A Kansas House committee refused to restore $3.5 million in state money for a Kansas Bureau of Investigation crime laboratory at Washburn University.

Kansas lawmakers are making progress on drafting a new state budget, hoping to have it ready for debate in the coming weeks.

The Kansas House is preparing to debate two measures backed by gun rights advocates.

Democrats' leader in the Kansas Senate says the party will push to decrease the state's sales tax and to provide additional tax relief for the poor.

A divided Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a Democratic bill expanding required federal background checks for nearly all gun purchases.

A new coalition is launching a campaign to get Kansas to expand its Medicaid program as encouraged by the federal government's overhaul of health care.

President Barack Obama's spokesman says the White House is concerned by war threats coming from North Korea.

The Kansas Board of Education will get an update this week on school-related legislation and an effort to develop new standards to guide science instruction in the state.

The Kansas House is preparing to take final action on a bill that supporters say is an attempt to encourage cooperation between the Kansas Turnpike Authority and the state Department of Transportation.

John McCain of Arizona and Charles Schumer of New York alternate in hosting their meetings several times a week.

The president highlighted the sharp improvement in jobs numbers this week.

A House committee is considering a proposal to eliminate a program that helps poor Kansans save money for college.

A Kansas House committee has rejected a bill imposing new regulations on strip clubs, adult bookstores and other sexually oriented businesses.

U.S. employers ramped up hiring in February, adding 236,000 jobs and pushing the unemployment rate down to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent in January. Stronger hiring shows businesses are confident about the economy, despite higher taxes and government spending cuts.

Clinton says the Defense of Marriage Act is incompatible with the Constitution.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, served as a propagandist who praised the 9/11 attacks.

A Kansas House committee has approved a sweeping anti-abortion bill that prevents groups providing abortion services from being involved in the state's public schools.

A Kansas House committee has approved a sweeping anti-abortion bill that prevents groups providing abortion services from being involved in the state's public schools.

North Korea is vowing a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the United States. The harsh rhetoric Thursday comes hours ahead of a vote by U.N. diplomats on whether to level new sanctions against Pyongyang for its recent nuclear test.

A White House official says President Barack Obama has invited Rep. Paul Ryan for lunch at the White House Thursday.

Senator Rand Paul has ended his filibuster blocking Senate confirmation of President Barack Obama's CIA nominee, nearly 13 hours after he began.

A Kansas House committee has endorsed a bill expanding the number of public buildings where people with concealed-carry permits may bring firearms.

The Obama administration and congressional Republicans are quietly working in tandem to blunt the impact of short-term spending cuts that kicked in with dire White House warnings last week, with both sides eager to pocket the full savings for deficit reduction as they pivot to a new clash over Medicare.

President Barack Obama will meet with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill next week.

Attorney General Eric Holder is urging Congress to confront gun violence by requiring universal background checks, imposing tougher penalties on traffickers and banning high-capacity magazines and military-style assault weapons.