Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:00 PM EST
With more Americans going hungry than ever before, the Agriculture Department is concerned that dozens of states aren't adequately administering food stamp programs designed to provide food to low-income Americans.
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Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:14 PM EST
More than one in seven American households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008, the highest rate since the Agriculture Department began tracking food security levels in 1995.
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Mon Nov 9, 2009 2:16 PM EST
"The Education of a British-Protected Child" (Knopf, 208 pages, $24.95), by Chinua Achebe: Nigerian author Chinua Achebe's new book, his first in 20 years, is not especially new. And maybe that's part of the point.
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Mon Nov 9, 2009 1:44 PM EST
"Sweet Thunder" (Knopf, 464 pages, $27.95), by Wil Haygood: The boxer Sugar Ray Robinson was a man of glittering skill and deep complexity. So complex, in fact, that several writers — including Robinson himself — have tried and failed to render a full portrait.
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Tue Nov 3, 2009 12:02 AM EST
Schools are doing a better job of identifying students who are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, but some states are much better than others, the Agriculture Department says in a report to Congress.
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Mon Nov 2, 2009 7:49 PM EST
"Manhood for Amateurs" (Harper, 320 pages, $25.99), by Michael Chabon: The singular experience of becoming a father can change everything. This seems to include — for literary papas — what you want to write about.
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Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:07 AM EDT
Chinese officials have agreed to lift the ban on U.S. pork imports they imposed last spring out of fear of swine flu.
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Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:57 PM EDT
The pork industry is facing one of its worst struggles in memory and an unwanted link to the so-called swine flu is exacerbating problems, experts told Congress on Thursday.
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Fri Oct 16, 2009 4:11 PM EDT
At least one pig from Minnesota has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday, the first case of a pig contracting the virus in the United States.
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Thu Oct 8, 2009 5:24 PM EDT
The USDA must sharpen the focus of its science and research efforts to emphasize areas where it can make an impact on society, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday.
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Thu Oct 1, 2009 6:18 PM EDT
Although federal lawmakers have agreed to provide $350 million to dairy farmers, they were haggling Thursday on just how to dish out most of the money.
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Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:14 AM EDT
The Agriculture Department is pouring $320 million into efforts to improve water quality in the Mississippi River basin.
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Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:21 PM EDT
Food banks across the country are being stretched by a recession-fueled surge in first time users, according to a survey released on Monday.
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Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:50 PM EDT
More Americans than ever before received food stamps in June, the Department of Agriculture said on Thursday, with more than 35 million Americans receiving assistance.
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:42 AM EDT
Federal regulators ruled for the first time Thursday that campaign funds can be used to help pay the legal bills of current and former congressional staffers.
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Sat Aug 1, 2009 9:54 AM EDT
Just weeks into his Senate term, Al Franken's portfolio compares favorably to any of the Senate's freshman members. He loves policy. He has signed on as co-sponsor to a half dozen bills, asked thoughtful questions of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, and immersed himself in a thorny debate over health care reform.
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Thu Jul 9, 2009 6:19 PM EDT
Sen. Roland Burris, whose deep ties to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich seemed to doom his Senate tenure from the start, will not run for a full Senate term in 2010. The move increases Democrats' chances of holding on to the former Senate seat of President Barack Obama.
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Thu Jul 9, 2009 3:35 PM EDT
The Housing and Urban Development Department is using $1.2 billion in stimulus money to fight homelessness in hundreds of locations across the country.
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Mon Jul 6, 2009 4:58 PM EDT
Al Franken became a senator on Tuesday, completing the transformation from comedian to politician.
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Mon Jul 6, 2009 1:32 PM EDT
Democrat Al Franken has arrived in Washington offering no jokes — just a promise that he is "ready to get to work."
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Thu Jul 2, 2009 3:08 AM EDT
The jokes about Minnesota's prolonged recount can finally stop, just in time for Democrats to secure a reliable vote from a former funny man.
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Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:40 PM EDT
The Federal Election Commission on Thursday ruled that former Sen. Norm Coleman can use campaign money to pay for legal bills to address allegations involving a donor.
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Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:36 PM EDT
The Federal Election Commission has issued a draft advisory allowing Rep. Pete Visclosky to use campaign funds for the legal bills he's incurring in the federal investigation of a now-defunct defense lobbying firm.
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Mon Jun 8, 2009 12:47 PM EDT
Rep. Jan Schakowsky said Monday that she has decided to seek re-election to her House seat, passing on a bid for the Senate and a potentially crowded Illinois Democratic primary.
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Wed Jun 3, 2009 2:30 PM EDT
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, said Wednesday that his fellow Republicans need to work harder to show "empathy" if they want to emerge from the political doldrums.
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