Thursday Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Luther Strange, the Alabama attorney general, as Jeff Sessions’ replacement in the U.S. Senate. Sessions, a Republican senator from Mobile, was sworn in as U.S. attorney general on Thursday. Do you agree with Bentley’s selection of Strange?
Category: US Governors
Editorial: Kansas should expand Medicaid
Kansas is one of only 19 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and it’s long past time for the Legislature to extend health coverage to 150,000 low-income Kansans by passing House Bill 2064. After three days of testimony from advocates and opponents of expansion in front of the House Health and Human Services Committee, one thing is clear: There are far too many uninsured Kansans who have to live with the grim knowledge that any serious health issue could ruin them.
Campus carry bill returns to Ga. General Assembly
Rep. Emory Dunahoo, R-Gainesville, who supported the bill last year before its eventual veto by Gov. Nathan Deal, said he is again supporting the legislation. “It’s a shame when you walk out and you meet with young people at Georgia State and Georgia Tech,” Dunahoo said.
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A federal appeals court has handed a resounding victory to Washington state and Minnesota in their challenge of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, finding unanimously that a lower court ruling suspending the ban’s enforcement should stay in place while the case continues. The 3-0 decision from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the states on nearly every issue presented.
Pardoned Chicago man says he felt abandoned by Pence
A Chicago man who spent more than eight years in prison for a wrongful conviction says he’s angry that his name wasn’t cleared by Vice President Mike Pence during his time as Indiana governor. Forty-nine-year Keith Cooper said during a news conference Friday in Chicago that he felt abandoned by Pence but was thankful that new Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb granted him a pardon Thursday.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson smiles at a news conference…
A federal appeals court has handed a resounding victory to Washington state and Minnesota in their challenge of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, finding unanimously that a lower court ruling suspending the ban’s enforcement should stay in place while the case continues. The 3-0 decision from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the states on nearly every issue presented.
Ohio drillers say 6 shale counties saw $43M tax bump
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Oil-and-gas drillers in Ohio have paid $43 million in property taxes to local governments and schools in six shale counties since 2011, according to a report released Thursday.The finding by the Ohio Oil and Gas Association and Energy In Depth Ohio, a natural-gas research and education group, comes as Republican Gov. John Kasich … (more)
Big utilities try to tilt solar energy market in their favor
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s energy utilities want state lawmakers to pass a law that critics say would muscle out smaller companies from the emerging solar energy market.Solar power provides only about 1 percent of the country’s energy, but it is growing rapidly, with U.S. Energy Department figures showing solar industry employment grew 125 percent … (more)
EDITORIAL: The rant that failed
The Democrats in the U.S. Senate threw everything they could find at Jeff Sessions, including an occasional kitchen sink, but it was not enough. Rant as they might, the mild-mannered senator from Alabama, was nevertheless confirmed by a vote of 52 to 47. One Democrat, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, broke from the mob to vote to confirm him.
Alabama AG named to Jeff Sessions’ former Senate seat
Gov. Robert Bentley named Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange to fill the U.S. Senate … . Newly appointed Alabama Sen. Luther Strange looks at Gov. Robert Bentley before Bently signed the document officially appointing Strange to the U.S. Senate during a press conference, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala… .
Trump hosts senators to woo Gorsuch support
President Donald Trump hosted a bipartisan group of senators for lunch Thursday at the White House to discuss their potential support for Neil Gorsuch, the President’s Supreme Court pick. The meeting was an attempt by Trump to smooth the way for Gorsuch’s confirmation, but his attempt may have been colored by his continued criticism of Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
GOP lawmakers around the U.S. push for restrictions on voting
As President Donald Trump hurls unfounded allegations of colossal fraud in last fall’s election, lawmakers in at least 20 mostly Republican-led states are pushing to make it harder to register or to vote.
Alabama AG named to Jeff Sessionsa former Senate seat
Alabama’s governor on Thursday named state Attorney General Luther Strange to the U.S. Senate seat left empty by Jeff Sessions. Strange will replace Sessions, whose selection as U.S. attorney general by President Donald Trump was confirmed Wednesday.
