WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House launched on Tuesday a “Joining Forces” initiative to encourage non-government support of the particular needs of military families.

Leading the initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will travel to several locations across the country that provide examples of the initiative’s core areas of supporting employment, education, and wellness of service members and their families.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Severe weather including possible tornadoes, damaging winds, rain and hail were expected from Texas to Wisconsin by forecasters on Sunday.

The severe weather continues for a second day after a large tornado, part of a volatile storm system caused by a springtime warm weather front, left significant damage in Iowa.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Substance abuse has trended upward among American teens over the past three years after a decade of declines, according to a report issued on Wednesday by the Partnership at Drugfree.org.

It said marijuana and ecstasy use among teens shows marked increases while attitudes toward alcohol use have become more relaxed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine resigned on Tuesday as chairman of the Democratic National Committee to run for a U.S. Senate seat from his state in 2012 as his party strives to retain control of the chamber.

Kaine’s announcement sets up a possible marquee matchup with Republican former Virginia governor and senator George Allen, who is seeking his party’s nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring one-term Democrat Jim Webb.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After weeks of speculation, former Virginia governor and current Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine said on Tuesday that he would run for the Senate.

Kaine announced his decision on his website with a YouTube video highlighting his past experience on the local and state level. The video steers clear of emphasizing his national Democratic party chairman position.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Jim Brady, Ronald Reagan’s former press secretary, on Wednesday marked the 30th anniversary of the presidential assassination attempt that left him in a wheelchair by urging congressmen to toughen gun control.

Thirteen years after the shooting, Brady’s and his wife Sarah’s advocacy of tightened gun controls resulted in the Brady bill, a law requiring an immediate background check for handgun purchases.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Hispanic population passed the 50 million mark for the first time and Latinos accounted more than half of U.S. population growth in the last decade, the Census Bureau said on Thursday.

The Census Bureau put the Latino count at 50.5 million or 16.3 percent of the U.S. population. In 2000, Hispanics accounted for 12.5 percent of Americans.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – - Al Azhar, the centuries-old center of Islamic learning in Cairo, is a world away from Oklahoma City where William Suhaib Webb grew up.

But it was not until the American Muslim leader immersed himself in Islamic studies at Al Azhar that he realized just how American he was, regardless of his religion.

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of
Representatives voted on Thursday to end federal funding for
National Public Radio, following recent controversies that
entangled some of the organization’s senior executives.

Republicans said the move, which passed by a vote of
228-192, was motivated by the need to cut spending in the face
of a record federal budget deficit.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Legislation to bar federal funds from being spent on National Public Radio passed in the House of Representatives on Thursday, although its ultimate prospects of becoming policy looked doubtful.

HB 1076 was approved by a 228 to 192 vote after morning and afternoon debate sessions.