Obama appeals court nominee asks to be withdrawn
(CNN) - 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nominated by President Barack Obama for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asked Thursday for his name to be withdrawn after Senate Republicans had invoked a rarely used filibuster to block a final floor vote.
"With no possibility of an up-or-down vote on the horizon, my family and I have decided that it is time for us to regain the ability to make plans for the future," Liu said in a letter to Obama. The letter was provided to CNN by a source at the University of California Law School, where Liu teaches.
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Sharron Angle blasts 'ballot royale,' drops out of congressional race
(CNN) – Sharron Angle was the self-proclaimed “first candidate” to jump into the race for Nevada’s 2nd district House seat, and now she’s the first one to drop out.
Following then-Congressman Dean Heller’s appointment to the Senate to fill Sen. John Ensign’s vacated seat, Angle indicated that she would run for the House seat in a special election in early March.
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House Republicans admit they need to do better job selling Medicare plan after election loss
Washington (CNN) - Despite Democratic claims their upset victory in a special election in western New York was proof of a voter backlash against the GOP plan to overhaul Medicare, House Republicans are sticking by their proposal but admitting they need to do a better job explaining it to voters.
The main target of the Democratic attacks, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, who authored the GOP Medicare plan, conceded his proposal does give Democrats a political tool to hold up next fall.
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Tempers flare on Senate floor
Washington (CNN)-In a rare public display of political and personal acrimony, freshman Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky squared off Wednesday with the powerful Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Tempers flared on the Senate floor over how many amendments Paul could offer to a measure extending the main anti-terrorism surveillance law enacted after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.
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'Gang of Six' senators make rare public appearance
WASHINGTON (CNN) - In what could be the Washington equivalent of a Komodo dragon spotting, senators known as the Gang of Six made a rare public appearance on Wednesday – at least some of them.
At the Peter G. Peterson Foundation's Fiscal Summit held in Washington, four of the six original members of the bipartisan group working toward a deficit reduction plan sat down to a panel discussion. Though the senators withheld the details of their deficit reduction plan, they did give some insight into how the group works.
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Gingrich repeats slam of 'Obamacare,' takes aim at health care law passed under Romney
Derry, New Hampshire (CNN) - On Wednesday during a town hall discussion on health care, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich repeated his frequent criticism of the nation's health care law that critics brand, "Obamacare," calling it unconstitutional and unfair.
And yet Gingrich also took aim at the Massachusetts health care law passed under the governorship of potential presidential rival Mitt Romney, who is expected to officially declare a presidential bid after his current exploratory phase.
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Pawlenty both praises and differentiates himself from Ryan
Washington (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty on Wednesday praised House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan but said he would soon propose a different way of reining in entitlement spending.
Ryan's budget bill includes making Medicare into a voucher-like system in which recipients would receive payments from the government to help cover expenses but eliminate the current way in which the government pays a part of the all of the medical costs of recipients.
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Senate rejects budget measure containing Medicare overhaul
WASHINGTON (CNN) - In what amounted to political theater rather than legislative action, the Senate rejected Wednesday a House budget plan that included a controversial provision to overhaul Medicare.
The measure was expected to fail due to overwhelming opposition by majority Democrats, as well as wavering support for the Medicare overhaul among Republicans who recognize the provision's unpopularity with senior citizens enrolled in the government-run health insurance program.
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Justice Department moving toward charges in Edwards case
Washington (CNN) – Following news that the Justice Department is moving towards a possible indictment of former presidential candidate and Sen.John Edwards, his defense attorney Wednesday asserted his client’s innocence and said a prosecution is unwarranted.
“John Edwards has done wrong in his life – and he knows it better than anyone – but he did not break the law,” attorney Greg Craig said in a statement late Wednesday.
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Gingrich: Reporters more obsessed with six-figure Tiffany bill than 'normal Americans'
Derry, New Hampshire (CNN) – Remember John Edwards' $400 haircut and John McCain's $520 Salvatore Ferragamo shoes from the 2008 presidential race?
Those petty extravagances may have been minor news items revealed during presidential campaigns, but they offered a glimpse into the psyche of both the electorate and the candidate.
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