AP’s Coverage of Supreme Court’s HHS Mandate Move Waits…

On Tuesday, 2015 Noel Sheppard Blogger of the Year recipient Mollie Hemingway at TheFederalist.com pointed to several outrageous examples of poor press coverage of the Supreme Court's unanimous move to send Obamacare's HHS contraception mandate case back to the lower courts. Hemingway's core observation was that usually plaintiff-sympathetic establishment press outlets "suddenly have trouble even naming the Little Sisters of the Poor" until their stories' very late paragraphs.

Oklahoman vetoes ban on abortion

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has vetoed legislation to make it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion except in cases to save the mother's life, a measure that would have effectively outlawed the procedure in the state. In vetoing the measure Friday, just a day after the Legislature passed it, Fallin said it was vague and would not withstand a legal challenge.

Scott Walker moves forward with plan to drug test food stamp users

Wisconsin's plan was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature more than two years ago, but it languished because it conflicts with federal rules prohibiting states from imposing additional eligibility criteria on Florida had a drug test requirement for food stamp recipients that a federal appeals court blocked in 2014, finding it violated constitutional protections against unreasonable searches. Walker filed a federal lawsuit in 2015 seeking approval to test food stamp applicants, but it was rejected because then-President Barack Obama's administration had not yet formally rejected the state's request to do the testing.

Fool’s errand or heroic stand? GOP on Ted Cruz, Mike Lee

The bipartisan compromise on Wednesday to avoid a financial default and end a 16-day partial government shutdown cast a spotlight on Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, who had precipitated the crises with their demand that President Barack Obama gut his 3-year-old health care law. Other Republicans who repeatedly had warned the two about their quixotic move took little pleasure in saying "I-told-you-so."