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Labor nominee voted out of committee on party line vote
May 16th, 2013
10:01 AM ET
3 days ago

Labor nominee voted out of committee on party line vote

(CNN) - Thomas Perez, President Barack Obama's nominee to be Labor Secretary, was approved by the Senate labor committee on a straight party line vote.

Perez has come under heavy fire from Republicans for his actions when he headed the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice earlier in the Obama administration. Last week, Republicans blocked the committee vote by invoking a rarely used procedural tactic, which angered Senate Democrats.

Now that he is voted out of committee, the full Senate must consider his nomination, which may be scheduled next week. A GOP filibuster – which would require 60 votes to break - appears likely.


Filed under: Congress
May 14th, 2013
12:03 PM ET
5 days ago

IRS political targeting alleged in multiple cities

(CNN) - While the Internal Revenue Service has admitted that members of its Cincinnati office engaged in political targeting of some conservative groups, documents suggest at least three other offices did the same.

Letters provided to CNN show IRS officials in Washington and California contacted conservative groups to demand more information before approving the groups' requests for tax-exempt status.

FULL STORY

Filed under: Congress • IRS
May 12th, 2013
11:48 AM ET
7 days ago

Female veterans in Congress decry military’s handling of sexual assaults

(CNN) - The way the military has prosecuted sexual assaults within its ranks is deplorable, two congresswomen who have served in the armed forces said Sunday, calling for a new system for reporting those kinds of crimes.

Reps. Tammy Duckworth and Tulsi Gabbard, both Democrats, said last week’s report indicating a 30% rise in the number of service members anonymously reporting sexual assaults was an indication the military’s leadership has failed in its duty to protect members of the armed forces.
FULL POST


Filed under: Congress • Military
Senators in standoff over EPA nominee
President Barack Obama in March nominated assistant EPA administrator Gina McCarthy to lead the agency.
May 11th, 2013
10:55 AM ET
7 days ago

Senators in standoff over EPA nominee

Washington (CNN) - The top Democrat on the committee considering President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency indicated late Friday she may attempt to break an impasse over the nomination this week.

Republicans prevented a Thursday vote on the nomination of Gina McCarthy, the assistant administrator of the agency, by boycotting a meeting of the Environment and Public Works committee. GOP members said their questions for McCarthy and the EPA have gone unanswered, a contention the White House disputed.
FULL POST


Filed under: Congress • EPA
May 8th, 2013
07:14 PM ET
11 days ago

Doomed Libya ambassador: 'We're under attack'

Washington (CNN) - Late on the night of last September 11, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens spoke to his deputy for the final time from the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

"Greg, we're under attack," Stevens told Gregory Hicks.

FULL STORY

Filed under: Congress • Libya
Poll: Democrats slightly ahead in 2014
May 1st, 2013
06:00 AM ET
19 days ago

Poll: Democrats slightly ahead in 2014

(CNN) - The 2014 midterm elections may be 18 months away, but congressional campaigns are already gearing up for the fight.

And Republicans hoping to take back the Senate or maintain control of the House may struggle to get their wish, according to a new national poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University.
FULL POST


Filed under: 2014 • Congress • Polls
House approves measure to end air traffic control furloughs
April 26th, 2013
12:17 PM ET
23 days ago

House approves measure to end air traffic control furloughs

(CNN) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed a measure aimed at ending budget-related air traffic controller furloughs that were blamed for widespread flight delays this week.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said earlier Friday that President Barack Obama would sign the bill, which the Senate passed Thursday night.


Filed under: Budget • Congress • FAA
April 23rd, 2013
01:46 PM ET
26 days ago

Ricin suspect freed, marshals say

(CNN) - The Mississippi man accused of sending ricin-tainted letters to President Barack Obama and other officials has been released from federal custody, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshal's Service said Tuesday.

Paul Kevin Curtis, an Elvis impersonator from Corinth, Mississippi, was charged with sending a threat to the president last week after letters containing the poison triggered security scares around Washington. But a preliminary hearing that had been scheduled to continue on Tuesday was canceled and Curtis was released.

FULL STORY

Filed under: Congress • President Obama
April 20th, 2013
07:01 PM ET
28 days ago

Meanwhile in Washington ...

(CNN) - While the eyes of the nation were trained on Boston and West, Texas, this week, lawmakers in Washington turned their eyes to two major issues.

At the same time, they contended with a poisonous threat in the form of letters the FBI said tested positive for ricin sent to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator, and a Mississippi judge, as well as suspicious packages that turned up in the hallways of two Senate office buildings.
FULL POST


Filed under: Congress • Washington D.C.
April 18th, 2013
07:38 AM ET
31 days ago

Test results due in ricin scare; Mississippi man arrested

(CNN) - Test results were expected Thursday on letters possibly contaminated with the deadly poison ricin that were sent to President Barack Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker this week.

The FBI arrested Paul Kevin Curtis in connection with the case at his home on Corinth, Mississippi, on Wednesday, the department said in a statement.

FULL STORY

Filed under: Congress
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