost for life-saving EpiPens and is offering no suggestion that there are plans to lower prices. Bresch's prepared testimony was released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ahead of her Sept.

Senate leader opposes effort to block U.S. arms sale to Saudis

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he would oppose an effort in Congress to pass a measure that seeks to block the sale of $1.15 billion in Abrams tanks and other military equipment to Saudi Arabia. The Republican lawmaker told a weekly news conference that Saudi Arabia had been a good ally of the United States for many years and it was important to maintain as strong a relationship as possible with Riyadh.

The Latest: Extremist ramblings found with bomb suspect

20, 2016, in New York. The window was hit by shrapnel from the terrorist bomb that exploded across the street Saturday evening.

Congressman: 50 Most Beautiful spurns bare heads

The editors behind The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful are disputing a harebrained claim from Rep. Steve Cohen that the annual list shows a pattern of excluding those beauties sporting a naked scalp. "This year, I read with interest, as I have every year since I was elected to the House in 2006, The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful list," the Tennessee Democrat writes in a Monday letter to The Hill.