Congress

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GOP Finds Hope in Last-Ditch Fla. Candidate

Prisoner abuse scandal not impeding Congressional bid

(Newser) - South Florida Republicans are thrilled with Congressional candidate Allen West. They see the black Army veteran as a potential GOP standard bearer. There’s just one problem: In 2003, West was accused of abusing an Iraqi detainee and violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice. But some Republicans actually see...

Stevens Pleads Not Guilty
Stevens Pleads Not Guilty
UPDATED
Jul 31, 2008 12:57 PM CDT

Stevens Pleads Not Guilty

Judge sets pre-Election Day trial date, but defers ruling on venue change to Alaska

(Newser) - Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens pleaded not guilty today in federal court in Washington to seven counts of corruption, the Anchorage Daily News reports. At his lawyers' request, the judge set a tentative trial date of Sept. 24, more than 5 weeks before the Nov. 4 general election. He'll rule on...

Bush Aides Must Testify: Judge
 Bush Aides Must Testify: Judge
Jul 31, 2008 12:36 PM CDT

Bush Aides Must Testify: Judge

Judge rejects administration's interpretation of executive privilege

(Newser) - Turning aside White House arguments that top aides are protected from subpoenas by executive privilege, a judge ruled today that Harriet Miers must testify before a congressional committee on the firings of nine federal prosecutors, the Washington Post reports. Miers and fellow aide Joshua Bolten can, however, invoke executive privilege...

Housing Bill Funds Democratic Ally

Group sets out to register the poor

(Newser) - Nestled in the housing bill President Bush signed yesterday is an acronym Republicans don’t like one bit: ACORN. The Wall Street Journal reports that the group is among the many housing-related nonprofits the bill hands cash to, but Republicans grumble that it does more than housing. It’s also...

Nat'l Review: Stevens, Get Out
 Nat'l Review:
 Stevens, Get Out
OPINION
Jul 30, 2008 1:16 PM CDT

Nat'l Review: Stevens, Get Out

Indicted Republican senator 'disgraced himself and his office'

(Newser) - Newly indicted Ted Stevens should resign as soon as possible, write the editors of the National Review. The Alaskan senator, who is accused of seven counts of making false statements, legally “deserves the benefit of the doubt—but not from an ethical standpoint,” they note. “The facts...

Payback Time for Meanest Man in Congress
Payback Time for Meanest Man in Congress
Opinion
Jul 30, 2008 7:29 AM CDT

Payback Time for Meanest Man in Congress

Stevens bullied his way into power, and now maybe to disgrace

(Newser) - Few tears were shed on Capital Hill when Ted Stevens was indicted yesterday. Alaska’s celebrated senator spent 4 decades bullying Congress, writes Michael Crowley in the Washington Post, rising ever higher in the ranks by making politics personal. “I'm a mean, miserable SOB,” he’d boast, sporting...

House Measure Apologizes for US Slavery

Resolution marks first official expression of regret for divisive past

(Newser) - The House has apologized to black Americans for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow segregation laws. Today's resolution marks the first time Congress has ever formally apologized for America's past history of enslaving and discriminating against blacks.

Congress Moves to Ban Toxin Found in Toys

Bush could yet veto bill including measure to keep phthalates away from children

(Newser) - Congressional negotiators have agreed to ban a group of toxins common in children’s toys, part of a consumer-protection bill, the Washington Post reports. The ban mirrors tougher standards at big retailers like Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, and, like those bans, wouldn’t take effect until after the holiday...

Dems Fail to Override GOP's Bill-Blocker

Reid's bundled bill designed to trump Coburn falls short

(Newser) - A bill aimed at trumping one senator’s efforts to block dozens of pieces of legislation was itself halted yesterday, the Washington Post reports. Sen. Tom Coburn has held up some 80 bills to prevent spending he considers unnecessary; Democrat Harry Reid's legislative omnibus, which contained 35 bills in one,...

Democrats Out to Thwart Senate's 'Dr. No'

Big bill combines measures all blocked by prickly Coburn

(Newser) - While the Senate has long been in the business of passing catchall “omnibus” legislation, now Democrats are trying out the Tomnibus, a bill loaded with measures that have all been blocked by one man: Tom Coburn, alias Dr. No. The Oklahoma Republican wields Senate procedure like a deathray—he...