Alabama AG Named to Jeff Sessions’ Former Senate Seat
Alabama’s governor on Thursday named state Attorney General Luther Strange to the U.S. Senate seat left empty by Jeff Sessions . Strange will replace Sessions, whose selection as U.S. attorney general by President Donald Trump was confirmed Wednesday.
WA: New Ferry Director Young and Passionate
Forty-year-old Amy Scarton became director Feb. 1, bumping interim boss Elizabeth Kosa back to her No. 2 staff chief position.
Company to resume work to finish Dakota Access pipeline
With the green light from the federal government, the company building the Dakota Access oil pipeline said Wednesday it plans to resume work immediately to finish the long-stalled project. Opponents of the $3.8 billion project meanwhile protested around the country in an action some dubbed their “last stand.”
Republicans Push Back on Walker Budget
While majority Republicans in the state Legislature offered praise for much of Governor’s Scott Walker’s proposed state budget, many also said they do have concerns about some of the key initiatives he wants to pursue. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos stated that he does not think a proposed five percent cut in tuition for resident undergraduate students in the University of Wisconsin System, which would be paid for with state funds, is likely to survive the budget process.
LePage says he went easy on foes in State of the State
Gov. Paul LePage said his State of the State speech on Tuesday took a soft tone compared to what he wanted to say. “Frankly, I thought we softened it up because I think they need to look at the mirror,” he said during a radio appearance today on WGAN.
Partisan power struggle overshadows North Carolina governor
FILE-In this Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 file photo, House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, smiles after taking the oath of office during the start of the 2017 Legislative session at the North Carolina General Assembly in Ral… . FILE-In this file photo taken Thursday, June 23, 2016, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, R-Guilford, right, listens during a Senate session at the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, N.C. A North Carolina … .
News Partisan power struggle overshadows North Carolina governor
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Education boss gets first assignment – mend fences with foes
On her first day on the job, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos plunged into her initial assignment: mending fences with her opponents following a bruising confirmation battle. Parents across the country looked for clues as to whether she will fulfill their hopes or reinforce their fears.
Last Word: The Artisan Survives, Gas Tax Push-Back and Our Competition
I knew winter was out there hiding somewhere. Just waiting for you to leave your coat at home in a flush of spring fever, bounding out of work Wednesday afternoon to find spring has hit the highway.
Jeff Sessions confirmed to be the next attorney general
The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as the next attorney general, surviving a vocal push by Democrats to derail his nomination. The 52-47 vote was mostly along party lines, though one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, joined the Republicans to back their Alabama colleague.
Sessions confirmed over Democratic criticism
Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama was confirmed on Wednesday as President Trump’s attorney general, capping a bitter and racially charged nomination battle that crested with the procedural silencing of a leading Democrat, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who had criticized the Alabama senator from the Senate floor. Sessions survived a near-party-line vote, 52-47, the latest sign of the extreme partisanship at play as Trump strains to install his cabinet.
Abortion bill stalls as activists rally at Oklahoma Capitol
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin shows the large crowd a map of the United States in which Oklahoma is declared the most pro-life state during her her speech to pro-life Oklahomans during Red Rose Day events, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, at the state Capitol. Oklahoma State Sen. Jason Smalley holds four-month-old Mikaylie during a visit to his Capitol office by the baby’s mother, Marisa Shouse, standing next to Smalley, and some of Shouse’s relatives on Red Rose Day, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, at the state Capitol.
Nine Senate Democrats Say Gorsuch Deserves a Vote
1. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware: “I’m not going to do to President Trump’s nominee what the Republicans in the Senate did to President Obama’s. I will push for a hearing and I will push for a vote.”
Veterans return to Standing Rock, ‘not backing off’ pipeline protests
A few hundred veterans gathered on Dec. 4, 2016 in a field south of a Dakota Access Pipeline protest camp near Cannon Ball, N.D. to hear welcoming remarks from protest leaders. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, that the Acting Secretary of the Army has directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with an easement necessary to complete the pipeline.
GOP senior statesmen making push for a carbon tax
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with county sheriffs in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with county sheriffs in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017.
Bribe Bully Beg Borrow Steal
On February 10, 2016, the Indiana-based furnace company Carrier announced that it would close two factories in the U.S.-one in Indianapolis and one in Huntington-and shift production to Mexico. Just three days later, presidential longshot Donald Trump bragged on Twitter: “I am the only one who can fix this.
