Social Policy

Politics 16 hours ago

Supreme Court blocks Alabama court order in adoption case

The Supreme Court has sided with a lesbian mother who wants to see her adopted children, blocking an Alabama court's order that declared the adoption invalid.

Politics 16 hours ago

Topping Turmoil: Big Pizza fights ObamaCare menu mandate

The pizza lobby is mounting a double-extra-large battle against looming government regulations that would force their franchises to post a dizzying array of calorie counts on their menus.

Politics 16 hours ago

Obama administration announces Pell Grants for prisoners

Some federal and state prisoners could begin receiving student aid to take college courses -- while still behind bars -- as early as the 2016-2017 school year.

Politics 16 hours ago

Congress sends Obama bill to kill labor board rule, defying veto threat

Defying a veto threat by President Barack Obama, the Republican-controlled Congress voted to kill a pending National Labor Relations Board rule intended to streamline union elections.  

Politics 16 hours ago

Obama vows to veto GOP-backed abortion, pipeline bills

President Barack Obama is vowing to veto a Republican-backed bill that would ban abortions after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, as well as a measure that would require a decision on pipeline construction within 12 months.

Politics 16 hours ago

Obama honors King with visit to Boys and Girls Club site

President Barack Obama honored Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy Monday by big-brothering members of the next generation.

Politics 16 hours ago

Ex-Senator announces he's marrying man, 20 years after his wife's death

Former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford has announced he will be marrying a man 50 years his junior next weekend — 20 years after his wife's death.

Politics 16 hours ago

Obama administration to force employers to disclose salaries by gender

The Obama administration plans to require large employers to peel back the curtain on how much they pay men and women in a push to narrow long-standing earning gaps between the genders.

Opinion 16 hours ago

Presidential candidates, it's National Marriage Week, so let's talk about marriage

The one tool that decreases the probability of child and family poverty by 82 percent is not a government program, it’s marriage.

Opinion 16 hours ago

Our next president’s challenge: The unaccountable bureaucracy

What will the GOP presidential front runners say about blocking the growth of the federal government, designed by the Founders to exercise only limited, enumerated powers?

Opinion 16 hours ago

Election 2016: Don't overlook an out-of-control burgeoning bureaucracy

Our federal bureaucracy possesses a staggering amount of power, and it's not only increasingly partisan, it's increasingly corrupt and incompetent.

Politics 16 hours ago

Obama bans solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons

President Barack Obama says he is banning the use of solitary confinement to punish juvenile offenders in federal prisons.

Opinion 16 hours ago

March for Life: To be Pro-Life is to be Pro-Woman

For all the strident talk of “choice,” young women today seem to have less power over their bodies and sexuality than our grandmothers did.

Politics 16 hours ago

Health official who oversaw ObamaCare rollout to retire

The health official who oversaw the problem-plagued launch of the federal ObamaCare website is retiring.

Politics 16 hours ago

ObamaCare deadline is a milestone and marker of uncertainty

Today is the deadline for most Americans to have ObamaCare insurance beginning Jan. 1, but a series of administration fixes and delays is turning the milestone into a day that for many Americans will underscore the uncertainty about the future of the law.

Politics 16 hours ago

Obama, top Dems now appear to be pushing for comprehensive immigration reform

President Obama and his top Democrats on Capitol Hill appear to have reset their sights on the Republican-controlled House passing comprehensive immigration reform, instead of a step-by-step process, as lawmakers leave Washington for the Christmas holiday break.

Politics 16 hours ago

Obama to order feds to nearly triple renewable power use by 2020

Saying the government should lead by example, President Barack Obama is ordering the federal government to nearly triple its use of renewable sources for electricity by 2020.

Politics 16 hours ago

Administration says ObamaCare site 'vastly improved', lawmakers remain wary

Democratic and Republican lawmakers were circumspect Sunday about the Obama administration’s announcement that the problematic HealthCare.gov website had been “vastly improved” by the deadline to fix the problems.

Politics 16 hours ago

1.3 million to lose unemployment benefits as Obama pushes for aid extension

President Barack Obama has offered his support to two senators proposing to extend expiring federal unemployment benefits.

Politics 16 hours ago

ACLU asks New York judge to halt NSA surveillance

The U.S. government's interpretation of its authority under the Patriot Act is so broad that it could justify mass collection of financial, health and even library records of innocent Americans without their knowledge, a civil liberties lawyer warned Friday at a hearing on a lawsuit challenging a federal phone-tracking program.

Politics 16 hours ago

Does ObamaCare subsidize abortions?

President Obama promised that taxpayer dollars would not fund abortions through the Affordable Care Act. But now, a new study by a pro-life group suggests that may not be true.

Politics 16 hours ago

Washington won't let old insurance policies be extended

Washington state's insurance commissioner says President Obama's proposal on old insurance policeis isn't a good deal for Washington citizens.

Politics 16 hours ago

Deep sleep: ObamaCare site goes offline for extended maintenance

The problem-plagued ObamaCare website will be shut down Saturday night for “extended” repairs, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Politics 16 hours ago

Firms behind HealthCare.gov to testify, spread blame to administration

The contractors behind the troubled ObamaCare website are planning to spread the blame around during highly anticipated testimony Thursday morning on Capitol Hill.

Politics 16 hours ago

Sebelius 'will testify' on ObamaCare website woes, Durbin says

A top Democratic senator said Sunday that Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius will testify before Congress about the problem-plagued ObamaCare website, amid a growing call for her to accept requests to testify.

Politics 16 hours ago

ObamaCare site glitches run risk of turning off millenials

The prolonged glitches with the ObamaCare website is frustrating many of the president’s most high-valued customers -- the young, tech-savvy generation that helped him win two terms and whose participation is critical to the success of the health care exchanges.

Politics 16 hours ago

Lunch is free for all students in some Florida schools, due to new federal program

Want a free lunch? Take a seat at your local school cafeteria.

Politics 16 hours ago

ObamaCare opens to widespread delays, more Capitol Hill wrangling

The opening day of ObamaCare was marked by glitches, as Capitol Hill lawmakers continued their ugly partisan fighting over the law.

Politics 16 hours ago

Age of ObamaCare Begins: Launch to test claims of law’s supporters, foes

The sales pitches for and against ObamaCare have all been made. It’s now up to Americans to judge whether the law works as advertised, as the so-called insurance “exchanges” launch Tuesday.

Politics 16 hours ago

Study: Food stamps most rapidly growing welfare program

Food stamps are the most inefficient, vastly expanding social welfare program in the country, according to a new study.

Politics 16 hours ago

Tennessee law prohibiting welfare cards for liquor and lap dances flounders

A new Tennessee law that forbids people from using electronic benefit transfer cards at adult establishments including strip clubs and liquor stores hasn’t gone into effect — and one Memphis liquor store owner said no one has formally notified him of the change.