December 20, 2015 Judge orders temporary halt to executions in Mississippi A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the state of Mississippi from using two drugs in executions, shutting down the death penalty in the state for now.
December 20, 2015 Ohio mulls Down syndrome abortion ban, Kasich mum for now Ohio lawmakers are considering a controversial bill that would ban abortions sought because the baby has Down syndrome, placing the swing state at the center of a new battle for anti-abortion advocates.
December 20, 2015 California judge orders immigrant families released from detention A federal judge in California on Friday ordered the government to release immigrant children from family detention centers “without unnecessary delay,” and with their mothers when possible, according to court papers.
December 20, 2015 University’s $70M debt to state mysteriously disappears in a blur of lawmaking The University of North Texas system will skate on a bill for $70 million in public money that it received and then spent on ineligible employee pay and benefits.
December 20, 2015 Ark. governor looking at Planned Parenthood defunding Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he's ending Arkansas' Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood, despite federal health officials warning other states that such a move could violate the law.
December 20, 2015 Federal watchdogs accused of stealing lunch money from needy kids Five employees who work at a federal watchdog agency tasked with rooting out fraud and abuse were indicted Tuesday after investigators say they concocted a plan that stole lunch money from needy children.
December 20, 2015 Tax breaks for Facebook raise hard questions Tarrant County taxpayers are spending $2.3 billion on a water pipeline from East Texas just for additional capacity in the event of a drought.
December 20, 2015 New Hampshire Executive Council rejects state funding for Planned Parenthood New Hampshire's Republican-led Executive Council rejected $639,000 in state funding for Planned Parenthood along party lines Wednesday amid a renewed national debate over whether the organization should receive public money.
December 20, 2015 Florida inspectors cite four Planned Parenthood clinics for violations Investigators in Florida have cited four Planned Parenthood clinics for violations, including one that kept improper logs for disposal of fetal remains, state officials said Wednesday.
December 20, 2015 Ala. governor to cut state Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said Thursday that he is cutting off state Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood in the face of undercover videos shot by anti-abortion activists that implied the group was selling fetal tissue to researchers.