WASHINGTON – The Schaghticoke Indian Tribe of Kent, one of two rival groups in Connecticut with the Schaghticoke name, is preparing to make a bid for federal recognition, according to a Bureau of Indian Affairs official and a tribal consultant. Recognition would open the door to federal aid and the right to open a casino on tribal land.
Ana Radelat
Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.
Posted inPolitics
Newtown Alliance slams Sanders for stance on gun-maker liability
WASHINGTON — The Newtown Alliance, a group created after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings to promote gun control, said it is “outraged” that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders doesn’t think gun manufacturers should be liable for harm caused by their firearms.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Schaghticoke hire Lieberman to help sue state over casino law
The Schaghicoke Tribal Nation has hired former Sen. Joe Lieberman – who once fought against the tribe’s efforts to win federal recognition — to help them sue the state over a gambling law that allows only the state’s two gaming tribes to open a new casino. In their legal challenge, the Schaghticokes’ have joined forces with MGM, which has also been blocked from building a casino in Connecticut.
Posted inPolitics
Air Force says Pratt & Whitney will build B-21 engine
WASHINGTON — Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford will build the engine for the Pentagon’s new super-secret, long-range bomber, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said on Monday.
Posted inPolitics
Murphy says Pentagon not ‘buying American’
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy is at war with the Pentagon over what he says is the military’s failure to comply with “Buy American” laws that require the purchase of U.S. made goods – with certain exceptions.
Posted inPolitics
Pentagon chiefs ask Congress for another round of base closings
WASHINGTON – Citing a need to reduce waste and improve efficiency, Pentagon officials said Thursday they want to a round of military base closings like one that threatened Naval Submarine Base New London in 2005.
Posted inPolitics
CT has outside chance of tilting presidential primary contest
WASHINGTON – When it comes to presidential primaries, there are states that have a disproportionate impact and others little at all, and Connecticut may be in the latter category this year. But some say there’s a chance of relevance in this unpredictable political year.
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DeLauro to travel to Flint ahead of key Michigan primary
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, will join House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and nearly two dozen other progressive Democrats on a trip to Flint, Mich., on Friday to rally behind the victims of the city’s water crisis – and perhaps try to give Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a boost.
Posted inJustice, Politics
NRA fighting proposed change to CT law on carrying guns
The National Rifle Association has taken aim at a proposed changes to Connecticut’s gun laws that would make it easier for law enforcement officials to ask to see the permits of those carrying guns in public.
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Bush departure opens field in CT for GOP presidential candidates
WASHINGTON – No GOP presidential candidate raised as much campaign money or made as many stops in Connecticut as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose departure from the race gives those remaining in the GOP field a better shot at the state’s delegates. But members of the state’s Republican power structure haven’t, for the most part, indicated who they will support.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal blasts GOP refusal to hold hearing for Supreme Court nominee
WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s blasted GOP senators on Tuesday because they said they won’t hold a confirmation hearing for any candidate for the Supreme Court that President Obama selects.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Governors ask for money, share strategies to combat opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — The nation’s governors have pressed the federal government for money to help them combat the opioid abuse and heroin addiction that has resulted in a spike of overdoses and strained state public health systems. They also shared with the Obama administration and each other policies they’ve implemented to confront the crisis.
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Malloy accuses GOP senators of ‘terrible lies’
WASHINGTON –After a meeting with President Obama late Friday, Gov. Dannel Malloy accused Republican senators of “terrible lies” in claiming it’s too late in the president’s term for him to pick a Supreme Court nominee.
Posted inPolitics
Report: More than 350 CT bridges ‘structurally deficient’
WASHINGTON – A transportation builders’ association says 357 bridges in Connecticut are “structurally deficient,” meaning one or more key elements, such as the deck or substructure, is considered to be in “poor” condition – or worse.
Posted inPolitics
Even without challengers, CT lawmakers spend lots of campaign cash
WASHINGTON — They may not have well-funded challengers, or any political rivals at all, but the members of Connecticut’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives continued to raise campaign money and spend a lot of it, on everything from consultants to tickets for sporting events.