senator

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Franken Plays It So Straight It's Funny

But doggone it, people like him

(Newser) - Al Franken the comedian is finally becoming Al Franken the senator, and his Senate colleagues were quick to demonstrate yesterday that, doggone it, they like him, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post. The only humor at a welcoming press conference was (apparently) unintentional, as Majority Leader Harry Reid intoned,...

Franken: I Can't Wait to Start Work

Senator-elect stresses loyalty to state, downplays Dem. supermajority

(Newser) - Al Franken said he was “thrilled and honored by the faith Minnesotans placed in me” after the state Supreme Court declared him the winner of the Senate recount, CNN reports. "I'm so excited to finally be able to get to work " said Franken, who added that he...

Sen. Boxer: Don't Call Me 'Ma'am'

McCain spoofs scolding

(Newser) - Sen. Barbara Boxer wagged a finger at a military officer yesterday for calling her “ma’am,” the Christian Science Monitor reports. As the general discussed New Orleans, Boxer interrupted, saying “You know, do me a favor. Could you say ’senator’ instead of ‘ma’am?’ It’...

Blackmail Triggered Senator's Affair Confession: Aides

Cuckolded husband demanded money from Ensign after tryst, according to sources

(Newser) - Sen. John Ensign went public with the news of his extramarital affair after the woman's husband tried to blackmail him, insiders tell Politico. The Nevada Republican had the affair with a staffer while he was separated from his wife, according to current and former aides. He gave her a severance...

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...

US Taxpayers, Too, Billed for Lawmakers' Cars, Cameras

Taxpayer groups criticize Congress for making expense info hard to get hold of

(Newser) - No moat-cleaning, but there were cameras, TVs, and fancy cars among the expenses members of Congress have charged to taxpayers recently, a Wall Street Journal investigation inspired by the British expenses scandal finds. House members are given up to $1.9 million a year and senators get up to $4....

Burris Offered Blagojevich a Personal Check

FBI tape reveals offer, but the future senator never sent money

(Newser) - The Senate Ethics Committee will have an interesting conversation to ponder as it considers whether Roland Burris engaged in any shady business before being appointed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. In an exchange secretly taped by the FBI between Burris and Blago's brother before the gubernatorial scandal...

Ridge Won't Challenge Specter for Seat

Former Pa. gov was encouraged to run for Senate by GOP brass

(Newser) - Former Pennsylvania governor and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will not seek the Republican nomination for senator from that state, the Hill reports. Party leaders had urged him to run against newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter. Ridge was in a good position to run, polling just 3 points behind Specter....

Specter: I'm Not 'Automatic 60th Vote' for Dems

GOP colleagues 'stunned,' angered by senator's party switch

(Newser) - Newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter said he will not blindly toe the party line, Politico reports. “I will not be an automatic 60th vote,” the veteran Pennsylvania senator said, pointing out recent opposition to a unionization bill. “If the Democratic Party asks too much, I will not...

Kennedy Throws First Pitch at Fenway

(Newser) - Sen. Ted Kennedy earned a rousing ovation from the Red Sox faithful today as he threw out the first pitch at Fenway, the Boston Globe reports from Opening Day. Kennedy, battling brain cancer, rode in from the outfield on a cart driven by team legend Jim Rice. Kennedy’s first...

Obama Sings Happy Birthday to Kennedy

Musical tribute honors senator's battle for health care reform

(Newser) - President Obama is no Marilyn Monroe, but he sang a heartfelt Happy Birthday to Ted Kennedy yesterday as part of a star-studded musical tribute to the ailing senator, AP reports. Obama shared the Kennedy Center stage with Bill Cosby, Lauren Bacall and James Taylor. Also attending was Caroline Kennedy, who...

Hillary Reprises Star Role in Her Third Act

First lady, senator duties prepared her well for State job

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton showed off her "substantive and unspectacular" side on her trip to the Middle East this week, writes David S. Cloud in Politico. Hearkening back to her early days in the Senate, she impressed colleagues by chipping away at details, figuring out how to play her new role....

Predict Minn. Senate Race in Online Game

Play 'Seat the Senator' for an autograph from the eventual winner

(Newser) - Political junkies can play out the Minnesota Senate race in an online game called "Seat the Senator," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Set up by the National Wildlife Federation, the game challenges players to guess who will be sworn in as Minnesota’s senator and when—up until...

Ted Kennedy to Be Knighted
 Ted Kennedy to Be Knighted 
Mar 4, 2009 2:40 AM CST

Ted Kennedy to Be Knighted

Gordon Brown to announce senator's royal honor today

(Newser) - Arise, Sir Ted. The ailing Massachusetts senator is to receive an honorary British knighthood for his services to American-British relations and his efforts to forge peace in Northern Ireland, reports the Times of London. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to officially announce Kennedy's honor during his address to both...

Gregg Pulled In Profit on Air Force Base Earmark

No personal gain from earmarks, says senator

(Newser) - Barack Obama can be glad Sen. Judd Gregg, briefly nominated for commerce secretary, backed out. Today, the AP reports that Gregg invested heavily in efforts by his brother Cyrus to redevelop New Hampshire’s Pease Air Force Base, while earmarking federal dollars for the redevelopment. “These earmarks do not...

Sen. Shelby Questioned Obama Citizenship: Paper

Senator slams quote as 'distortion'

(Newser) - Sen. Richard Shelby may be a “birther”—one who questions whether Barack Obama is in fact a natural-born American and therefore eligible to be president, Salon reports. When asked about Obama citizenship rumors, the Alabama Republican replied: “His father was Kenyan and they said he was born...

DC Dems Look for Ill. to Act on Burris

'Wait-and-see attitude' likely as concerns grow

(Newser) - As further concerns emerge about Illinois Sen. Roland Burris’ ties to Rod Blagojevich, DC Democrats hoping to escape the former governor’s shadow are hoping Illinois will address the problem for them, Politico reports. Burris has acknowledged Blago contact that he hadn’t mentioned earlier, and while the senator says...

Gillibrand Moves Twin Rifles From Under Her Bed

'Security' prompts senator to relocate guns after reports

(Newser) - After admitting in an interview that she and her husband kept a pair of rifles under her bed—to protect their upstate home—New York's new senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, has moved the weapons, Newsday reports. “Given that the location of the guns has been disclosed, they have been moved...

GOP Goes Easy on Daschle, For Now

Key Senators will wait to learn more about tax problems

(Newser) - Influential Republicans are holding their tongues on Tom Daschle's tax troubles for now, Politico reports. GOP Senators Jon Kyl, Mitch McConnell, Jim DeMint, and Susan Collins all adopted a wait-and-see approach on today’s talk shows. “I want to find out more about it,” DeMint said of the...

Agent, Witness in Stevens Case Had a Fling, Defense Says

Ted's team wants new trial over secret-sharing

(Newser) - Lawyers for former Sen. Ted Stevens say the head FBI agent in his corruption case got a little too cozy with a key witness against Stevens, Politico reports. The defense lawyers cite an FBI whistleblower's memo that “strongly suggests that the inappropriate relationship” between the agent and an oilman...

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