US Senate

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Senate OKs $106B for Wars
 Senate OKs $106B for Wars 
Jun 18, 2009 5:08 PM CDT

Senate OKs $106B for Wars

(Newser) - The Senate today overwhelmingly passed a bill authorizing $106 billion to fund the nation’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Hill reports. It now goes to President Obama for his expected signature. The vote had been delayed by wrangling over how to keep detainee abuse photos under wraps. Yesterday,...

Senate Apologizes for Slavery
 Senate Apologizes for Slavery 
Jun 18, 2009 1:45 PM CDT

Senate Apologizes for Slavery

(Newser) - The Senate today apologized for slavery and civil rights abuses against African-Americans, CNN reports. The unanimous gesture—it comes on the eve of Juneteenth, which marks the end of the Civil War—carries a disclaimer that it's not meant to authorize reparations, notes the Chicago Tribune. The House will vote...

Ensign Admits Affair; Nev. Senator Is Rising GOP Star

(Newser) - John Ensign, a Republican senator from Nevada said to be considering a presidential run in 2012, admitted today that he had an extramarital affair with a campaign staffer, reports Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post. "It's absolutely the worst thing I've ever done in my life," he said...

Cornyn, Schumer Travel in High Style
Cornyn, Schumer Travel in High Style
investigation
Jun 11, 2009 11:10 AM CDT

Cornyn, Schumer Travel in High Style

Senators use more taxpayer dollars than any other lawmakers

(Newser) - Senators John Cornyn and Chuck Schumer have done a lot of jet-setting on the company dime, Politico reports. Each has spent more than $140,000 on travel this year alone, as much as 10 times what some colleagues spend. Cornyn, a Republican, racked up the biggest bill, which included the...

Voters Favor Sotomayor 2-1: Poll

55% approve of Obama's pick

(Newser) - Another poll has shown widespread support for Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, Bloomberg reports. Of 3,000 voters polled by Quinnipiac University, 55% approved of President Obama's choice and 25% disapproved. But the Senate will ultimately decide, and Sotomayor is spending her third straight day meeting with lawmakers on the...

Blago Toyed With Giving Rival's Daughter Senate Seat...

...in exchange for dad's pet-project support

(Newser) - Ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich considered nominating his rival's daughter to the US Senate in exchange for concessions on pet projects, the AP reports. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, daughter of the state's powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan, was in contention for the spot, according to aides to Sen. Dick...

Like Father, Like Son: Dodd Fights for Future
Like Father,
Like Son: Dodd Fights for Future
INTERVIEW
May 31, 2009 4:32 PM CDT

Like Father, Like Son: Dodd Fights for Future

Conn. senator's recent troubles echo those of his disgraced dad

(Newser) - For the second time in recent memory, a Senator Dodd from Connecticut is accused of corruption and faces a rocky political future, Newsweek reports. The current senator, Chris Dodd, is a 28-year veteran and former presidential candidate, but after devising an AIG loophole and appearing to make shady housing deals,...

Sotomayor Vote Carries Risks for These Senators
Sotomayor Vote Carries Risks for These Senators
Analysis
May 28, 2009 9:02 AM CDT

Sotomayor Vote Carries Risks for These Senators

Judiciary committee members share spotlight with nominee

(Newser) - Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation looks likely, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some drama between here and there. Politico runs down which senators have the most to win—and the most to lose:  
  • Patrick Leahy: Facing his first nominee as judiciary chairman, Leahy’s eager to
...

House OKs Credit Card Bill; Obama Up Next

(Newser) - Congress has sent President Obama a bill with sweeping new rules for the credit-card industry that will affect just about every American. The House approved the measure this afternoon, 361-64. The Senate OK'd it yesterday, 90-5. The new restrictions will protect debt-ridden consumers from many of the surprise charges common...

Gender Gap in GOP Is Striking, Problematic
Gender Gap in GOP Is Striking, Problematic
ANALYSIS
May 11, 2009 12:15 PM CDT

Gender Gap in GOP Is Striking, Problematic

Women compose 10% of GOP House, Senate; Dems are 23% female

(Newser) - Women may make up the majority of America, but they comprise just 10% of the GOP House and Senate—compared to about 23% for Dems—and that gender gap "could make the Republicans’ climb back to power even steeper," writes Erika Lovely in Politico. It's not that the...

