The Senate's second-ranking Democrat slammed recent town-hall protests over health care on Sunday, insisting they violate "the democratic process," while the Senate's top Republican accused Democrats of "attacking citizens" with such complaints.
On a blustery January morning, a handful of journalists dutifully reported to a small, ornately detailed meeting room in a corner of the U.S. Capitol to cover a staple of official Washington life: the nonnews news conference. Backed by a phalanx of American flags, three senators stood to demand prompt and bipartisan health-care reform. But no new legislation was announced, and no new compromise had been brokered.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, is giving up his chairmanship of the Crime and Drugs Subcommittee and giving it to Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker said Thursday.
A preliminary internal report on the Justice Department investigation into the authors of the Bush administration's so-called "torture memos" does not call for criminal prosecutions, but indicates the government might urge state bar associations to take sanctions against the memo writers, according to two government sources familiar with the report.
The Obama administration lost a bid to add a powerful weapon in its fight against foreclosure Thursday, after the Senate voted down a proposal to allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages.
A bloody war between Mexican drug cartels is no longer solely a south-of-the-border problem, members of Congress said Tuesday at a hearing on the issue.
The recession's damage to Silicon Valley goes beyond falling stock prices and depressed profits.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn called again Friday for a special election to replace Sen. Roland Burris, whose appointment to fill President Obama's former Senate seat has subjected the state to what Quinn called a "cloud of scandal."
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said Wednesday that a Senate ethics panel is investigating Sen. Roland Burris after his disclosure that he had spoken with the brother of Rod Blagojevich about raising money for the disgraced former governor while seeking appointment to the Senate.
U.S. senators began debate on a massive economic-recovery package Friday evening, after a working coalition of Democrats and some Republicans reached a compromise that trimmed billions in spending from an earlier version.
The Senate's second-ranking Democrat slammed recent town-hall protests over health care on Sunday, insisting they violate "the democratic process," while the Senate's top Republican accused Democrats of "attacking citizens" with such complaints.
On a blustery January morning, a handful of journalists dutifully reported to a small, ornately detailed meeting room in a corner of the U.S. Capitol to cover a staple of official Washington life: the nonnews news conference. Backed by a phalanx of American flags, three senators stood to demand prompt and bipartisan health-care reform. But no new legislation was announced, and no new compromise had been brokered.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, is giving up his chairmanship of the Crime and Drugs Subcommittee and giving it to Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker said Thursday.
A preliminary internal report on the Justice Department investigation into the authors of the Bush administration's so-called "torture memos" does not call for criminal prosecutions, but indicates the government might urge state bar associations to take sanctions against the memo writers, according to two government sources familiar with the report.
The Obama administration lost a bid to add a powerful weapon in its fight against foreclosure Thursday, after the Senate voted down a proposal to allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages.
A bloody war between Mexican drug cartels is no longer solely a south-of-the-border problem, members of Congress said Tuesday at a hearing on the issue.
The recession's damage to Silicon Valley goes beyond falling stock prices and depressed profits.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn called again Friday for a special election to replace Sen. Roland Burris, whose appointment to fill President Obama's former Senate seat has subjected the state to what Quinn called a "cloud of scandal."
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said Wednesday that a Senate ethics panel is investigating Sen. Roland Burris after his disclosure that he had spoken with the brother of Rod Blagojevich about raising money for the disgraced former governor while seeking appointment to the Senate.
U.S. senators began debate on a massive economic-recovery package Friday evening, after a working coalition of Democrats and some Republicans reached a compromise that trimmed billions in spending from an earlier version.
It wasn't long after the Illinois state Senate voted unanimously to remove Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office that Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn put his hand on a Bible and took the oath of office to replace him.
Roland Burris said Tuesday that he "can understand" the position of those who objected to his appointment to fill President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, but he always knew that the appointment was legal.
Illinois Senate-designate Roland Burris said Monday afternoon that he is "truly humbled and honored" to learn he will be seated in the Senate later this week.
Illinois' highest court validated the appointment of Roland Burris to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat Friday, ruling that the Illinois secretary of state does not have to sign off on it.
Citigroup reached an agreement with Democratic lawmakers Thursday on legislation that would allow judges to reduce mortgage debt for individuals who have filed for bankruptcy.
