In the News

Legislative leaders reacted on Friday to news that North Korea had conducted its fifth nuclear weapons test and second such test this year. U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity, said that North Korea’s testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles poses a major threat… Read more »

A few weeks ago I showed that the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal had rejected, in July 2011, reconsideration of the 1981 claim by Iran for compensation from aircraft not delivered ($2.2 billion was the total stated then). I have been unable to find any record of it being considered again. Yet Secretary Kerry found that it was necessary to pay the terrorist-sponsoring regime in Iran… Read more »

A few weeks ago I showed that the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal had rejected, in July 2011, reconsideration of the 1981 claim by Iran for compensation from aircraft not delivered ($2.2 billion was the total stated then). I have been unable to find any record of it being considered again. Yet Secretary Kerry found that it was necessary to pay the terrorist-sponsoring regime in… Read more »

During a Thursday meeting of the House Financial Services Committee, U.S. Rep. French Hill questioned officials about the Obama administration's decision to send $1.7 billion in cash to the Iranian regime. Pallets of non-U.S. currency were delivered to Tehran earlier this year, money that settled decades-old claims involving weapons that were paid for but never delivered. Diplomatic… Read more »

Hill: Sending Iran $1.7B myopic move During a Thursday meeting of the House Financial Services Committee, U.S. Rep. French Hill questioned officials about the Obama administration's decision to send $1.7 billion in cash to the Iranian regime. To read full story, click here.  Read more »

Members of the all-Republican Arkansas congressional delegation disagreed this week about whether to place tougher limitations on attorneys fees collected as part of certain federal legal settlements. Arkansas' U.S. Reps. Bruce Westerman and Rick Crawford supported language that would have prevented environmental attorneys from receiving more than $125 per hour for their work. U.S.… Read more »

The Library of Congress gained at least 20 new contributors to its Veterans History Project after a training session Saturday morning in Little Rock. The Veterans History Project, which began in 2000, aims to preserve history by recruiting volunteers to interview peace and wartime veterans. The interviews are recorded to create an oral history for the Library of Congress. U.S. Rep.… Read more »

Arkansas and financial-technology company FIS have agreed to give $1 million apiece to aid in funding the FinTech Accelerator program in 2017 and 2018, Gov. Asa Hutchinson and company CEO Gary Norcross said Wednesday. The two spoke at the presentations of the 10 startup companies that participated in the FinTech program that started in May. The event, held at the Clinton Presidential… Read more »

It was wholly a pleasure--wait, that's somebody else's lede. Let's say it was quite satisfying to see the story in Tuesday's paper about French Hill's latest meeting. Yes, meeting. They're not all bad. The congressman from central Arkansas knows something about economics and business. Somebody told us he had a bit of a background in both. So when he talks on… Read more »

The Department of Veteran's Affairs Inspector General has found the VA wasted millions on solar panel installations that don't work. Evidently, the Veteran's Administration (VA), does not have enough money to hire new doctors or take other actions to reduce wait times and improve treatment for our nation's military veterans, but it does have money to spend… Read more »