How Arkansas Republican primary voters learned to stop worrying and love Obamacare

Don't miss Jay Barth's column in this week's Arkansas Times on the evolution of opinion on Medicaid expansion among Arkansas GOP voters. Barth digs in to a doozy of a finding in a recent Talk Business poll, one I also noted last week : A substantial plurality of Arkansas Republican primary voters now support Medicaid expansion.

The Latest: Kobach aide calls Kansas House measure ‘flawed’

Kansas state Rep. Joe Seiwert, left, R-Pretty Prairie, confers with House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., right, R-Olathe, as Ryckman's chief of staff, Paje Resner, center, watches, Friday, April 27, 2018, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Lawmakers are considering budget measures and tax cuts.

The Latest: Kansas House advances spending legislation

Kansas state Rep. Joe Seiwert, left, R-Pretty Prairie, confers with House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., right, R-Olathe, as Ryckman's chief of staff, Paje Resner, center, watches, Friday, April 27, 2018, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Lawmakers are considering budget measures and tax cuts.

Ben Carson’s war on the poor puts Republicans in a bind

President Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson, delivered on the president's command to move people "out of poverty" by proposing to raise the rent on some of America's most vulnerable communities. On Wednesday Carson released legislative text that would raise rent for tenants in government-subsidized housing to equal 35 percent of gross income .

Ethics committee admonishes Sen. Bob Menendez over taking gifts and advocating for donor

The Senate's ethics committee admonished Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Thursday for accepting gifts and advocating for a donor's personal and business interests. The letter cited Menendez's use of a private jet owned by Florida eye specialist Salomon Melgen and his intervention with Medicare officials about the $8.9 million Melgen was accused of overcharging the government.

Michigan House OKs $56.7B budget with per-pupil funding hike

The Michigan House approved a $56.7 billion budget plan Tuesday that would boost spending on school security after the Florida high school shooting and cut funding for universities that fail to comply with proposed sexual misconduct rules in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal. The two spending measures cleared the Republican-controlled chamber on 71-36 and 66-41 votes, mostly along party lines.

FDA cracks down on sales of Juul, other e-cigarettes to youth

Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, has announced a nationwide crackdown on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, has announced a nationwide crackdown on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.

Opioid treatment gap in Medicare: methadone clinics

One in three older Americans with Medicare drug coverage is prescribed opioid painkillers, but for those who develop a dangerous addiction there is one treatment Medicare won't cover: Methadone is the oldest, and experts say, the most effective of the three approved medications used to treat opioid addiction. It eases cravings without an intense high, allowing patients to work with counselors to rebuild their lives.

Donnelly Welcomes $10.9 Million Federal Grant to Combat Opioid Epidemic

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly Friday welcomed a $10.9 million federal grant to Indiana aimed at combatting the opioid epidemic. The grant comes in the second round of funding from the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which Donnelly pushed for and helped pass into law.

The Health 202: Medicare is the name in Democrats’ health-care game

If you want to sell Americans a bill expanding the government's role in health care, be sure to include "Medicare" in the title. A crop of health-care legislation named after the popular and well-known federal insurance program for the elderly has sprung up over the past six months.

The Government’s Busy Watchdogs: What They Do And Where They Struggle

Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justice inspector general, swears in to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last year. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption These are busy times for Washington's inspectors general - one of the most important jobs you've probably never heard of.

Reed endorsed unanimously by GOP committee chairs

Citing his commitment to fairness and accessibility, and his record of standing with us in the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and Western New York, the 11 County Republican Committee Chairs in New York's 23rd Congressional District today unanimously endorsed Tom Reed for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. "As a retired career law enforcement officer, US Army veteran and father, I am proud to endorse Tom Reed for Congress," "He has demonstrated fairness and common-sense leadership, represents all of us with honor and dignity, and is truly deserving of re-election."

Bernie Sanders in the Deep South

"Sanders explained that he believes his agenda, which includes Medicare for All and free public education, will have an especially "profound and positive" effect on communities of color." Last week, I joined Bernie Sanders in Memphis, Tennessee, and Jackson, Mississippi, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

Pro-Family? The GOP kneecapped itself with latest abortion push | John L. Micek

On Wednesday, Republicans who control the state House efficiently batted aside family-friendly amendments to a bill they fraudulently claimed was an attempt to help disabled kids and their families -- but was really just another sham attempt by culture warriors to restrict a woman's right to choose. "Republicans are pro-life until birth, then you're on your own," fumed Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, who saw his attempt to amend a bill banning abortion because of a diagnosis of Down syndrome, frustrated by the GOP majority.

Thousands of Kentucky teachers rally for education funding

Thousands of Kentucky teachers hoisted signs and chanted "we love our children" on Friday as they called on legislators to reject the Republican governor's vetoes and restore increases in education spending. Classes were canceled around Kentucky as teachers descended on the Capitol, wearing red T-shirts and carrying signs that said "I love my public school."

Ryan’s impact: Tax bill but no entitlement reform

House Speaker Paul Ryan steps down in January after a twenty year career in Congress with one major accomplishment -- a massive overhaul of the tax code. But the policy wonk and Republican thought leader departs without meaningful action on the agenda that led to his rise as a national Republican figure -- reforming entitlement programs and tackling the nation's debt crisis.