Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham defended his vote to block confirmation of a director to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by comparing it to something out of the reign of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
Congress will agree to extend the payroll tax cut before it expires at the end of the year, two leading conservative Senate Republicans said Sunday.
CNN's Fareed Zakaria's reflections from Tehran.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Iran on Sunday to not view the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq as an opportunity to try to build its influence in the country.
If the political chatter out of Washington on Sunday is any indication, the prospects for Congress reaching a major deficit reduction deal this year appear grim.
If Congress can't come up with a deficit reduction deal this year, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he'll try to prevent further required cuts in the military budget.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham says President Obama's plan for a new tax rate for millionaires amounts to "class warfare."
Sen. John Kyl, one of the members of the special congressional committee set up to create a $1.5 trillion budget-reduction plan, said Thursday those cuts should come out of programs like Medicare and Social Security -- not defense.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham says he doesn't think either party can agree on a debt limit increase before an August deadline.
"Cut, cap and balance" is all the rage in some Republican quarters.
The Senate unanimously confirmed Gen. David Petraeus to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
U.S. senators didn't miss a chance Tuesday to voice frustration with Pakistan over how it takes billions of dollars of American aid while providing safe havens to terrorists to build bombs and launch cross-border attacks on U.S.troops in Afghanistan.
The decisions of Republican senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to support President Obama's sending of military aid to America's NATO allies in their air war against Libya's dictator Moammar Gadhafi are acts of political courage in a time of intense partisanship.
CNN's Dana Bash talks to Sen.John McCain about President Obama's strategy in Libya.
Another influential Republican senator on Sunday backed increasing tax revenue as part of a deficit reduction deal, going against a fundamental stance of fiscal conservatives.
Two influential Republican senators said Sunday they oppose any effort by House Republicans to cut funding for U.S. participation in the Libya military mission.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney defines the limits of the U.S. military involvement in Libya.
Angry members of Congress questioned top administration officials Wednesday on why they weren't asked to authorize President Barack Obama's decision to commit U.S. forces to the Libya military mission.
When Sen. Richard Durbin called a hearing on anti-Muslim bigotry, his office insisted it was not a response to a controversial House hearing that recently examined the threat of home-grown terrorism.
There was never much doubt that the U.S.-built military coalition would quickly seize control of the skies over Libya. The real questions surrounding this are why the action was taken and what its ultimate political and diplomatic goals are.
CNN's John King and panelists discuss comments on Libya that have a U.S. intelligence chief under fire.
A spokeswoman for James Clapper said the embattled director of national intelligence stands by remarks he made Thursday "about the current military situation in Libya" that prompted a leading Republican senator to call for his resignation. The Obama administration also said Clapper still has its "full faith and confidence."
Leading Republicans and Democrats on Sunday signaled a desire for compromise on a short-term spending resolution to keep the government running while more substantive talks on budget cuts take place.
Senators John Barrasso and Lindsey Graham introduce new legislation aimed at repealing "Obamacare."
Senate leaders from both political parties have agreed to hold a vote on legislation repealing President Obama's health care overhaul -- a top priority of GOP congressional leaders.
A pair of incoming Freshman house members debate the health care law and national debt.
Republicans on Sunday demonstrated a united front against health care reform passed by the Obama administration, an issue that is sure to fan the flames on the left and right when a divided Congress returns Wednesday.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina expresses irritation at the way the lame duck Congress is working.
A leading Senate Republican voice on defense issues said Saturday the United States should consider neutering Iran's navy and air force if Tehran does not halt its nuclear program.
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 Adviser David Axelrod talks to CNN's Candy Crowley about the prospect of tax cuts and next month's elections.
Every time I think the Republican Party cannot get any more tone-deaf on issues involving race and equal rights, someone in leadership proves me wrong.
Republicans such as Sens. Lindsey Graham, John Kyl and John Cornyn are tripping over themselves to jump on the latest "Dumb Way to Solve the Illegal Immigration Problem" bus by suggesting Congress examine repealing the 14th Amendment, which deals with one way of becoming a U.S. citizen.
Less than a year from the scheduled start of withdrawing some troops from Afghanistan, opinions remain varied about exactly what will happen when the transition begins at the end of June 2011.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to become the nation's fourth female Supreme Court justice, setting up a final confirmation vote by the Senate.