Iraq Needs Its No-Bid Oil Contracts
Iraq Needs Its No-Bid
Oil Contracts
Opinion
Jul 26, 2008 3:15 PM CDT

Iraq Needs Its No-Bid Oil Contracts

Deals aren't exploitative, argues energy adviser

(Newser) - US lawmakers have been raging against no-bid deals struck by foreign oil companies in Iraq—but impeding them would be pure folly, energy consultant Raad Alkadiri argues in the Washington Post. Most of these companies have already advised Iraq on its oil fields for free; Baghdad only sought to formalize...

Senate Passes Massive Housing Relief Bill

Bush is expected to quickly sign the measure into law

(Newser) - Congress has passed a housing rescue bill aimed at sparing 400,000 struggling homeowners from foreclosure. President Bush is expected to sign the measure quickly. The Senate passed the legislation by a 72-13 vote in a rare Saturday session. The measure lets homeowners who cannot afford their monthly payments refinance...

Menthol Debate Splits Black Caucus
Menthol Debate Splits Black Caucus
Jul 25, 2008 2:28 AM CDT

Menthol Debate Splits Black Caucus

Tobacco row erupts over exemption from cigarette flavoring ban

(Newser) - The exemption of menthol from a bill banning flavored cigarettes is causing a rift in the Black Congressional Caucus, the New York Times reports. Some members of the caucus, which has strong financial ties to tobacco companies, argue that menthol cigarettes cause disproportionate harm to blacks and are pushing for...

Mukasey Can't Reach Dems Across Gulf on Terror Law

Disgust, distrust on policy has attorney general's push falling on deaf ears

(Newser) - The refusal by Democrats to give Michael Mukasey a hearing during a Hill appearance yesterday is evidence of a “huge and poisonous gulf” between the legislative and executive branches that threatens to delay action on judicial process until 2009, Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball write in Newsweek. The attorney...

Feds Let Troops Fight, Won't Help Them Vote

White House, Pentagon, Dem-controlled Congress all dragging heels to make voting easier

(Newser) - The Pentagon has long dragged its heels on making it easier for US troops overseas to have their votes count back home, columnist Robert Novak points out in the Washington Post. There’s little appetite in a Democratic-controlled Congress to kick-start the process, Novak notes, as evidenced by the “...

Anti-Gay Rant Makes Hill Wish It Hadn't Asked
Anti-Gay Rant Makes Hill Wish It Hadn't Asked
Opinion
Jul 24, 2008 11:54 AM CDT

Anti-Gay Rant Makes Hill Wish It Hadn't Asked

Outspoken activist succeeds in unifying lawmakers against her

(Newser) - Don’t ask Elaine Donnelly what she thinks of gays in the military—she’ll tell you. Congress made that mistake yesterday, and the anti-gay activist let out what Dana Milbank of the Washington Post calls an “extraordinary exhibition of rage.” Donnelly warned the panel of the “...

Your Tax Dollars Put Their Names in Concrete
Your Tax Dollars Put Their Names in Concrete
Opinion
Jul 19, 2008 6:33 PM CDT

Your Tax Dollars Put Their Names in Concrete

Lawmakers refuse to face widespread 'edifice complex'

(Newser) - Not long ago, a lawmaker had to be dead to put his or her name on something, but these days every two-bit representative in Congress has a building, bridge, or monument, complains John Fund in the Wall Street Journal. These “honors” are almost always paid for with tax dollars,...

Hatch Pens Ditty for Teddy
 Hatch Pens Ditty for Teddy 
Jul 16, 2008 3:53 PM CDT

Hatch Pens Ditty for Teddy

GOP senator's ballad may be played at Democratic convention

(Newser) - Orrin Hatch is not only a veteran senator but also a songwriter, and he’s put pen to paper again—this time for longtime friend Ted Kennedy, who’s battling cancer. The Utah Republican was approached by several senior Democrats, and the resulting song, Headed Home, could be played at...

Obama Campaign Insular, Arrogant, Hill Dems Complain

Lawmakers cite lack of coordination with presidential candidate

(Newser) - Some Congressional Democrats say they're not feeling the love from Barack Obama's campaign, Politico reports, with the candidate inattentive to broader election strategy and his camp uncommunicative on the day-to-day message blitz. "They think they know what’s right and everyone else is wrong on everything,” one senior...

Rangel's Fundraising for 'Me' Monument Questioned

Solicits cash from firms linked to his panel

(Newser) - New York Rep. Charles Rangel has raised eyebrows with fundraising efforts for a new center Republicans labeled his “Monument to Me.” After securing a $1.9 congressional earmark, Rangel is soliciting money from firms affected by his House Ways and Means Committee to build the Charles B. Rangel...

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