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Members of a U.S. House of Representatives panel disagreed on Wednesday on elements of a bill to rein in companies that demand licensing fees for invalid patents or are otherwise dishonest in writing what are known as "demand letters." _0"> The measure would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the power to impose civil penalties on patent assertion entities, sometimes called "patent trolls," which make dishonest licensing demands. The bill, introduced by Representative Lee Terry, a Nebraska Republican, would require the agency to prove that a company it wants to penalize has acted in "bad faith." Further, the bill would pre-empt stricter laws already passed by a handful of states. Terry said his measure "strikes the appropriate balance" by respecting the free speech rights of companies while also stopping them from sending dozens or hundreds of aggressive and sometimes inappropriate letters demanding licensing fees. A subcommitt

Congressional Republicans asserted on Wednesday that new emails show a former Internal Revenue Service official deliberately sought to hide information from Congress, opening a new chapter in a probe of IRS treatment of conservative groups. An email exchange released by House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa shows the former official, Lois Lerner, asking a colleague whether communications made through an internal messaging system can be searched by Congress. Issa said the exchange, culled from documents provided to Congress last week, showed that Lerner was "leading an effort to hide information from congressional inquiries." The latest accusation prompted heated questioning of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen at a hearing and angry exchanges among a Democrat and Republicans on the panel. In the emails, Lerner says she has been telling colleagues to be cautious about what they say in emails and asks whether internal messages are subject to the same data transparen

A state judge struck down Colorado's gay marriage ban on Wednesday, saying the prohibition violated constitutional rights, but put his ruling on hold pending appeal. It was the latest of several decisions by state and federal judges to strike down state bans on same-sex nuptials and then stay their rulings pending challenges to higher courts. Adams County District Court Judge C. Scott Crabtree said in his decision that Colorado's prohibition, approved by voters in 2006, conflicted with the fundamental right to marry. "The Court rejects the State's attempt to too narrowly describe the marital right at issue to the right to marry a person of the same sex," Crabtree wrote. There are 19 states, plus the District of Columbia, where same-sex marriage is now legal. Several other same-sex marriage lawsuits are moving toward the U.S. Supreme Court. Two other lawsuits, testing bans in Oklahoma and Virginia, have already been heard by appeals courts. The attorney gen

President Barack Obama rejected demands from Texas Governor Rick Perry and others that he visit the border where a child migrant crisis is unfolding and said his critics should get behind his request for $3.7 billion if they want to solve the problem. "Are folks more interested in politics or are they more interested in solving the problem," Obama said he told Perry. "If they are interested in solving the problem then this can be solved. If the preference is for politics then it won’t be solved." Obama visited Texas for the first time since the influx of child migrants from Central America overwhelmed border resources. He had talks with Perry aboard his Marine One helicopter and in a group meeting with local officials that Obama called constructive. In a brief news conference after the meeting, Obama dismissed criticism from Perry, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, that he should personally visit the border region for a first-hand look. "

Congressional Republicans asked the Obama administration on Wednesday to provide documents related to last month's anthrax scare at a U.S. lab, where more than 80 people were initially feared to be exposed to the deadly pathogen. _0"> In a series of letters, top Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked for the results of several Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab inspections and audits of potential weaknesses in biosecurity protocols dating back to October 2007. "How many suspected exposures to select agents and/or toxins have been reported at CDC since October 2007? How many actual exposures have been reported," said the July 9 letter to CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden signed by three Republican panel members including Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan. The lawmakers, who also requested information from the inspector general of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said they were gathering material for a July 16 he

The Republican Governors Association, a group led by possible presidential hopeful Chris Christie, will announce Thursday that it raised $26.6 million in the second quarter of 2014. The large haul - the group's biggest-ever second quarter number - means that embattled New Jersey Governor Christie has maintained his fundraising prowess while facing national scrutiny for his role in the "Bridgegate" scandal. Christie has brought in $60 million since taking the helm of the group in November 2013, a signal to backers of his possible White House bid that he may be capable of raising the considerable funds required to run a national campaign despite the scandal. The group, which is dedicated to helping elect Republican governors in the 36 ongoing governors' races, will also announce it has $70.3 million cash on hand. "The RGA has never been in such a strong financial position," Christie says in the press release. Four years ago, the RGA had $40 million in c