The drought is causing cattlemen and ranchers from around the U.S. to ask for hay from Minnesota farmers.
Welcome back to work, Congress. Hope you enjoyed your fourth full week off this year. Now find a way to work together to help get America back to work.
President Barack Obama signed on Friday a transportation funding and student loan bill which passed Congress last week in a rare election-year compromise between Republicans and Democrats.
Congress gave final approval Friday to a giant transportation funding bill as part of a package that includes a measure holding down interest rates on federal student loans.
The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the health care law that President Obama signed in March 2010. Here's a look at key moments in the law's history:
The health care reform law is in jeopardy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Will Cain and Christine Romans explain what's on the line.
The U.S. Supreme Court will rule this month on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act , the health-care reform law that President Obama had signed in March 2010. Here's a look at key moments in the law's history:
Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's said Friday the United States could be in for another credit downgrade by 2014 if Congress doesn't tackle the national debt with a serious plan.
After a high profile political battle this week over legislation to help victims of domestic abuse, its fate appears to be in limbo. And this policy-dispute-turned-election-year-brawl seems to be far from over.
Richard Mourdock explains why he "doesn't think there's going to be a lot of successful compromise" in the Senate.
With longtime Republican Sen. Dick Lugar going down in defeat, Democrats were quick to paint the conservative candidate who beat him in Indiana's primary as "too extreme."
In Washington, a lot of the meetings that take place between lawmakers amount to nothing. But recently, there was a get-together that was really something.
As this election season unfolds, we are watching an age-old dream in politics go horribly smash. It isn't good for politics, and it sure isn't good for the country.
Vice President Joe Biden touts President Obama's foreign policy prowess at an event at New York University.
Congress is expected to finally start debating ways to save the struggling U.S. Postal Service.
With just four days left before the federal money runs out for highway construction projects across the country, House Republicans abruptly postponed a vote on a two-month extension Tuesday, throwing into question how a standoff between Senate Democrats and House Republicans over the transportation bill will get resolved.
Congress is looking this week at ways to save the struggling U.S. Postal Service.
When expectations of a bipartisan Congress seem like a bygone tradition, two men who embodied leadership often beyond party politics were honored in Washington for their combined century of service.
Former senators Bob Dole and Howard Baker were honored for their bipartisan politics and combined century of service.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski becomes the longest serving female in Congress Saturday, a landmark milestone. Dana Bash reports.
CNN's Dana Bash reports on GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe's departure from Congress amid frustration with partisan politics.
When Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine rocked the political world with her announcement that she would not seek a fourth term in the Senate, she was forthright in expressing her frustration with "an atmosphere of polarization" in politics.
Republican leaders and the White House sent signals Wednesday of possible detente on jobs and energy legislation, but they offered few specifics and congressional Democrats questioned whether any progress would ensue.
The president says that the auto bailouts worked, in an address to the United Auto Workers union in Washington.
The last legislative freight train has left the station, and a set of expired business tax breaks that regularly get extended was left on the platform.
CNN's special salute to two New York City vendors who alerted police and helped avert the Times Square bombing.
One of the street vendors who alerted police to a smoking vehicle in Times Square that was later found to be carrying explosives says he's planning to run for Congress.
When the entire Internet gets angry, Congress takes notice. Both the House and the Senate on Friday backed away from a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills, tossing them into limbo and throwing doubt on their future viability.
The payroll tax impasse becomes a showdown between President Obama and Speaker Boehner. CNN's Dana Bash has the latest.
President Barack Obama is expected to make a statement Thursday on the partisan standoff over how best to extend the expiring payroll tax cut, according to the White House.
The Paul Ryan-Ron Wyden Medicare reform plan is a political game-changer. Amidst heated gridlock in Washington, Rep. Paul Ryan, a conservative budget hawk, and Sen. Ron Wyden, a respected liberal senator, have reached consensus on vital entitlement reform. Medicare is on the track to insolvency; this could be the bipartisan solution.
House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday that he opposed a temporary extension of a payroll tax cut, saying the two-month plan passed by the Senate "is just kicking the can down the road."
Union groups don't like big parts of a new bipartisan proposal in the Senate to save the U.S. Postal Service that would cut services and workers.
It's a big number and nothing to sneeze at -- $1.2 trillion. Unfortunately, when it comes to reining in U.S. debt, it's not enough.
Members of the GOP leadership discuss the Senate's rejection of the jobs bill and the need for parties to work together.
Partisan bickering over President Barack Obama's failed $447 billion jobs plan intensified Wednesday, with Republicans accusing Democrats of political gamesmanship and Democrats charging Republicans with costly obstructionism.
