Category: Law

Your View: Civic groups oppose sheriff’s immigration decisions

Representatives of the undersigned community, religious, and labor organizations want to see Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson do the following: – Drop the proposal to send prisoners from the Bristol County House of Corrections to build President Trump’s wall at the Mexican border. - Rescind his agreement with Immigration Customs and Enforcement that will enable him to enforce federal immigration law to the detriment of residents here under the Department of Homeland Security’s 287 program.

Budget, teacher pay, Real ID face 2017 Oklahoma Legislature

Oklahoma lawmakers will be confronted by familiar issues Monday when they convene the 2017 Oklahoma Legislature: a nearly $870 million state budget shortfall, teacher salaries that have not been increased since 2008, complying with a divisive federal anti-terrorism law involving identification cards and relieving pressure on the state’s overcrowded prisons. Leaders of the Republican-controlled House and Senate say they will focus on their priorities during the four-month legislative session.

Trump delivers for religious right

The last several days have brought a slew of victories for evangelicals, many of whom set aside their reservations about Trump to back him during the presidential campaign. From the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, to Trump’s affirmation of support for allowing tax-exempt churches to engage in politics, to the appointment of Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. to an education task force, evangelicals are seeing the new president quickly deliver on a number of fronts.

Arkansas’ latest anti-abortion law has a little bit of everything for misogynists

The “Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act,” signed into law last week by Gov. Asa Hutchinson , bans dilation and evacuation procedures, in which the physician removes the fetus from the womb with surgical tools. D&E procedures are the safest and most common way women can end their pregnancies after 14 weeks of gestation, according to the American Medical Association.

Obamacare sign-up period ends with a whimper, sees first decline

The number of Americans signing up for coverage through HealthCare.gov dropped by a half-million for 2017, as efforts by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to demolish the Affordable Care Act propelled the first enrollment decline in its history. The lower total, with 9.2 million consumers choosing health plans in ACA marketplaces through the enrollment deadline Tuesday, marks a striking turnabout from the trend as former President Barack Obama’s administration neared its end – when sign-ups for coverage under the law were running steadily ahead of a year ago.

Women could take big hit if ACA is tossed

From a return to higher premiums based on gender, to gaps in coverage for birth control and breast pumps, experts say women could end up paying more for less if the Obama-era health care law is repealed. The 2010 law ended a common industry practice of charging women more than men for policies purchased directly from an insurer.

Top GOP senators in Obamacare replacement role soften stance on total repeal

Two top Republicans expected to lead the charge in the repealing of the Affordable Care Act said this week they are in favor of repairing it in lieu of a total repeal, which the GOP has aimed to do over the last eight years. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., both spoke about Obamacare and the hurdles the GOP is facing in order to repeal the law in its entirety, according to The Washington Post .

GOP senators suspend committee rules, move Trump EPA pick ahead as Democrats boycott vote

In this Jan. 18, 2017, file photo, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Republicans voted Feb. 2, 2017, to send to the full Senate the nomination of Pruitt to lead the EPA.

The GOP’s incredible, shrinking Obamacare repeal

Donald Trump’s presidency is off to an explosive start: A clash with the media over crowd size on Inauguration Day; the theatrical unveiling of a Supreme Court nominee; and the launch of an immigration crackdown that sparked nationwide protests. But across town on Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers have been working away at the monumental task of overhauling Obamacare in the opposite fashion – quietly, slowly and with little fanfare.

Prince William Sound RCAC Recertification Comments Open

The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council is seeking recertification as the alternative voluntary advisory group for Prince William Sound, as authorized under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 . The application has been submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard, which is charged with assessing whether PWSRCAC fosters the general goals and purposes of OPA 90 and is broadly representative of communities and interests as envisioned under OPA 90. The Seward City News Editor publishes information sent from third parties.

Senate delays vote on Trump EPA pick after Democrats boycott

“Republican U.S. senators on Wednesday delayed a committee vote on President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency after the panel’s Democrats boycotted the meeting, saying that nominee Scott Pruitt doubts the science of climate change. The boycott in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee delayed the transition to a new administrator for the agency.

Environmentalists Dispute Republican Claims Over “Job-Killing” Regulations

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Capitol Hill on January 18, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump is focused on fossil fuels to buoy the economy, but a report out this month found that solar energy companies employed more workers to generate electric power last year than coal, oil and natural gas combined.

