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Congress

Started by D Lim; Last updated by D Lim

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Congress

"Congress consists of one-third, more or less, scoundrels; two-thirds, more or less, idiots; and three-thirds, more or less, poltroons." -H.L. Mencken

Stories

Stories 41 - 60 of 924

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May 2009
- Congressman Calls for End to 'Birthright Citizenship'
  
  Atlanta Journal-Constitution | May 26, 09 1:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Georgia Congressman wants an end to a US policy granting citizenship to anyone born on American shores, the AP reports. “Birthright citizenship” granted by the 14th Amendment, helps fuel illegal immigration, says Republican Nathan Deal, who’s running for governor. But immigration advocates argue that a change wouldn’t stop illegal immigration and runs counter to American ideals. More »
- Obama Already Throwing Weight for Midterms
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 26, 09 8:16 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - He’s been in office just a few months—but President Obama’s already working to get Democrats elected in 2010, the Wall Street Journal reports. So far this month, Obama has urged a potential candidate to run in North Carolina, battled a primary threat to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, pledged support for Sen. Arlen Specter, and planned to raise funds for Sen. Harry Reid. More »
- Obama: Court Pick Will Go Beyond 'Ivory Tower' Smarts
  
  Bloomberg | May 23, 09 10:05 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama said today he would be announcing his nominee to the Supreme Court “soon” and hopes to have the new justice confirmed by Congress’ August recess, Bloomberg reports. In a C-SPAN interview, Obama laid out his criteria, which includes not only “ivory tower learning” but also empathy. “You have to be able to stand in somebody else’s shoes and see through their eyes and get a sense of how the law might work or not work in practical day-to-day living.” More »
- New Foreclosure Legislation May Not Be Enough
  
  ProPublica | May 22, 09 12:45 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Congress’ Hope for Homeowners plan was aimed at fighting the foreclosure epidemic, and it’s been a success for exactly one person. Now, lawmakers have put “patches” on the legislation—but some worry the fixes aren’t going to do the job, ProPublica reports. Instead, it needs “some major, wholesale changes, since no one is using it at all,” says an analyst. More »
- Specter Finds His Inner Democrat
  
  Politico | May 21, 09 10:45 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Arlen Specter’s first days as a Democrat may not have gone well, but since then he’s settled in and sided with his new party on nearly every vote, Politico reports. He’s gone from staunch opponent of the Employee Free Choice act to a key negotiator for it, come to Nancy Pelosi’s defense against the CIA, and said he’s now open to a public option on health care. More »
- RFK Son Plans Run for Obama Senate Seat
  
  Chicago Sun-Times | May 21, 09 4:12 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Another Kennedy is taking a shot at a Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Chris Kennedy, the eighth of Robert F. Kennedy's 11 kids, plans to challenge Roland Burris in next year's election for the Illinois seat vacated by President Obama. Insiders say the Democrat decided to run after polls conducted by Obama's head pollster revealed that he had a good chance of winning. More »
- Pelosi's Stubbornness Turns CIA Smoke Into PR Fire
  
  Time | May 20, 09 1:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The CIA debacle engulfing Nancy Pelosi stems from two key mistakes on the part of the House speaker, Jay Newton-Small writes in Time . Pelosi’s dangerous belief that media training is “a waste of her time” was demonstrated when she walked away from her own press conference on the subject of interrogation briefings. Her other mistake—or character flaw—is reacting rashly in unanticipated situations. More »
- GOP: Dems Buddying Up to Big Business
  
  Politico | May 20, 09 12:13 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Senate Republicans are turning the tables on Democrats as the GOP battles a bill to fight climate change, Politico reports. A strategy memo says Republicans should paint the opposition as the party of big business, suggesting Dems are cozying up to “Wall Street traders,” “polluters,” and other corporate interests. “Business is not always going to be a good friend of the Republicans,” says a GOP lobbyist. More »
- Gingrich Slams Pelosi on Daily Show
  
  Gawker | May 20, 09 8:24 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Newt Gingrich “essentially” called for Nancy Pelosi’s resignation as House speaker last night in a chat with Jon Stewart, Gawker reports. "She either should prove her allegation” that the CIA regularly misleads Congress, or “I think she's done a huge disservice,” the former speaker said on The Daily Show. “To have a person who would lie about everybody in the intelligence community” as speaker is “utterly irrational,” Gingrich said. More »
- Reid's Approval Sinks in Nevada
  
  Las Vegas Review-Journal | May 19, 09 5:42 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Harry Reid may have a tough time getting Nevadans to re-elect him in 2010, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. If the election were today, 45% would definitely vote against him and another 17% would consider it, a new poll shows. About a third of voters would keep the Senate majority leader in office. The GOP's main problem? It still doesn't have a viable candidate to run against him, notes the Review-Journal . More »
- Cancer in Remission, Kennedy Set for June Return
  