When trouble strikes in our personal lives and we are searching for a source, it usually makes sense to take a look in a familiar place -- the mirror. And so it should be in our troubled politics today.
The Senate reached a bipartisan agreement to end a dispute over disaster relief spending. Kate Bolduan reports.
Frustrated legislators from both parties called Tuesday for quick congressional action to get more money to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help people reeling from recent disasters.
Ten years after the 9/11 tragedy, the world is a much different place.
President Barack Obama slammed partisan politics and called on lawmakers to prioritize economic growth Monday, the first day of his three-day Midwestern tour.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Tuesday that he would appoint Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Max Baucus of Montana and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts to the congressional "super committee," charged with crafting a plan to cut the country's deficit.
If there's no deal on raising the debt limit by August 2, does the President have any options? Mary Snow reports.
CNN has invited prominent former leaders and policymakers to offer their advice on the debt crisis standoff in Washington. Here are their thoughts.
House Speaker John Boehner says he made a sincere effort to reach a bipartisan deal with the president.
The following is the prepared transcript of House Speaker John Boehner's speech Monday night on debt reduction talks:
Congress must reach a deal now to raise the federal debt ceiling through 2012 because "you don't want politics messing around with America's faith and credit," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told CNN on Sunday.
President Obama gave a boost Tuesday to a bipartisan Senate plan to slash the nation's debt by about $3.7 trillion over the next ten years.
Sensing a shift away from their priorities, progressive Democrats and advocacy groups warned Thursday they could turn on President Barack Obama if a deficit-reduction deal reduces benefits in entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
The Libyan government took a CNN crew to the site of a NATO air strike west of Tripoli. CNN's David McKenzie reports.
Two influential U.S. senators introduced a resolution Tuesday expressing support for limited American involvement in the NATO-led military campaign in Libya -- part of an effort to counter rising pressure in the House of Representatives to withdraw backing for the mission.
Nobel prize winner Peter Diamond has withdrawn his nomination to the Federal Reserve, citing opposition by Senate Republicans.
In a symbolic vote to send a message to budget negotiators, the House on Tuesday defeated a measure to raise the national debt ceiling without any accompanying deficit or spending reduction provisions.
Goodwin Liu, a California law professor nominated by President Barack Obama for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asked Thursday for his name to be withdrawn after Senate Republicans had invoked a rarely used filibuster to block a final floor vote.
The exact timing of a Senate vote on a resolution to back U.S. military action in Libya is not decided, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday, adding the vote would not come this month.
Veteran U.S. Sens. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, and John McCain, R-Arizona, formally introduced a bipartisan resolution Monday expressing Congress' support for U.S. military action in Libya, laying the groundwork for what could be the first congressional action on the mission since it began more than two months ago.
The deadline for President Obama to authorize action in Libya is coming to a close. CNN's Dana Bash reports.
Liberal demagogue or mainstream intellectual? The Senate faces a Thursday showdown to force a floor vote on what could be President Barack Obama's most controversial judicial nominee.
Senate Republicans have failed to block a floor vote for a controversial judicial nominee labeled as anti-business.
Our nation faces the most predictable economic crisis in its history. Spending is rising rapidly, and revenues are failing to keep pace. As a result, the federal government is forced to borrow huge sums each year to make up the difference. If not addressed, burgeoning deficits will eventually lead to a fiscal crisis, at which point the world's financial markets will force decisions upon us.
As lawmakers and the White House squabbled over the 2011 budget, dozens of prominent economists, former government officials and business leaders pressed them on Thursday to get serious about forging a long-term fix for the country's unsustainable debt.
A bipartisan group of more than 60 senators -- evenly divided between the parties -- urged President Obama in a letter on Friday to take the lead in helping them come up with a comprehensive debt-reduction plan.
Washington has been preoccupied with the prospect of a federal government shutdown. Protesters from the Tea Party to the pro-union Wisconsin activists disproportionately dominate our debates. We cover the political car crash but not the constructive conversation.
As lawmakers continued to butt heads over how much spending should be cut over the next seven months, a few senators on Tuesday were trying to keep the focus where they think it belongs -- the next several decades.
The push to come up with a plan to reduce national debt got a bipartisan bear hug in the Senate on Tuesday.
If there's one thing I came away with from this week's State of the Union address, it's that President Barack Obama knew what he was doing. Whether he did it well, I'll get to in a moment. But as he entered the House chamber Tuesday night, pressing the flesh with our nation's most powerful and elite, the president understood his challenge. Above all else, he had to continue to rebuild his tattered image among America's independent voters who had supported him in 2008 but moved strongly away during November's midterm elections.
See a sampling of highlights from this year's State of the Union speech presented in animated text and graphics.