Specter: I'll Filibuster the Dems If Needed

Former Republican says GOP let him down

(Newser) - Arlen Specter may be a Democrat now, but the erstwhile Republican senator says he’s not afraid to use the F-word: filibuster, Politico reports. Specter told NBC’s Meet the Press he hasn’t promised to be “a loyal Democrat” and made the switch after realizing through “polls...

'Cash for Clunkers' Plan Hits Skids With Auto Experts

Critics call green scheme misguided, too narrow

(Newser) - “Cash for Clunkers,” a congressional effort to remove older, gas-guzzling cars from the road, is gaining traction on Capitol Hill, but remains controversial elsewhere, MSNBC reports. The plan would offer drivers a $4,500 voucher toward new, fuel-efficient cars in exchange for trading in their environmentally unfriendly vehicles....

Obama Lacks Health Team as Swine Flu Spreads
Obama Lacks Health Team
as Swine Flu Spreads
analysis
Apr 27, 2009 1:53 AM CDT

Obama Lacks Health Team as Swine Flu Spreads

Terrorism pros handle health crisis

(Newser) - With key health posts in the Obama administration still vacant, the swine flu outbreak is being handled by a counter-terrorism specialist and a former governor, Politico reports. The administration still lacks a surgeon general and chiefs for the Food and Drug Administraion and Centers for Disease Control, and needs to...

Coleman Wants More Time to Craft Appeal

Republican pushes for mid-May appearance in Minn.'s high court

(Newser) - Lawyers for Republican Norm Coleman want more time to prepare arguments for their appeal to Minnesota’s top court in the fight over last November's election, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The attorneys’ timeline, presented today, would put off oral arguments until mid-May; attorneys for Democrat Al Franken, declared the...

Artsy Americans Offer Preview of Cuba Thaw

Travel to Cuba shows signs of loosening

(Newser) - American tourists are flooding into Cuba as the freeze between the countries shows signs of thawing, reports the Los Angeles Times. For the recent Cuban Biennale art show, young Americans arrived to enjoy the culture and nightlife, defying the longstanding travel ban. With a bill to lift restrictions pending in...

Stevens Not Likely to Recover Legacy
 Stevens Not Likely 
 to Recover Legacy  
ANALYSIS
Apr 2, 2009 9:10 AM CDT

Stevens Not Likely to Recover Legacy

Senator unlikely to restore reputation

(Newser) - Legally, Ted Stevens is off the hook. But it's unlikely he'll be able to regain his stature, or the Senate honors he might otherwise have been afforded, Laurie Kellman writes for the AP. His peers were notably restrained in response to yesterday's news that Justice is likely to void the...

Grassley Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot
Grassley Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot
Apr 1, 2009 10:27 AM CDT

Grassley Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot

Alternate headline for long image right layout: Gaffe Machine Grassley Isn't Sorry / Dek: That's just how we talk in Iowa, he insists

(Newser) - Chuck Grassley has been on a roll. First, he told AIG execs to commit seppuku, then he accused the company of "sucking the t— of the taxpayer." Then, in a back-and-forth with Kent Conrad, he had his YouTube moment: "Oh, you’re good," the Senate budget...

Push to Boost Diversity Backfires on FBI

Whoops—bureau's website features fired whistleblower agent

(Newser) - Luckily for the FBI, photos can't talk. The bureau's website promotes its American Indian/Alaskan Native diversity program with a picture of an agent who says she was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle about racial insensitivity, "In the Loop" columnist Al Kamen reports for the Washington Post....

Coleman Still Has a Chance: Minn. Governor

Pawlenty warns Senate that GOP will fight seating of Franken

(Newser) - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants his constituents—and Democratic senators—to know that Franken-Coleman race isn't over, the Hill reports. The Republican governor stresses that "to be able to guess how it's going to come out is challenging," due to legal intricacies, and he promises woe to the...

White House to Burris: Think It Over

(Newser) - As the chorus urging Roland Burris to resign grows larger and louder, the White House today stopped just short of joining but sent an unmistakable "veiled threat," writes Frank James in the Chicago Tribune. At this afternoon's press briefing, Robert Gibbs' words were measured yet blunt: "...

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