Valerie Richardson

Ammon Bundy tells Oregon occupiers after court hearing to ‘stand down’

Occupation leader Ammon Bundy had a message Wednesday for those still holed up at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon: "Please stand down."

January 27, 2016

Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood president, says congressmen want women ‘in their place’

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, in an interview released Tuesday, accused some men in Congress of believing that "women are just not in their place anymore."

January 26, 2016

Oregon: 1 dead, Bundy brothers arrested as standoff ends with gunfire

Federal and state agents set up a perimeter around the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge early Wednesday in an effort to flush out remaining militants after making eight arrests and capturing the group's leaders in a highway stop that left one dead.

January 26, 2016

Ted Cruz Iowa events shadowed by pro-ethanol Winnebago

Wherever Ted Cruz appears on the campaign trail in the last frantic days before the Iowa caucuses, chances are a colorful Winnebago is in hot pursuit.

January 26, 2016

Texas prosecutor with Planned Parenthood link fuels bias charges over pro-life indictments

Pro-life groups cried foul over Monday's criminal indictments against two Center for Medical Progress investigators because a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney's office is also a Planned Parenthood board member.

January 26, 2016

Ben Carson highlights patriotism, faith, compelling life story in bid for Iowa upset

If Ben Carson has a prayer of saving his presidential campaign from oblivion as the Iowa caucus looms, he'll need to put his faith in voters like Jim and Linda Mitchell.

January 25, 2016

Injured Carson campaign workers honor late colleague’s memory by returning to Iowa

The three workers on Ben Carson's presidential campaign who were injured in a car crash that killed their colleague last week are determined to honor his memory by returning to the hustings in Iowa.

January 24, 2016

GOP presidential rivals won’t touch Donald Trump’s ‘I could shoot somebody’ boast

Republican presidential rivals don't appear eager to address Donald Trump's boast about his support.

January 24, 2016

March for Life buoyed by young people opposing abortion in increasing numbers

Ashley McGuire is just 30, but she'll feel like a senior citizen at Friday's March for Life, which will be teeming with pro-life teenagers and millennials on the National Mall.

January 21, 2016

Bernie Sanders calls Planned Parenthood ‘part of the establishment,’ riles feminists

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' description of Planned Parenthood as "part of the establishment" isn't sitting well with feminists or Bill Clinton.

January 20, 2016

Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley looms as key church-state separation Supreme Court case

A playground spat over surfacing made out of scrap tires is looming as a pivotal church-state separation case, one that religious freedom advocates say could provide relief from what they see as government hostility toward faith.

January 20, 2016

Climate debate heats up after 2015 described as warmest year on record

Federal climate scientists announced Wednesday that 2015 was the hottest year on record, fueling another round in the global-warming debate as climate skeptics challenged the findings.

January 20, 2016

New York court upholds $13,000 fine against farm owners who refused to host gay wedding

A New York appellate court upheld Thursday a $13,000 judgment against the owners of Liberty Ridge Farm for refusing to host a same-sex marriage on their property.

January 15, 2016

‘13 Hours’ pushes Benghazi back into spotlight, reignites debate

It's enough to turn Republicans into Hollywood fans: A big-budget action movie about the 2012 terrorist raid on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi hits theaters Friday, reigniting debate over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's role in the deadly attack.

January 14, 2016

New Mexico to sue EPA over toxic Gold King Mine spill

New Mexico announced Thursday that it plans to sue the Environmental Protection Agency over last year's massive mine spill that sent toxic orange sludge into the Animas and San Juan rivers.

January 14, 2016

Al Jazeera America shut down

Al Jazeera America was already dogged by low ratings and an anti-American image, and then the network aired a thinly sourced report last month accusing Peyton Manning and other top athletes of using performance-enhancing drugs.

January 13, 2016

Sam Brownback moves to defund Kansas Planned Parenthood affiliates

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback announced Tuesday that he would act to cut off state Medicaid dollars to Planned Parenthood affiliates and called on state legislators to cement his policy into law.

January 12, 2016

Ammon Bundy-led Oregon standoff a mixed bag for Western federal lands crusade

The Bundy-led occupation unfolding in rural Oregon may have delivered a public relations blow to the lawful effort to loosen the federal government's grip on Western lands, but in one key respect, the protest may also be helping.

January 11, 2016

Muslim workers may reapply for jobs sooner after firings over prayer dispute

The dispute over on-the-job prayer that led to the firing of about 150 Muslim employees at a Colorado meat-packing plant moved closer to resolution Friday after the company said workers may reapply for their positions after 30 days, instead of 180.

January 8, 2016

Al Jazeera America sports doping report puts hard-won respect at risk

Despite paltry ratings and ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera America had gained a measure of respect among U.S. journalists for its in-depth investigations, a hard-won reputation now at risk over its explosive sports-doping report.

January 7, 2016