Philip Brasher

Paul Ryan assured House conservatives that if he becomes speaker he wouldnÐt allow an immigration reform bill to move unless a majority of Republicans support it.

Republicans appear to have found their new speaker. In a closed-door meeting, House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan agreed to run for the job provided the caucus is united behind him, and he said heðll give his colleagues until the end of the week to do that.

- Serious talks are under way in the Senate on legislation to block states from enforcing GMO labeling laws.

Opponents of the Export-Import Bank have directed much of their criticism of the agency at the help it has given corporate giants like Boeing Co. But some much smaller companies are feeling the pinch, too, because of the lapse in the bankðs authorization.

Many of the nations top agriculture, food and biofuel companies have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the White House tries to build a case for an international climate agreement.

The House begins moving a long-term highway bill this week even as Republicans try to find a new speaker to replace John Boehner.

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Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo, who cosponsored legislation to block states from retiring the labeling of biotech foods, is considering a race for House speaker should Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan decline.

Many sheep herders are going to get a raise, potentially doubling their wages in some states, under new federal standards for foreign workers. As steep as some of the increases will be, the required new wages wont be as high as the Labor Department had originally proposed thi

In a blow to the Obama administration, a judicial panel has refused to consolidate a series of legal challenges against the new rule re-defining the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.