Citigroup could soon agree to principles that would let troubled borrowers save their homes through bankruptcy, sources familiar with the talks said Thursday, while industry groups are easing their opposition to the plan.
Senate Democrats have no choice but to change their tone about Roland Burris becoming a U.S. senator because Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich "called our bluff" in appointing someone over their objections, a senior Democratic congressional source conceded Wednesday.
Senate Democratic leaders have scheduled a meeting with Roland Burris, who was chosen by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, a Democratic source said Saturday.
A clash over the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama will intensify next week on Capitol Hill when Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pick to fill that seat arrives in Washington.
Since moving to Chicago 4½ years ago from Texas, I've been amazed to watch the political machinations in this state, and see how easy it is for residents to dismiss the rampant corruption of some political officials as nothing more than the cost of doing business.
As the United States writhes in a collapsing economy, analysts and observers are wondering: Who's skippering the ship?
The daughter of Sen. Dick Durbin died Saturday from a congenital heart condition, the Illinois Democrat's office said.
Congressional Democrats accused Sen. John McCain on Wednesday of potentially upsetting negotiations over a $700 billion bailout package by injecting presidential politics into the process, while Republicans welcomed his decision to return to Washington to participate in the talks.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke to the Democratic National Convention on Thursday. Here is the text of that speech:
He packed food for charity, played poker for vets – and was home for Obama's speech
Congress passed the most significant housing legislation in decades Saturday, offering help to struggling homeowners and seeking to stabilize a troubled housing market
Troubled by the tainted tomato scare, nearly half of Americans are concerned they may get sick from eating contaminated food and are avoiding items they normally would buy, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll has found
Close loopholes on foreign oil trading. Limit hedge funds from pouring money into the market. End oil speculation altogether.
Fed up with soaring oil prices and a chorus of people blaming Wall Street speculators, Congress is considering a host of rules aimed at limiting the inflow of investor money into oil contracts.
Most of the 17 Democratic senators who are uncommitted superdelegates will endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president this week, sources told CNN Monday.
Amid increasing public outcry over record-shattering oil and gas prices, senators on Wednesday hauled industry executives in to testify about the recent runup.
Dear FSB: Our company has been recognized as among the top contingency and retainer search firms, but would like to go beyond that. We are a small business with a young owner. What kind of recognition or lists can we be considered for?
Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked efforts to give bankruptcy courts more power to stave off home foreclosures, a move the chamber's Democratic leader called "a big mistake."
Senate Republicans surprised their Democratic counterparts Tuesday by agreeing to hold a full-fledged debate on a Democratic bill that would quickly end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.
Foreclosure gets Congress' attention Tuesday when the Senate decides whether to end debate on a bill aimed at helping homeowners avoid losing their homes.
The Justice Department said Friday it is investigating whether its attorneys properly authorized and reviewed the use of waterboarding by CIA investigators.
The Justice Department and the CIA will jointly investigate the destruction of videotapes of CIA interrogations of two al Qaeda suspects, a top official said.
U.S. President George W. Bush "has no recollection" of videotapes of CIA interrogations of some al Qaeda suspects or of plans to destroy the tapes, a White House spokeswoman said.
The agency tries to protect its operatives from betrayal by its political overlords. But in doing so, it may instead have imperiled them
A bitterly divided Senate panel Thursday approved a measure allowing all public U.S. Supreme Court proceedings to be televised despite fierce opposition from the justices.
The Senate is set to vote Thursday on what promises to be the first override of a veto by President Bush, with members expected to authorize $23 billion in new water projects over the president's objections.
By turning waterboarding into a make-or-break issue for the Attorney General nominee, the Democrats are using the President's favored weapon of moral clarity against him
Mattel CEO Robert Eckert made another public apology Wednesday over unsafe toys that were made in China, and sought to convince a Senate panel that the company was determined to avoid more recalls in the future.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq will recommend to President Bush that current U.S. troop levels be maintained in Iraq through next spring, according to U.S. military officials.
J. Scott Jennings became the latest sacrificial lamb the White House has sent up to answer questions about the U.S. Attorneys firings
The top aide to White House political adviser Karl Rove refused to answer at least a dozen questions from a Senate committee Thursday about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year, asserting -- as expected -- a claim of executive privilege by President Bush.