President Obama struck an optimistic tone on the economy during last night's State of the Union speech, but much of it still focused on efforts to boost employment and help businesses expand and compete. There were no shots at corporate greed as he's made in the past -- instead there was a call for lower corporate taxes. In recent weeks and months, the President has made strides in mending the White House's tarnished relationship with the corporate sector, which has sounded alarms about policies that stifle growth.
Three longtime senators who have decided not to seek re-election in 2012 said Sunday that they believe the country is ready for serious bipartisan cooperation on major issues -- especially tackling the massive national debt.
Kent Conrad's announcement this week that he would step down in 2012 rather than seek re-election didn't draw much attention outside the Beltway. But it should -- because it could have a big impact on the nation's finances.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs talks about the role Republicans need to play in 2011.
A new political reality hits Washington next week, with the first split Congress since 2002 raising questions about whether the bipartisan cooperation of the recently concluded lame-duck session can continue.
Former President Bill Clinton took to the White House podium Friday and delivered a ringing endorsement of the tax compromise struck earlier this week by President Obama and Republican lawmakers.
Senate Republicans' threat to hold up legislation for everything not related to tax cuts or the budget is either standing up for principles or a "congressional temper tantrum," depending on your point of view.
As the saying goes, even paranoids have enemies. A Washington corollary: Even cynics have reason to be cynical.
You don't need to peek at Santa's long list to know what the White House is asking for this holiday season -- a large, nicely wrapped box of bipartisanship.
President Obama wished the nation a happy Thanksgiving on Thursday and also used his weekly address to renew his call for bipartisan cooperation on addressing major issues facing the nation.
The Obama's kick off their Thanksgiving holiday by handing out food baskets at Washington food pantry Martha's Table.
The so-called "lame duck" session of the Democratic Congress convened Monday, with members preparing to make decisions on a host of contentious issues that could have major political ramifications for both President Barack Obama and the incoming Republican House majority.
The midterm election was clearly a repudiation. The question is, a repudiation of what?
CNNMoney: Bye-bye, tax breaks?updated: Tue Oct 26 2010 14:05:00
Who says there's no bipartisanship? Democrats and Republicans running for Congress are finding every way possible to assure voters they will keep Americans' taxes low forever.
Two federal departments have teamed up to coordinate the awarding of development grants, in an effort to to use taxpayer money more effectively for projects that connect housing with jobs and the means to get to them.
White House Adviser David Axelrod talks to CNN's Candy Crowley about the prospect of tax cuts and next month's elections.
Bipartisanship is in the eye of the beholder, it seems, as Democrats and Republicans ponder how cooperation between them can improve after the upcoming congressional elections.
White House senior adviser David Axelrod is looking for a silver lining in expected Democratic losses in November's congressional elections.
President Barack Obama heard young people speaking their minds Thursday at a respectful but challenging town hall-style event where he was asked tough questions by students who support and oppose him.
Editor's note: There are 22 days to go before voters cast ballots in the hotly contested midterm elections. In this special feature, CNN's political contributors share their quick thoughts on what's making news. Mary Matalin, a Republican strategist, joined CNN as a political contributor in April 2009. She has worked for Presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush and served as counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney. Ruben Navarrette is a nationally syndicated columnist, an NPR commentator and a CNN.com contributor.
President Barack Obama called Monday for Congress to approve a $50 billion plan to begin upgrading the nation's crumbling infrastructure, saying such an investment is vital to creating much-needed construction jobs and keeping the nation competitive in the global economy.
President Obama announces his plan to address America's crumbling infrastructure and create jobs.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the new nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States Thursday.
"This committee doesn't function well on a partisan basis, and in the 22 months that I've been chairman of it we've never acted that way." That was Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd speaking in December of 2008, when American voters had the audacity to believe a new President's promise to rise above the short-sightedness of partisan Washington and unite most Americans around solving big problems.
CNN's Jessica Yellin takes a look at polls showing President Obama is losing support among liberals and independents.
With less than four months until this year's midterm Election Day, the Obama administration is defending its record in response to criticism from liberals and progressives who are increasingly saying the president has not been aggressive enough in pursuing their preferred agenda.
Three Republican New York state senators crossed party lines Monday and voted "yes" for a week long budget extension, stopping the threat of a government shut down in the state.
President Obama on Wednesday called on Congress to work on comprehensive immigration reform this year, saying it would be the best way to fix the nation's broken immigration system.
The Senate overwhelmingly passed its first major change to the Wall Street reform package Wednesday, approving a bipartisan deal to unwind big financial firms that are considered too big to fail.
The push for immigration reform may be on the front burner for congressional Democrats, but sources say that ultimately, they believe the issue is unlikely to have enough votes to pass.
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