Betsy DeVos’s Biggest Sin is Supporting School Choice, Not Lack of Experience
The Democrats, along with their cohorts in the media, did a terrific job in making Betsy DeVos’s lack of experience in the public school system the be-all, end-all of whether or not somebody can run the Department of Education. The caterwauling from Democrats, ignorant celebrities, and dunderhead media personalities managed to advance that narrative.
DeVos ekes out confirmation win as Pence casts historic vote
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos smiles during a swearing-in ceremony in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House on Feb. 7, in Washington, D.C. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos smiles during a swearing-in ceremony in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House on Feb. 7, in Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON – Charter school advocate Betsy DeVos won confirmation as U.S. Education secretary Tuesday by the slimmest of margins, pushed to approval by the historic tie-breaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence.
GOP Senior Statesmen Making Push for a Carbon Tax
A group of Republican senior statesmen are pushing for a carbon tax to combat the effects of climate change , and hoping to sell their plan to the White House. Former Secretary of State Jim Baker is leading the effort, which also includes former Secretary of State George Shultz.
Twins Talk: New Friends And A Few From The Past
TV is part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corp. and one of the largest network-owned station groups in the country. Click here for WCCO-TV news stories Send us your breaking news tips [] 830 WCCO Welcome to News Radio 830 WCCO on CBSMinnesota.com! WCCO is part of CBS Radio, a division of CBS Corp. and one of the largest network-owned station groups in the country.
Who Will Win a Grammy? Here Are The Odds
TV is part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corp. and one of the largest network-owned station groups in the country. Click here for WCCO-TV news stories Send us your breaking news tips [] 830 WCCO Welcome to News Radio 830 WCCO on CBSMinnesota.com! WCCO is part of CBS Radio, a division of CBS Corp. and one of the largest network-owned station groups in the country.
Senate set to confirm DeVos as education secretary
In this image from Senate Television, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks on the floor of the U.S. Senate in Washington, Feb. 6, 2017, about the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be Education Secretary. The Senate will be in session around the clock this week as Republicans aim to confirm more of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks over Democratic opposition.
Secret money is fueling pro-Betsy DeVos ad campaigns
But that’s not stopping several conservative organizations from launching ad blitzes promoting Trump’s Cabinet picks – most notably Betsy DeVos, Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, who critics have panned as a wealthy partisan hack with no practical experience in public education. Two conservative nonprofit groups in particular, the Club for Growth and America Next , are pushing back hard, producing broadcast television ads supporting confirmation of DeVos, a GOP megadonor and staunch advocate for charter schools and school vouchers.
DeVos hangs in balance before tight Senate vote
President Donald Trump’s selection for education secretary, billionaire mega-donor Betsy DeVos, appears to be his most embattled Cabinet pick, but Senate Republicans have largely held tight in their support. Senate GOP leaders are confident they can squeak DeVos through the Senate with the support of 50 Republican senators Tuesday afternoon, plus a historic tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.
Pence Set to Break Senate Tie on DeVos Vote to Head Education
Vice President Mike Pence could make history Tuesday by breaking an expected tie in the Senate to confirm Betsy DeVos as U.S. education secretary, barring a last-minute defection by a single additional Republican to kill the nomination outright. The nail-biter is the unexpected first test of Democrats’ ability to thwart President Donald Trump’s agenda, gathering momentum after two Senate Republicans said they wouldn’t support DeVos, a longtime GOP donor.
Elect, don’t appoint, state schools chief
Partisan bickering and the resulting gridlock can be deeply frustrating for constituents. Nothing gets done because one side won’t recognize that the other has a good solution, or doesn’t want the other side to get any credit.
Legislators start work, Nevada’s 1st black Speaker elected
Rep. Jason Frierson made history Monday by becoming Nevada’s first black Assembly Speaker as the state’s 63 lawmakers opened their legislative session focusing on issues ranging from the state budget to the future of an unimplemented law that would give parents state funding to help pay for private school. Frierson, D-Las Vegas, was elected to lead the Legislature’s lower chamber as lawmakers started work in the session that lasts until June 5. It also marked the first time that both the state Assembly and Senate will be led at the same time by black legislators.