Republicans lined up on opposite sides Sunday over comments by the chairman of the Republican National Committee that the Afghanistan war launched by former President George W. Bush was "of (President Barack) Obama's choosing" and may be unwinnable.
RNC Chairman Michael Steele faces backlash from the left and right for saying that Afghanistan is "Obama's choosing."
The July 2011 deadline to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan is unrealistic and unhelpful, Afghan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.
It has long been the dream of many a liberal advocate: to have an unabashedly outspoken, cleverly articulate justice who can take on the conservative majority and inspire young progressives for decades to come -- a "Scalia for the Left," as many have called it.
A key Republican senator, instrumental in climate change negotiations in the Senate, has indicated that getting a bill passed this year with bipartisan support is a priority.
CNN's Barbara Starr looks at plans to vote to repeal a policy that restricts gays and lesbians in the military.
Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman announced Friday that they will unveil long-planned climate change legislation Wednesday, but they'll move forward without support from a key Republican they've worked with for months.
Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman are working to resurrect long-planned climate change legislation that got knocked off track last month after Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham stopped participating in talks about the legislation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham is the new John McCain. Scratch that. Actually, he's the old John McCain.
Sting and wife Trudie Styler talk with CNN's Don Lemon about Earth Day and climate change.
A climate-change bill that was scheduled to be unveiled at a news conference Monday is now up in the air after Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina walked out of talks.
Two key Republican lawmakers joined a growing GOP effort Sunday to halt the push for immigration reform, arguing the time is not right to take on the massive and complex issue.
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.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, are demonstrating real leadership on a tough issue. The issue: immigration. Their solution: a comprehensive reform bill combining enforcement with earned legal status for illegal immigrants, which they appear ready to introduce any day now.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are acting like spoiled brats after Democrats snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by passing health care reform.
Thousands of people are expected to pour into Washington for a Sunday rally demanding immigration reform, launching the first public battle over the issue since the announcement of a new bipartisan plan endorsed by President Obama.
In the next couple of weeks, lawmakers are expected to unveil an unprecedented climate change proposal that may open up more areas for offshore drilling and cut emissions through a cap on greenhouse gases and a tax on gasoline.
A controversial policy that gives U.S. forces in Afghanistan four days to question detainees is being changed to give soldiers more time to interrogate the captives, Gen. David Petraeus said Tuesday.
CNN's Abbie Boudreau reports on NATO's policy for holding detainees for 96 hours. One U.S. commander warns of the risks.
A controversial policy that limits the amount of time NATO troops can hold Afghan detainees is under review by U.S. Defense Department officials, a spokesman for the department told CNN.
Several senators announced legislation Tuesday that would cut off funding for the federal trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four accused accomplices, saying the five should be tried in a military court.
As thousands gathered Sunday in Washington for a march and rally focused on gay rights issues, lawmakers showed that some of the demonstrators' key goals face major obstacles ahead.
U.S. troops routinely face the threat of roadside bombs while fighting insurgencies in Afghanistan. They need the most protective clothing the market can bear, and they're getting it -- for now.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved the nomination of federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor to become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, setting up a final confirmation vote by the Senate.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor cruised through her confirmation hearings without a scratch.
Two key Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee announced their opposition to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on Friday, a further sign the party's conservative base is uniting against President Obama's first high court pick.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham says Judge Sonia Sotomayor has said things that "have bugged the hell out of me."
Questions surrounding Judge Sonia Sotomayor's past speeches generated more controversy in the final day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings Thursday, as Democrats again called her a mainstream jurist and Republicans portrayed her as a liberal activist likely to legislate from the bench.
Sonia Sotomayor faced tough questioning Tuesday on political issues and controversial statements from her past, with both Democrats and Republicans saying she responded well and appeared certain to win confirmation as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.
The dramatic and at times deadly post-election fallout in Iran dominated the Sunday conversation. And as we watched more demonstrations on the streets of Tehran, the debate among key policy-makers in the United States centered on whether the Iranian regime was potentially near a tipping point and whether President Obama has been too cautious his handling of this major challenge.
The Senate passed by unanimous consent Wednesday a bill that would prevent the release of controversial photos of alleged U.S. abuse of prisoners and detainees.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor continued making the rounds on Capitol Hill Wednesday, meeting several additional U.S. senators who will help decide whether she becomes the country's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.