Conservative Judge Gorsuch is Trump’s Supreme Court choice

President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch, a fast-rising conservative judge with a writer’s flair, to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, setting up a fierce fight with Democrats over a jurist who could shape America’s legal landscape for decades to come. At 49, Gorsuch is the youngest Supreme Court nominee in a quarter-century.

California lawmakers eye immigration measures to fight Trump

Democrats in the California Senate ramped up their fight Tuesday against President Donald Trump, advancing bills that would create a statewide sanctuary for people in the country illegally, provide money to pay lawyers for immigrants facing deportation and hamper any attempt to create a Muslim registry. The moves in the nation’s largest state – home to an estimated 2.3 million immigrants without legal authorization – came days after Trump launched his crackdown on immigration and sanctuary cities across the nation.

Who is Sally Yates? Meet the acting attorney general Trump fired for…

Acting attorney general Sally Quillian Yates, a longtime prosecutor from Atlanta, began her tenure as an Obama appointee two years ago by saying that pursuing justice was more important to her than bringing federal cases in court. “We’re not the Department of Prosecutions or even the Department of Public Safety,” Yates said in May, 2015, the week after she was confirmed as Deputy Attorney General, the second-highest ranking position in the Justice Department.

Who is Jeff Sessions? Alabama Senator is poised to be Attorney General in Trump administration

The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet today to decide on the nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions to become the next U.S. Attorney General. The vote comes as the White House faces what could be a series of challenges over its controversial immigration order and just a day after President Donald Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates after she refused to defend his directive.

Logs: Trump supporters targeted nearly as much as Hillary Clinton backers

Contrary to expectations, state Attorney General Maura Healey’s hate crime hotline drew nearly as many complaints from backers of President Trump as it did from Hillary Clinton supporters in the first two weeks after the election, a Herald review found – with some using the phone number to troll Healey about her proposed assault weapons ban. Records for the first two weeks, released in response to a Herald request, show 21 complaints from people reporting threats or harassment from Trump supporters, while 15 people called to report incidents targeting Trump supporters, a review showed.

Uncertain future for Californiaa s anti-smog efforts: Thomas Elias

Cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are down about three percent over the last 40 years in California, even as state population is up by well over one-third, better than 15 million, and far more smog-belching vehicles than ever clog the roads. This is a major public health achievement, and the single biggest reason behind it is the 45-year-old federal Clean Air Act and its provisions for California waivers.

Could California go it alone with Obamacare? How much are you willing to pay?

As President Donald Trump and the Republican majority U.S. Congress work to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, California officials continue to look for ways to keep as much of the law as possible. That’s a question lawmakers might be asking residents in the months to come as President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress scurry to repeal the Affordable Care Act and scramble for a plan to replace it.

Sunday Toons of the Orwellian Moment

Scientists warn of nukes, climate change and Trump. So do we. Also: Bannon tells press to ‘keep its mouth shut’ and still more dangerous ‘voter fraud’ bufoonery from the Liar-in-Chief… It begins: Trump re-launches controversial pipelines, imposes lock downs on science- based federal agencies; PLUS: New US Amb.

Woman impersonated lawmaker’s wife, snuck into GOP retreat

A woman impersonated the wife of a GOP lawmaker and snuck into the congressional Republican retreat in Philadelphia Thursday, the same day President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence appeared, retreat organizers told lawmakers late Saturday. The revelation came as the nonprofit Congressional Institute that organizes the retreat investigates how audio of the gathering leaked.

Bathroom bill’ repeal in doubt

North Carolina’s governor says there are enough votes to kill the state’s ”bathroom bill,” but a survey shows less than a third of lawmakers are willing to publicly commit to that stance. Only 12 of 50 state senators and 40 of 118 House members said they support abolishing the law, nearly all of them Democrats.

Judge puts N.C. Medicaid litigation on hold Updated at

Litigation between Republican state lawmakers, federal officials and new Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration on his effort to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of North Carolina residents has been put on hold for a couple of months. A federal judge delayed the proceedings Friday, as requested this week by GOP legislative leaders and federal health regulators now part of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Republican lawmakers worry if ‘Trumpcare’ doesn’t deliver

Republican lawmakers are fearful about the potential political fallout if their eventual replacement of President Barack Obama’s health law doesn’t deliver, and they didn’t hold back at their recent policy conference. “We’d better be sure that we’re prepared to live with the market we’ve created,” Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was quoted as saying in Saturday’s Washington Post, one of the media organizations that obtained an audio recording of a private session at last week’s GOP strategy retreat in Philadelphia, “That’s going to be called ‘Trumpcare.’