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Congressional Republicans asked the Obama administration on Wednesday to provide documents related to last month's anthrax scare at a U.S. lab facility, 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 information for

President Barack Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to pass his request quickly for $3.7 billion in funds to address the influx of unaccompanied migrant children from Central America crossing the U.S. border. _0"> After meeting with Texas Governor Rick Perry, Obama said he would consider deploying the National Guard to the border as Perry and other Republicans have requested. Obama told reporters he urged Perry to press Texas lawmakers in the U.S. Congress to support the White House's funding request. The president also rejected criticism that he did not visit the border during his Texas visit. "This isn't theater. This is a problem," Obama said. (Reporting by Steve Holland in Dallas and Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler )

A New Orleans-area school district reached a deal with federal officials on Wednesday to make changes that address allegations of discrimination against Hispanic students and parents. The settlement, which ends a federal probe, stems from a formal complaint filed against the Jefferson Parish Public School System in 2012 alleging it required proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status from Hispanic students, failed to provide interpreters for parents with limited English and overlooked racially charged bullying. “We applaud Jefferson Parish for ensuring that all students will have access to their public schools and that all parents... are equipped with the information necessary for their children to fully participate,” Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon said in a statement. The three-year agreement between the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education and the school district will require it to change any policies dissuading non-citi

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. "

Total marijuana demand in Colorado, where the nation's first recreational pot shops opened in January, is estimated at 130 tonnes this year, a study for the state's revenue authority said on Wednesday. A day after Washington became only the second state to allow recreational sales of the drug to adults, the report said the projected demand in Colorado was much higher than anticipated. More than 90 percent of it came from residents, while out-of-state visitors accounted for only about 9 tonnes. "The primary difference is caused by much heavier dosage amounts consumed by the state's 'heavy user' population – those who consume marijuana on a daily basis," said the report, prepared for the Colorado Department of Revenue. It said tax figures showed that the retail supply of marijuana was growing in the state, while supply via medical marijuana dispensaries had remained relatively constant. "The retail demand is derived primarily from out-of-state

A 20-year-plus veteran of the Tennessee National Guard was shot to death on Wednesday by an intruder at an armory outside Nashville, and a man described as a "person of interest" in the case was detained hours later for questioning, authorities said. The shooting occurred about 5 p.m. local time in the National Guard armory in Lobelville, a town in Perry County, Tennessee, about 75 miles (120 km) southwest of Nashville. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh Devine said late Wednesday night that detectives were probing how the shooter gained access to the building, which is normally kept locked to outsiders for security reasons. The victim was a sergeant first-class in the Tennessee Guard who was rushed to Perry County hospital but died of his wounds while being prepared for a helicopter flight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, authorities said. Authorities did not identify the detained man, but Devine said he was not a member of the Guard.