Our executive producer said it all, "All those people who told me that news never happens on Sunday mornings are out of their minds." Yes, there was plenty of criticism and controversy on the Sunday talk shows -- and a fair amount of news was made -- but the most important story broke after the usual pundits and politicians had had their say.
An independent commission is needed to determine who authorized the use of abusive interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists, a leading advocate of such a panel said Sunday.
A Senate report says former Secretay of State Condoleezza Rice was deeply involved in allowing waterboarding.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Sen. Lindsey Graham arrived in Kabul on Saturday for meetings with U.S. military commanders and Afghan leaders, a U.S. military spokesman said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina spoke to the Republican National Convention on Thursday night. Here is the transcript of that speech.
A Utah disposal company seeking federal permission to import more than 20,000 tons of nuclear waste from Italy has raised its campaign contributions to lawmakers
Republicans reacted with surprise and recrimination Sunday to blistering criticism of the Iraq war from former coalition commander retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez.
Republicans respond to blistering criticism on the Iraq war from retired Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. CNN's Ed Henry reports
Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho made a surprise appearance Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol, his first since news broke of his guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge after getting caught in a sex sting in a Minneapolis, Minnesota, airport bathroom.
The party is digging in for an all-night session on the war. But passing a withdrawal timetable would bring its own problems
The White House announced Tuesday that an upcoming progress report will result in "the beginning of a new way" in Iraq, but President Bush said military commanders, not politicians, will show the way forward.
The Senate should wrap up work on a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration laws before July 4, but its odds of passage remain uncertain, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday.
The Senate on Tuesday defeated a measure that would have eliminated a guest worker program from the bipartisan immigration legislation announced last week.
The bipartisan immigration bill that could allow citizenship to an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States will run into bipartisan opposition in Congress.
The estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States could be put on the path to citizenship under a new immigration bill agreed upon Thursday by a bipartisan group of senators.
Senate Democrats failed to garner the 60 votes they needed to consider a nonbinding resolution opposing President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.
The Republican-controlled Congress that has largely given President Bush his way in post-9/11 America -- and largely kept silent even when his actions offended -- is now beginning to challenge the administration about the expanding role of the executive branch.
A Senate committee will move forward with a bill that would authorize military tribunals to try suspected terrorists without many of the provisions the Bush administration wants, its chairman said Wednesday.
On the eve of a showdown over what could be a historic overhaul of U.S. immigration law, congressmen drew lines in the sand Sunday, leaving it all but impossible to envision what kind of legislation might ultimately win passage.
The troubled Bush administration won a rare victory this week. The Senate voted to close federal courts to Salim Gherebi, an enemy combatant imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. He is suing the president and the secretary of defense for $100 million in compensatory damages and $1 billion in punitive damages for violation of his rights under the U.S. Constitution. His is one of 174 suits filed on behalf of terrorist detainees, none of them U.S. citizens, that have undermined the war against terrorism.
The Senate minority leader said Sunday that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney owe the country an explanation of "what's going on" in the administration and called for White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to be fired.
As the Unites States faces the monumental expense of rebuilding the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, two prominent Republican senators took aim at members of their own party, saying the federal government could find the money if it would drop some of its controversial spending.
Since the president prefers not to raise taxes to finance Hurricane Katrina recovery, three senators suggested Sunday that Congress cut spending, delay a Medicare prescription benefit and forgo a tax cut for the rich.
George W. Bush, who is not prone to confessing mistakes, has confided to close associates that he committed a whopper on Social Security.
When Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina proposed the broad outlines of a Social Security compromise last month, he was accused by conservatives of negotiating with himself. He changed that a week ago by beginning to negotiate with the Democrats to achieve the breakthrough of personal retirement accounts.
In the more than 41 years that I have been writing columns, nothing has generated more unfavorable comment from conservatives than my December 6 report on Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham's Social Security plan.
Lawmakers appeared to bridge their political differences when the scandal over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners erupted last week. But the partisan fault lines are re-emerging as Congress considers who is to blame for the abuse.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld revealed Friday that videos and "a lot more pictures" exist of the abuse of Iraqis held at Abu Ghraib prison.
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