A big win for France's centrist party in parliamentary elections could push forward labor reform

Jun 9, 2017
Last month, France elected pro-business political newcomer Emmanuel Macron as president, but the French aren’t done voting. The country’s parliamentary elections kick off Sunday, and the president’s new centrist party is expected to win a large majority. If that happens, Macron could have the support he needs to reform France’s strong labor protection laws, which […]

The Trump administration struggles to bring down its own unemployment rate

Jun 8, 2017
Hundreds of important positions remain unfilled, and most of them require Senate confirmation.
From left, President Trump with White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence (seated) and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Kansas legislature rejects 2012 tax cuts, once seen as a conservative model

Jun 8, 2017
Lawmakers override the governor to get taxes back on the books.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback pushed the tax cuts in 2012 and has defended them since. Lawmakers voted to override his veto and roll back many of those tax cuts this week.
Stephen Koranda

A look at the bill that would roll back Dodd-Frank regulations

Jun 8, 2017
Under consideration in the House of Representatives today: a big Republican platform item. Specifically, the rollback of Dodd-Frank financial regulations. This comes in the form of a bill called the Financial Choice Act. Here’s what’s in the bill and what could become law. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Cashing in on the Comey testimony buzz

Jun 8, 2017
FBI-themed bar food and drinks are just part of the plan to monetize the political drama.
Former FBI Director James Comey is sworn prior to testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 3.
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
“You can't have the Donald Trump Foundation doing business with the Donald Trump course, which is what happened,” says Dan Alexander of Forbes. Above, President Donald Trump speaks as his son Eric Trump looks on.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

A health plan to encourage seniors to get the care they need

Jun 6, 2017
A House committee is set to hold a hearing on a plan to lower costs for people on Medicare. The bipartisan legislation would let Medicare make some basic services cheaper for patients with chronic conditions. A diabetes patient who’s prone to blindness, for example, would get cheaper eye exams. It’s a model private insurers are […]

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5 Mideast countries cut ties with Qatar

Jun 5, 2017
Simon Henderson of The Washington Institute says a major political crisis could affect the supply and price of oil.
Some nations are cutting off air and sea traffic with Qatar, above.
Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

To cut or not to cut? The debate over the government’s debt

Jun 1, 2017
There’s a tug of war in the Trump administration over the debt ceiling — specifically, whether Congress should attach spending limits to legislation raising or suspending the ceiling. It limits how much the Treasury Department can borrow to pay its bills. Now, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is urging Congress to raise the debt ceiling with […]

Philly enforces law protecting immigrants from non-attorney advice

Jun 1, 2017
Some businesses promising help with immigration applications have taken advantage of clients or simply offered bad advice.
The storefront office of Ricardo Mejia, located in a heavily immigrant neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Emma Jacobs