  The Hill | May 19, 09 2:46 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Sen. Ted Kennedy should be back at work after the body’s Memorial Day recess, Majority Leader Harry Reid said today after hearing from Kennedy’s wife that the 77-year-old’s brain cancer is in remission. Kennedy has spent much time at home in Massachusetts since the diagnosis last May, the Hill notes; his return should coincide with health initiatives near to his heart. More »
- Senate Passes Credit-Card Bill
  
  Associated Press | May 19, 09 12:54 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - The Senate voted today to prohibit credit-card companies from arbitrarily raising an individual's interest rate and charging many of the exorbitant fees. The vote was 90-5. With the House on track to endorse the measure by week's end, President Obama could see a bill on his desk by the end of the week. He's expected to sign. More »
- Dems Won't Fund Gitmo Closing
  
  Associated Press | May 19, 09 12:33 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - President Obama's allies in the Senate will not provide funds to close the Guantanamo Bay prison by January, a top Democratic official said today. With debate looming on Obama's spending request to cover military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the official says Democrats will deny the Pentagon and Justice Department $80 million to relocate Guantanamo's 240 detainees. More »
- Republicans Slam Party-Purist Outfit
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 18, 09 2:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Some in the GOP have had it with the Club for Growth, an organization that identifies Republicans it deems weak on low-tax, small-government values, the Wall Street Journal reports. Party members argue that the Club backs Republicans too far right to win elections. “If their goal is to increase the Democrats’ numbers in Congress, they’re doing a very good job,” says a GOP congressman. More »
- The White House May Be Trying to Purge Pelosi
  
  Washington Post | May 18, 09 12:13 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After Nancy Pelosi suggested the CIA had misled Congress, the agency’s director fired back with a letter denying the claim. But the idea that Leon Panetta would send a letter “humiliating a House speaker of his own party” entirely of his own accord seems “almost inconceivable,” writes William Kristol in the Washington Post . Perhaps he “ran it by” Rahm Emanuel—begging the question: “Does Emanuel (and, presumably, President Obama) want a chastened Pelosi to remain speaker?” More »
- Sen. Byrd Hospitalized With 'Minor Infection'
  
  Politico | May 18, 09 11:46 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Sen. Robert Byrd, at 91 the Senate's oldest and longest-serving member, has been hospitalized with a temperature spike reportedly caused by a “minor infection,” his office said today. “He is being treated with antibiotics, responding well, and is expected to be released from the hospital in a few days." Byrd headed to the hospital as a “precautionary measure” late Friday, Politico reports. More »
- Gay Marriage Is New GOP Litmus Test for Supremes
  
  Washington Post | May 17, 09 6:21 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Abortion has long been the hot-button issue at Supreme Court confirmations—but this year, gay marriage is taking over, conservatives say. Senate Republicans believe that questioning over the matter could be the new litmus test to help reveal a candidate's overall philosophy, reports the Washington Post . “It may reflect the degree to which they think that they're not bound by the classical meaning of the Constitution” and whether “a personal agenda” will take precedence, said a key senator. More »
- CIA 'Briefed Truthfully' in '02: Panetta
  
  The Hill | May 15, 09 2:09 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - CIA director Leon Panetta today denied Nancy Pelosi’s claim that the agency misled lawmakers in a 2002 briefing, the Hill reports. In a memo to employees, Panetta said “CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing ‘the enhanced techniques that had been employed.’” Moreover, “we are an agency of high integrity,” he said. “Our task is to tell it like it is.” More »
- Undivided Govt. Means Real Change; Hope We're Ready
  
  Washington Post | May 15, 09 10:13 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With Democrats seemingly about to take a filibuster-proof Senate majority, the US is finally going to see a government able to carry out campaign promises—which seems “almost unnatural” after ages of gridlock, writes Michael Kinsley in the Washington Post . “High-church moderates” claim a balance of power is good, but in fact, “most functioning democracies” look more like where we’re headed. Finally, “Congress is ready to get things done with a vengeance.” More »
- Graham: CIA Didn't Tell Me About Waterboarding
  
  Huffington Post | May 14, 09 6:58 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - This could help Nancy Pelosi's case: Bob Graham, former head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tells the Huffington Post and Plum Line that the CIA never told him about waterboarding or other harsh interrogation techniques in a 2002 briefing. Graham, a Democrat, also criticized the agency's records as "suspect." He recently asked the CIA how many times he'd been briefed on interrogations and was told four. When that didn't jibe with his personal records, the CIA agreed and said he was briefed just once. More »

Stories 41 - 60 of 924

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Reflection

Reflection ((c) Poldavo (Alex))

Congress Column

Congress Column ((c) ricardo.martins)

DC 027.jpg

DC 027.jpg ((c) clyderob)

Congreso Entrance

Congreso Entrance ((c) puroticorico)

Congreso Facade

Congreso Facade ((c) puroticorico)

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Background

United States Congress
Wikipedia

The United States Congress is the legislature of the U.S. federal government. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and Senate. The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, each representing a congressional district and serving a two-year term. House seats are apportioned...

» Read more about United States Congress at Wikipedia

Recommended Reading

Government

United States House of Representatives
U.S. House of Representatives

United States Senate
U.S. Senate

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