Sen. Leahy's flight diverted; forced to land in Philadelphia
Washington (CNN) - A plane carrying Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy from Washington home to Vermont at the start of Congress's five-week summer break diverted to Philadelphia evidently after experiencing a hydraulic problem.
The FAA said the plane, a regional jet flown by Republic Airlines, landed safely at 11:27 a.m. ET. The FAA is investigating the cause of the diversion.
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Leahy: Boston bombings exploited in immigration debate
Washington (CNN) - Partisan tempers flared at a Senate immigration hearing on Monday as top Democrats accused opponents of comprehensive reform legislation of using last week's Boston Marathon bombings to slow or even derail the bill.
"Last week, opponents of comprehensive immigration reform began to exploit the Boston marathon bombing," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont.
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Coburn: Bolstering background checks not a done deal
(CNN) - Ramping up background checks on gun sales, which is regarded as the gun control measure with the best possible chance of gaining congressional approval, is by no means a sure thing, a key player in gun legislation negotiations said Sunday.
Sen. Tom Coburn, who is among a bipartisan group of four senators working behind the scenes on a bill to expand background checks, said a sticking point had emerged on whether to keep records on gun owners.
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FIRST ON CNN: Sen. Mikulski to chair Appropriations Committee, becoming first woman to hold the post
Washington (CNN) - Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland, will step up to the helm of the Senate Appropriations committee, three Democratic sources told CNN, and one source said she would be the first woman to chair that powerful panel.
Her assignment to that committee comes after Sen. Patrick Leahy said earlier Wednesday he would not take the post. He chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and became the most senior Democrat in the Senate after the death this week of Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who previously chaired the Appropriations committee.
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Senators may shift committees after Inouye's death
(CNN) - High-ranking Democratic senators may shift committees following the death Monday of longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye, who chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.
The senior Democrat on the spending panel is considering taking over as chairman, a Democratic source said. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont currently chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, a position he would have to give up if he took over Appropriations. If he does, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, currently the chairwoman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee is poised to take over the Judiciary panel, another Democratic aide said. The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over gun control laws, an issue Feinstein has championed.
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Sen. Leahy, Democrat of Gotham City?
Washington (CNN) - With public approval ratings hovering around a disappointing 20%, Congress could use a super hero in its ranks.
But lawmakers may have to settle on a cameo appearance in a Hollywood action film by one of their own: Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
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Key Democrat calls for Weiner to quit
Washington (CNN) - Sen. Patrick Leahy added his voice Thursday to calls for embattled Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign from his seat in the House.
Leahy is the most senior Democrat to date to call for Weiner's resignation. The Vermont Senator ranks second in seniority in the Senate. He joins a growing list of Democrats who have called for their colleague to step down over his involvement in a "sexting" scandal.
FULL STORY Sen. Leahy sees a downside to more security
Washington (CNN) - A senior senator, who had full-time security after 2001 deadly anthrax attacks, cautioned Tuesday that lawmakers run the risk of becoming isolated from their constituents if they were assigned that level of security.
"I think it puts you in a cocoon and separates you from the people you serve. I think you have to be accessible," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, told CNN. Leahy was reacting to proposals to strengthen security for lawmakers in the wake of the alleged assassination attempt of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona.
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Leahy: 'Seething rhetoric' has gone too far
Washington (CNN) - Sen. Patrick Leahy issued a stern warning Tuesday on toning down the rhetoric that many say led to the shootings in Tucson, Arizona.
"The seething rhetoric has gone too far. The demonizing of opponents, of government, of public service has gone too far," the Vermont Democrat said at the Newseum in Washington. "Our politics have become incendiary and we all share the responsibility for lowering the temperature."
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In Vermont: CNN projects Democratic Sen. win
(CNN) - Democratic incumbent Sen. Patrick Leahy has won re-election to a seventh term, beating out Republican nominee Len Britton in the Vermont Senate race, CNN projects.
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