Democrat News

Gun owners in the only state still banning concealed weapons would win that right under a plan approved by the Illinois House on Friday, but the governor and other powerful Democrats oppose the plan because it would wipe out local gun ordinances - including Chicago's ban on assault weapons.

Minnesota's investor-owned utilities will be required to get 1.5 percent of their power from solar energy by 2020 under legislation signed by Gov.

The U.S. law on chemical safety is 37 years old, riddled with exceptions and widely considered ineffective - so much so that the government hasn't even tried to restrict an unsafe chemical since courts overturned its asbestos ban in 1991.

Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Ala., says he will leave Congress effective in August to take a senior position at the University of Alabama.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research released a report that says the USA lags behind the richest countries in paid annual vacation and holidays.

A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner was replaced Thursday as director of the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted tea party groups.

House members writing a bipartisan immigration bill said Thursday they had patched over a dispute that threatened their efforts, even as they and the rest of Congress prepared to return home for a weeklong recess where many could confront voters' questions on the issue.

The chairman of the Senate Energy Committee says a website partially funded by the oil and gas industry is a constructive tool that could be used by federal regulators in requiring public disclosure of the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations.

On the day of Anthony Weiner's first official campaign stop, the governor of New York offered a scathing evaluation of the disgraced former congressman's bid for mayor.

Anthony Weiner began his campaign for New York City mayor in earnest on Thursday, shaking hands with voters in Harlem and doing a radio interview to make his case for a political comeback.

Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand of New York addressed the latest case at West Point.

House lawmakers are ready to pass legislation that links student loan rates to the financial markets in spite of a veto threat from President Barack Obama.

The cruise industry said Wednesday that it's adopting a passenger bill of rights that guarantees the "safety, comfort and care" of guests.

The Pentagon has decided to buy a new computerized health records system to be able to better share and merge its data with the Department of Veterans Affairs, but officials cautioned that it was part of a "long-term modernization" effort and would not help ease the backlog in VA disability claims.

The Chicago board of education voted Wednesday to close 50 schools and programs, an ambitious plan that has sparked protests and lawsuits and could help define - for better or worse - Mayor Rahm Emanuel's term in office.

Known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the food stamp program is administered by the Agriculture Department and federal dollars are unlimited as long as recipients qualify.

House Republicans pushed through a bill Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.

The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes since 2009 in Pakistan and Yemen.

Members of a House panel angry over sexual abuse problems in the military are set to vote on a bill that would strip commanding officers of their authority to unilaterally change or dismiss court-martial convictions - a change that lawmakers believe will lead to a cultural shift that encourages more victims to step forward.

Now that tech darling Apple Inc. has been dragged front and center into the debate over the U.S. tax code, lawmakers are hoping that the spotlight on such a high-profile company could be the catalyst for Congress to take action to close loopholes or reform the law.