Give drug felons food stamps, many states now say
By GRANT SCHULTE and SCOTT McFETRIDGE Nebraska is desperate to stop the runaway growth of its prison population, but doing so depends a lot on people like Ronald Tillman. Tillman,…
State legislature
Backlash grows over North Carolina LGBT discrimination law
By EMERY P. DALESIO An economic backlash broadened Tuesday against a North Carolina law that critics say discriminates against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people with PayPal announcing it has…
Alabama lawmaker moves forward with plan to impeach governor
By KIM CHANDLER A Republican Alabama lawmaker said Tuesday that he is filing an impeachment resolution against GOP Gov. Robert Bentley in the wake of a scandal involving one of…
California, New York poised to raise minimum wage to $15
By ALISON NOON and JONATHAN J. COOPER California and New York are poised to become the highest-paid minimum-wage states in the nation after their governors each reached deals with lawmakers…
Removal of Confederate symbols turns nasty in New Orleans
By CAIN BURDEAU Backlash against a plan to remove prominent Confederate monuments in New Orleans has been tinged by death threats, intimidation and even what may have been the torching…
Minnesota lawmakers look for answers to black wealth gap
By KYLE POTTER When a young black man was killed in a confrontation with two police officers last November, Minneapolis became the latest city to endure weeks of street protests.…
Democratic mayor to challenge GOP’s Rand Paul in Senate race
Lexington Mayor Jim Gray filed to run for Rand Paul’s U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, giving Paul a viable challenger and complicating his bid for re-election as he lags in…
Ranchers’ cause, not tactics, gains support in GOP circles
By NICHOLAS RICCARDI Republicans have widely condemned the armed standoff by a group of ranchers to reclaim federal land in eastern Oregon, but their goal of taking back some of…