Senate hearings

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Colleague Prompts a Confused Feinstein

Senator started to give a speech in a hearing when she'd been called on to vote

(Newser) - Sen. Dianne Feinstein became confused during a committee hearing on Thursday and had to be told to cast a vote by another senator. California's senior senator, who returned to the Capitol in May after missing more than two months with health issues , tried to give a speech during an...

Garland: I'll Stay Out of Hunter Biden Case

GOP senators press attorney general in hearing

(Newser) - Under questioning by Republican senators, Attorney General Merrick Garland testified Wednesday that US Attorney David Weiss of Delaware has the authority to decide whether to charge President Biden's son without interference. Weiss, who is conducting a criminal investigation into Hunter Biden concerning taxes and other issues, also could decide...

Senators Make Gun Arguments During ATF Nominee's Hearing

Agency hasn't had a confirmed head in 7 years

(Newser) - Less than a day after a gunman shot to death 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas, a Senate hearing for President Biden’s pick to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reflected the deep political divisions over guns. Steve Dettelbach would be...

Whistleblower Tells Senate Facebook Is Dishonest

Former project manager at the social media giant says its practices are dangerous

(Newser) - Facebook isn’t to be trusted. That’s the main point whistleblower Frances Haugen made to the Senate Tuesday. Haugen said the social media giant knows the potential harm of its products but prioritizes profits over safety, Politico reports. One of her chief concerns was the company’s failure to...

Senator's Video Appearance at Hearing Does Not Go Well

Delaware's Tom Carper caught swearing up a blue streak at his computer after a glitch

(Newser) - A senator dropped some very un-senatorial F-bombs Friday when he had a glitch with his video link. When Sen. Tom Carper's turn came up to question the postmaster general , things went south, reports the Hill . It began when the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee...

Health Care for Native Americans 'Horrifying'

Advocates tell horror stories at Senate hearing

(Newser) - "Don't get sick after June" is a common refrain in the Native American community—mainly because the Indian Health Service federal agency is "severely underfunded," says a rep for an advocacy group, per NBC News . In fact, witnesses at a Senate hearing Wednesday pleading for funds...

Rivals Eager for Google Antitrust Hearing

Yelp, Nextag, Expedia say company has been anti-competitive

(Newser) - Google’s Senate antitrust hearing is today, and rivals Yelp, Nextag, and Expedia are ready to do some complaining. The three companies intend to tell lawmakers that Google is exploiting its search dominance by promoting its own services at the expense of theirs in its results, they tell the Wall ...

Al Franken Dismantles DOMA Backer's Testimony

Ex-comedian gets laughs from chamber

(Newser) - Stuart Smalley was nowhere in sight yesterday as Al Franken shredded a Defense of Marriage Act supporter. Seems the gentleman from Minnesota took offense with Focus on the Family's Thomas Minnery and his citation of a federal study that found children in opposite-sex married families fared way better than...

Goldman Gains $549M as Execs Are Grilled

Firm one of few winners as market nosedives

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs gained $549 million in value as its executives were grilled for 10 hours yesterday in a Senate hearing. The firm's shares closed up 1.2% after the day's trading on the New York Stock Exchange while most other stocks tumbled, BusinessWeek reports. Some analysts believe the rise reflects...

Blankfein Defends Turf, Is 'Hearing Martian'

Goldman CEO doesn't give ground to Senator Levin

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein dueled with Sen. Carl Levin as the final witness in today's daylong grilling of company execs. The two went round and round, then round and round again, the same fundamental point without "speaking the same language," writes Frank Ahrens, who's live-blogging the proceedings...

Goldman Love Letters at Heart of SEC Case

Fooling 'widows' part of emailed sweet nothings

(Newser) - If there's anything Goldman Sachs bond trader Fabrice Tourre has learned it's: 1.) Don't rip off the public, and 2.) Above all, don't brag about it in love emails on a company computer to your gal pal. Tourre is the only individual named in the SEC fraud action...

Senate Will Probe NSA in Wiretapping 'Overcollection'

(Newser) - The Senate Intelligence Committee is planning an inquiry into the National Security Agency after reports the spy group has been engaged in “overcollection” of information domestically, the New York Times reports. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the committee, said a hearing would be held within the month. The...

Ex-Justice Aide Points Fingers
Ex-Justice Aide Points Fingers
May 23, 2007 1:26 PM CDT

Ex-Justice Aide Points Fingers

Deputy AG was 'not fully candid,' Goodling tells House committee

(Newser) - The deputy attorney general dissembled in his Senate testimony about the US attorney firings, Monica Goodling told a House committee today. Testifying under limited immunity from prosecution, the AG's former White House liaison said Paul McNulty's account was "incomplete or inaccurate" and accused him of "downplaying" the White...

Comey's Star Rises as Support for Gonzo Falls

Testimony spotlights political future of former Justice No. 2

(Newser) - James Comey's star turn in Senate testimony against Alberto Gonzales this week prompts speculation that the charismatic former deputy AG should be on the short list to replace him—and might even have legs as a presidential candidate some day. The Wall Street Journal assesses Comey's political future, as support...

Bush Still Gonzo For Alberto
Bush Still Gonzo For Alberto
Apr 24, 2007 7:06 AM CDT

Bush Still Gonzo For Alberto

Senate testimony "increased my confidence," says President

(Newser) - President Bush is sticking with his beleaguered attorney general despite negative reviews of his performance at last week's Senate hearing from both sides of the aisle. Bush said the testimony from Alberto Gonzales on the pink-slipped U.S. attorneys, roundly characterized as evasive, "increased my confidence in his ability....

Gonzales Gets Little Help In Fight for Job

AG preps for Senate testimony without White House, Justice Dept. aid

(Newser) - Alberto Gonzales is prepping for his April 17 Senate testimony as strenuously as if it were a confirmation proceeding, the Washington Post reports, since his job clearly depends upon it. And he's going it alone: Thanks to possible obstruction of justice charges, DOJ lawyers won't let the attorney general coordinate...

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