ban

**The USDA continues to move forward on lifting the U.S. ban on Chinese chicken, undaunted by legislation that some say is a threat to the efforts wrapped into last week’s U.S.-China Comprehensive Dialogue. A key item in that conference was China’s agreement to lift its ban on U...

**The House Appropriations Committee’s agriculture and energy subcommittees approved bills that reject most of the cuts sought by President Trump. The bill approved by the panel’s ag subcommittee would still cut discretionary spending at USDA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission by $876 million from fiscal 2017 levels...

SEATTLE (AP) — A suburban Seattle city council member has announced an initiative to ban safe-injection sites in King County for heroin and other drugs. The Seattle Times reports the proposed initiative announced Thursday requires signatures from 47,443 valid county voters to qualify for the November ballot...

OLYMPIA  (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has issued a new memo to ban non-essential state-funded travel to North Carolina because he says that the state's repeal of its so-called "bathroom bill" is still allowing discrimination against gay, lesbian or transgender people...

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state House has approved a measure that would ban holding handheld devices while driving. The measure passed the Democratic-controlled chamber on a 63-35 vote Wednesday. It now heads back to the Republican-controlled Senate for concurrence on some changes made in the House...

**Six months after China announced its intention to lift its ban on U.S. beef, the two countries remain far apart. Hopes are high that President Trump will be able to break the logjam when he meets today with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida, but even if the two agree, there’s still a lot of work remaining to restore trade...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three federal judges are asking Congress not to break up the vast, San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a longtime target of Republicans and a recent foe of President Donald Trump. The 9th Circuit in February refused to immediately reinstate Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations, prompting the administration to release a new, narrower

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court says it will hold off on deciding whether to have a larger panel of judges reconsider a ruling that kept President Donald Trump's travel ban on hold. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals made the announcement on Thursday after Trump said he planned to issue a new travel ban next week...

CINCINNATI (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has rejected Pete Rose's plea for reinstatement, citing his continued gambling and evidence that he bet on games when he was playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Manfred says in a letter sent to Rose and made public Monday that baseball's hits king hasn't been completely honest about his gambling on baseball games...

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh wants to ban chewing tobacco in sports venues across the city. The mayor is expected to discuss a proposed new ordinance Wednesday morning at a city park. Public health officials, advocates, local youth and former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling are expected to attend...