It's a Boy for Rep. Sanchez

Wyclef Jean will be in good company if he loses

(NEWSER) - Wyclef Jean is running for president of Haiti , but already things aren’t going well for the controversy-plagued singer. If he loses, he won’t be the first celebrity to suffer a failed political campaign: Time lists 10 others:

• Norman Mailer: Despite being a literary giant, the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author ran for mayor of New York and lost—9 years after he first attempted to run for the position, telling a journalist he wanted to “bring back the Middle Ages,” complete with jousting tournaments.

Dem Chu wins Calif. runoff to replace Solis

(NEWSER) - Democrat Judy Chu will become the first Chinese-American congresswoman after winning yesterday’s runoff House election in California, Xinhua reports. She fills the Los Angeles county seat vacated when Hilda Solis became secretary of Labor. Chu, 56, handily defeated her Republican opponent, cousin Betty Chu, with 62% of the vote. More»

House passes its version of renewal bill despite veto threat

(NEWSER) - The Violence Against Women Act, which provides funding to protect women from domestic violence and passed Congress easily in its prior two reauthorizations, is headed for Congress' latest partisan showdown. The House passed its version of the bill by a 222-205 vote yesterday over a veto threat from the White House, reports Politico . Democrats complain that the Republican version of the bill, unlike the version that has already passed the Senate, doesn't include additional protections for abused gays, Native Americans, and illegal immigrants. More»

Measure to help students gets bogged down in DC politics

(AP) - Republicans defied a veto threat as the House voted today to prevent federal loan costs from doubling for millions of college students. The vote gave the GOP a momentary election-year triumph on a bill that has become enmeshed in partisan battles over the economy, women's issues, and President Obama's health care overhaul. The measure's 215-195 passage was largely symbolic because the package is going nowhere in the Democratic-dominated Senate. Both parties agree students' interest costs should not rise, but they are clashing along a familiar fault line over how to cover the $6 billion tab: Republicans want spending cuts and Democrats want higher revenues. More»

January will be a milestone for American politics

(NEWSER) - For the first time in history, a political party will soon be represented in Congress by a majority of female and minority lawmakers. The Cook Political Report predicts that white males will make up 46% to 48% of House Democrats when the new Congress is sworn in next January, reports USA Today . That's down from 53% in 2010—and 98% in 1950. By contrast, white males will comprise 86% of House Republicans. More»