Probe of North Carolina congressman ends without charges

Federal investigators closed a two-year investigation into U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger's dealings with his family's business without filing charges. Lia Bantavani, a spokeswoman for western North Carolina's top federal prosecutor, said in an email Thursday that the Justice Department has ended its investigation.

Felicity Jones heads out in NYC with beau Charles Guard

White gunman with 'a beer in one hand, a gun in the other' opens fire on black pool party guests at luxury apartments - leaving at least one dead and seven hurt before cops kill him in San Diego How Hillary realized she'd lost: Insider account reveals how Clinton sat 'stone faced' and was 'suppressing the anger that touched every nerve in her body' as Trump beat her to the presidency Outrage after restaurant employees 'sang rap group NWA's anti-cop anthem F*** the police at officers while they were eating in North Carolina' Delta pilot who hit a woman in the FACE to break up a fight says he did it to release a choke hold she had on the other woman When scoreboard proposals go wrong! Girlfriend say NO when her boyfriend pops the question on the big screen at Fenway.

Border Patrol allows families to reunite at US-Mexico wall

'He had a beer in one hand, a gun in the other': Swimming pool gunman shoots eight people in rampage at luxury San Diego apartment complex before being killed by cops How Hillary realized she'd lost: Insider account reveals how Clinton sat 'stone faced' and was 'suppressing the anger that touched every nerve in her body' as Trump beat her to the presidency 'We're going to need a bigger mug!' Kelly Ripa teases the announcement of her new Live! co-host almost a year after Michael Strahan left Outrage after restaurant employees 'sang rap group NWA's anti-cop anthem F--- tha police at officers while they were eating in North Carolina Delta pilot who hit a woman in the FACE to break up a fight says he did it to release a choke hold she had on the woman When scoreboard proposals go wrong! Girlfriend say NO when her boyfriend pops the question on the big screen at Fenway.

I Will Release Plan With ‘Massive’ Tax Cuts Next Week

"The process has begun long ago but it really formally begins on Wednesday", Trump said in a statement issued to CNBC . The Trump administration plans to rely on controversial assumptions about economic growth to offset steep cuts to business and individual tax rates, a chief architect of the plan said Thursday.

Bill steps up traffic-stop training –

A bill sponsored by state Rep. Charles Graham that aims to have law enforcement personnel in North Carolina better prepared to handle traffic stops in which individuals may not be able to understand their commands because is moving through the state Legislature. House Bill 591 received that chamber's approval Wednesday by a vote of 116 to 1. It was given first-reading approval in the Senate on Thursday and was referred to the Senate's Committee on Rules and Operations for consideration.

The Liberal Rednecks, coming to Bethlehem, bridge divide between North and South

The Liberal Rednecks bring the WellRED tour to the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks April 24. The troupe includes Corey Ryan Forrester , Trae Crowder and Drew Morgan. The Liberal Rednecks bring the WellRED tour to the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks April 24. The troupe includes Corey Ryan Forrester , Trae Crowder and Drew Morgan.

NC Lawmakers Want to Shield Factory Farms from Big Damage Payments to Victims

Buzzards alight on a carcass in what's known as a "dead box" at a North Carolina hog farm, among the various sources of noxious odors emitted by the state's industrial swine operations. A bill now moving through the state legislature would limit the amount of damages that could be collected in civil lawsuits by plaintiffs found to be harmed by the industry's practices.

Justice Department drops North Carolina LGBT rights lawsuit

The Trump administration dropped a lawsuit Friday accusing North Carolina of discriminating against LGBT residents in response to the state's decision to undo its "bathroom bill." The Justice Department's withdrawal represents the first significant movement in a tangle of legal action over the state's nondiscrimination laws since a deal last month to get rid of House Bill 2. LGBT advocates have vowed to continue a separate federal lawsuit, saying the replacement law still violates the rights of gay and transgender people.

Trump Talks Changes to Health Bill to Win Over Conservatives

The White House is talking with House conservatives about last-minute changes to the embattled GOP health-care bill aimed at wooing enough holdouts to secure House passage. Lawmakers and Trump administration officials are discussing revisions to "essential benefits" requirements in Obamacare, according to members of Congress and a White House official familiar with the discussions.

Partisan judicial elections bill OKa d, looks ripe for veto Updated at

The Republican-controlled General Assembly gave final approval Wednesday to legislation officially making all local trial court elections in North Carolina partisan affairs again, a decision that appears ripe for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to issue his first veto. With the House agreeing to slight Senate changes, the measure for District Court and Superior Court races attempts to complete the GOP's rapid shift away from nonpartisan elections for judicial seats, which initially started in the mid-1990s with help from Cooper and other Democrats.

Big Hurdles Face Texas’ ‘Bathroom Bill’ Ahead of First Vote

A North Carolina-style "bathroom bill" targeting transgender people faces big hurdles in Texas as Republican supporters stood with church leaders and others Monday to ratchet up political pressure ahead of a first vote this week. Although the Texas bill is likely to sail through a Senate committee as early as Tuesday, the hotly contested measure faces a tough road ahead.

Redistricting not cause of Dems’ political woes

I am writing this letter to better inform the public about the meeting of the League of Women Voters of Northeastern North Carolina that took place in Elizabeth City on Saturday, Feb. 25. My first thought is that most of the people at the meeting are delusional. They want to blame the Democratic Party's losses on gerrymandering of districts and not on the real facts that have changed in North Carolina and the nation.

In Foxx, Trump & DeVos Have a Staunch Education Ally

With control of all three branches of government, Republicans are set on unraveling President Obama's education legacy and pushing an unprecedented amount of funding and authority back to states. Leading this charge is Rep. Virginia Foxx, the newly appointed chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.