Author: Geoff Mulvihill
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Abortion ban takes effect in Tennessee, paused in Texas
NASHVILLE, TENN. • A federal court Tuesday allowed Tennessee to ban abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, while a Texas judge temporarily blocked enforcement of that state’s decades-old ban on virtually all abortions, in a flurry of activity set off at courthouses across the U.S. by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Statewide…
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Biden administration asks court to allow vaccine mandate
WASHINGTON • The Biden administration on Tuesday asked a federal court to let it move ahead with a workplace rule that would require employees at larger companies to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face weekly testing. The mandate is a centerpiece of the administration’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 as concerns grow that…
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OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case
WASHINGTON • Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company. In a virtual hearing with a federal judge in…
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States plead for more federal help as virus outbreak worsens
WASHINGTON • With more shutdowns looming and a vaccine months away from wide distribution, governors across the U.S. are pleading for more help from Washington ahead of what is shaping up to be a bleak winter. Renewed restrictions on indoor businesses, overloaded hospitals and the coming end of unemployment benefits for millions of Americans have…
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Regional divide opens up in sports betting legislation in Colorado, elsewhere
In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for every state to legalize sports betting , a regional divide has opened as states decide whether to expand their gambling options. By year’s end, legalization is possible in a dozen states in the Northeast and Midwest. But most states in the Deep South and far…
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Sports betting will be no home run for state budgets
The race to legalize sports betting is on now that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed it in all 50 states, but will it provide enough extra tax revenue to make much of a difference for schools, roads or pension debt? Don’t bet on it. Just look to the states that capitalized immediately after the…
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Divisive Trump era ushers record number of women into House
WASHINGTON • A record number of women were elected to the House on Tuesday, nearly two years after women spilled out into the streets of Washington and in cities across the country in defiance of the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The incoming class of lawmakers could have a stark impact on politics in the…
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As states consider taxing opioids, drugmakers push back
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Facing a rising death toll from drug overdoses, state lawmakers across the country are testing a strategy to boost treatment for opioid addicts: Force drug manufacturers and their distributors to pay for it. Bills introduced in at least 15 states would impose taxes or fees on prescription painkillers. Several of the…
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America’s homeless population rises for first time in years
LOS ANGELES — The nation’s homeless population increased this year for the first time since 2010, driven by a surge in the number of people living on the streets in Los Angeles and other West Coast cities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released its annual Point in Time count Wednesday, a report that showed…
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State attorneys general bash plan to hike national park fees
A group of state attorneys general on Wednesday urged the National Park Service to scrap its proposal to more than double the entrance fee at 17 popular national parks. The top government lawyers from 10 states and the District of Columbia sent a letter saying the increase could put access to the parks out of…