Iowa's Republican-controlled legislature passed the nation's tightest limit on abortion , outlawing it after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. That often happens before a woman even knows she is pregnant , at about six weeks. Gov. Kim Reynolds...

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced yesterdfay that a four-day teachers' strike in the state would come to an end after a deal was reached to give teachers a 5 percent pay raise. Teachers were protesting at the state capitol while schools...

Pennsylvania's Supreme Court threw out the state’s congressional map today , ruling that its districts had been unconstitutionally gerrymandered . Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional districts were specifically drawn to benefit Republicans...

The Alabama Media Group, which publishes AL.com , responded to GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore’s threats that “ AL.com retract and recant its prior stories and that it ‘cease and desist’ from any further reporting” about him...

President Trump has declared a state of emergency in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands as Hurricane Irma barrels through the Atlantic with 185-mph winds . The Category 5 storm—the most powerful hurricane to form in the open Atlantic—is...

Despite half of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia having allowed the medical use of marijuana, the federal government today has reaffirmed its prohibition on the drug and its standing as a Schedule I narcotic that has “no currently accepted...

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie could face impeachment following the early testimony in the Bridgegate scandal trial. Unnamed members of the New Jersey Assembly are reported to be looking into how to proceed after prosecutors this week said Christie...

The Supreme Court struck down highly restrictive Texas regulations that would have closed most abortion clinics in the state in a 5-3 decision yesterday morning. The decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt means a lower court’s decision...

The Obama administration issued a directive early today to all public school districts to allow transgender students to have access to bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity, not their birth identity. The letter from Education and...

New York broke a record this week for the number of families living in homeless shelters. A s of last Wednesday, 12,302 parents and kids live in city homeless shelters. News of the record comes just a day after the city announced that the overall homeless...

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has apologized after an audio recording of her trying to quash a noise complaint about her office holiday party became public late Firday. In the audio of a call to dispatchers, which was obtained by NM Political Report...

During an interview with conservative talk-show host Hugh Hewitt, Chris Christie joined the chorus of governors yesterday saying that they would not accept Syrian refugees into their states. Because he does not trust President Obama’s vetting ability...

The number of American adults who say they use marijuana more than doubled over the past 12 years, rising to 9.5 percent in 2013 from 4.1 percent in 2001. The increase occurred just as the general populace began to view marijuana in a more favorable light...

Next year, Illinois will become the first U.S. state to put locking devices on some prescription painkillers to discourage abuse of the drugs. The pilot program—proposed in a bill signed into law earlier this week by Gov. Bruce Rauner—will...

Seattle’s City Council unanimously approved a proposal last evening that would tax gun and ammunition sales inside city limits . Council President Tim Burgess introduced the measure, which would tag on a $25 tax for every gun sold and a 5-cent-per...

The Alamo has recently been declared a World Heritage site--but that designation is not setting well with all Texans. Over the past week, a small number of protesters have been spotted at the famous landmark. Their concern: that the United Nations can...

A Republican-led rewrite of the No Child Left Behind education law narrowly passed in the House yesterday , curbing the federal government's control in education. The 218-213 vote on the George W. Bush-era bill gives states and local school district...

Actor Jim Carrey took to Twitter to condemn a California law that requires mandatory vaccinations for nearly every schoolchild in the state. “ California Gov says yes to poisoning more children with mercury and aluminum in manditory vaccines. This...

Wal-Mart is set to stop selling all merchandise bearing the Confederate flag throughout its stores, according to a CNN report Monday. “We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer. We have taken steps to remove all items promoting...

Yesterday, Nebraska lawmakers voted to repeal the state’s death penalty . Governor Pete Ricketts has said he will veto the measure, but the state legislature is expected to override the veto later next week. Legislative Bill 268 passed by a vote...

Oregon lawmakers passed a bill yesterday that requires criminal background checks for private gun sales , sending it to Gov. Kate Brown’s desk for her signature. The bill passed the Oregon House in a 32-28 vote after nearly five hours of debate...

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey vetoed a bill yesterday that would have prevented law-enforcement agencies from publicly releasing the names of officers involved in shootings for two months . The bill, designed to protect police, was inspired by last year’s...

As California continues to endure a historic drought, Gov. Jerry Brown has implemented the state’s first-ever mandatory water restrictions. By doing so, he hopes to reduce usage by 25 percent. Brown’s plans include requiring large landscaped...

Texas executed a Mexican Mafia hitman last evening with the state’s second-to-last dose of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital. Manuel Vasquez, 46, was pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m. local time. Vasquez, convicted of killing 51-year-old Juanita...

A new study revealed yesterday that state taxes favor the richest residents, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy . The analysis, which looked at each state’s local tax burden, found the bottom fifth of earners pay as much...