Fearing a legislative push from Democrats to "fix" conservative-dominated radio shows, Republicans are starting to fight back
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, has been placed under the protection of the Secret Service, the agency said Thursday.
The days of lawmakers slipping pet projects into spending bills at the last minute are ending after the Senate approved a new rule Tuesday forcing members to disclose requests for those "earmarks."
Below is the text of Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin's speech on Wednesday, the Democratic response to President Bush's address to the nation on a revised strategy in the Iraq war:
Democrats generally reacted with disdain and Republicans with cautious support Wednesday night after President Bush laid out his plan to increase U.S. troop strength in Iraq.
Democrats, now freshly in control of Congress, are likely to want to get more oil money into government coffers.
Now facing Democratic control of both chambers of Congress during the last two years of his presidency, President Bush on Friday continued to move toward building a working relationship with Democratic congressional leaders.
Marilyn Landis was not sick. The owner of Basic Business Concepts, a financial outsourcing company in Pittsburgh, says that last year neither she nor the worker covered by her business's health ins...
Marilyn Landis was not sick. The owner of Basic Business Concepts, a financial outsourcing company in Pittsburgh, says that last year neither she nor the worker covered by her business's health ins...
Declaring that he believes the situation in Iraq has devolved into a civil war, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday he plans to try to bring the war back up for debate on the Senate floor.
Delivering the Democratic response to President Bush's immigration speech, Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin questioned Bush's plan to deploy National Guard troops on the United States' southern border.
President Bush spoke to the nation about immigration Monday night. Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the assistant minority leader, gave the Democratic Party's response.
Key senators pressed Michael Hayden on Wednesday about whether he would operate as an independent CIA director despite his active status as an Air Force four-star general.
In the Democratic Party's weekly radio address on the weekend honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin said if the slain civil rights leader were alive today, he would be troubled by today's Republican policies.
On November 16, as Congress raced to adjourn for Thanksgiving, Senate Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin found time to sit down with Republican political activist C. Boyden Gray. It was unpleasant for Gray, who followed with what looked like a pre-arranged letter of apology to the senator. After that, Durbin was reported to have lifted the "hold" blocking Gray's confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the European Union (EU).
The U.S. military death toll in Iraq reached 2,000 Tuesday with the reports of three new deaths, and President Bush prepared the nation for more casualties, saying the "defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice."
Amid dropping public approval for the Iraq war, President Bush said Thursday the fight against terrorism must continue there because it is the center of a terrorist movement to "intimidate the whole world."
Two Democratic senators proposed legislation Thursday that would create an emergency gasoline and jet-fuel reserve.
President Bush has tapped homeland security adviser Frances Townsend to lead an internal inquiry into the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, but leading Democrats renewed calls for an independent probe.
Last week's long-range confrontation between Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin was much more than a personal tiff involving two formidable Illinois Democrats who obviously are not fond of each other.
The Senate's No. 2 Democrat apologized Tuesday for remarks comparing the treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to methods used by the Nazis, Soviets and other repressive regimes.
A Senate rider inserted in an emergency appropriations bill in the dead of the night, which would close a rare window into political foul play at the Internal Revenue Service, was quietly removed Tuesday in Senate-House negotiations.
The following is a letter spearheaded by California Senator Dianne Feinstein and signed by 20 democratic senators.
Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin said Sunday that a new Cabinet-level chief to oversee all U.S. intelligence agencies is unnecessary.
With speculation over his choice of a running mate heating up, Sen. John Kerry kicked off a tour Friday of the Midwest, a region that's home to several battleground states in the fight for the White House.
Vice President Dick Durbin? Read on.
Sen. John Kerry may reveal his choice for running mate early next week, a Democratic source said Thursday.
When Dick Durbin's hometown priest slammed the Senator's pro-choice voting record, Durbin's office did not sit idle. It compiled a scorecard ranking 24 Catholic Senators by their votes on issues of concern to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
It made only the faintest blip on John Kerry's campaign radar screen -- or anyone else's -- when an Archbishop from St. Louis, Mo., told a local television station four months ago that the Massachusetts Senator with a staunchly pro-choice voting record should "not present himself for Communion" in that archdiocese.
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
Video
