WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is spending an increasing amount of time campaigning and raising money for Democratic congressional candidates in the run-up to the November midterm elections.  The president wants to do all he can to limit Democratic losses this year, well aware that an erosion of the Democratic majorities in the House and […]

WASHINGTON - In a little more than three months, U.S. voters will go to the polls in congressional midterm elections that could have a major impact on President Barack Obama’s political agenda. 
Opposition Republicans are energized by this year’s elections and by predictions by political experts that they could gain enough seats to regain control of […]

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats say they are giving up plans to take up sweeping legislation on climate change and U.S. energy policy before their month-long recess in August. Instead, they will try to pass a more limited energy bill that will focus on responding to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 
Senate Majority […]

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s chief spokesman says the president’s Democratic Party could lose its majority in the House of Representatives in upcoming November elections.
In an interview with U.S. television network NBC Sunday, Robert Gibbs said there is “no doubt” that enough House races are competitive for Republicans to gain control.
All 435 seats in the […]

WASHINGTON - Women have won major primary elections in the United States, which gave no clear indication of the direction the Republican and Democratic parties are headed.
Arkansas Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln was one of the winners Tuesday night, narrowly winning the Democratic nomination to a third term.  She defeated Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter and asked […]

WASHINGTON - A new Gallup Poll public opinion survey indicates that American voters now prefer Republican candidates over Democratic candidates on a generic ballot by 49 to 43 percent for congressional elections in November.  The trends reflected in the poll could mean a rough time at the polls in November for U.S. President Barack Obama […]

WASHINGTON - In U.S. politics, opposition Republicans remain confident as they look ahead to November’s midterm congressional elections, expecting that they will gain seats at the expense of Democrats.  But most political experts remain unsure about whether Republicans will gain enough seats to retake control of the House of Representatives, the Senate, or both.
Public opinion […]

WASHINGTON - A measure designed to overhaul the U.S. financial regulatory system has hit a road block in the Senate, failing in a procedural test vote on Monday.
All 41 Senate Republicans voted against formally starting debate on the legislation, which would create the most sweeping new controls on U.S. financial institutions since the Great Depression […]

WASHINGTON - Political experts say 2010 could be a difficult year for President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party allies in Congress.  Most analysts predict that Republicans will make gains in this year’s midterm congressional elections.  And they say the president’s popularity and his health care reform plan will be major issues in the campaign.
At […]

WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, an adviser to three presidents, has died at the age of 85.  General Haig was known for his successful military career, his diplomatic skills, and one controversial comment.
Alexander Haig served a series of Republican presidents as a trusted advisor and an accomplished diplomat, as he rose […]

WASHINGTON - A former U.S. lawmaker who played a key role in the ouster of Soviet forces from Afghanistan has died.
Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson helped funnel millions of dollars to fund Afghan fighters during the 1980s. 
He was known around Washington as “Good Time Charlie” for his love of drinks and women, and his life story […]

WASHINGTON - Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is emerging as a political force within the Republican Party and among grassroots conservative activists around the country.  Palin recently said she would consider a presidential bid in 2012.
Sarah Palin emerged from national obscurity in 2008 to become Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s vice […]

WASHINGTON - Republican Scott Brown was sworn in Thursday as a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, officially bringing to a close the late Ted Kennedy’s long tenure in the Senate and as a national political figure.  Kennedy died last August, and Brown was elected last month to replace him. 
Republican Scott Brown took his place in the […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a $3.8 trillion budget request to Congress for the fiscal year that begins on October first.  It is the first step in what is expected to be a long, contentious budget process.
President Obama is walking a fine line in his 2011 budget.  He is seeking $100 billion […]

WASHINGTON - Minority Republicans in Congress say they’re prepared to negotiate with President Obama on major issues, such as health care reform and energy legislation.  The president will meet with House of Representatives Republicans at their issues conference in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, while the Democratic Speaker of the House reiterated her determination to approve […]

WASHINGTON - In the Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said the federal government is trying to do too much and is racking up America’s debt in the process.
The newly inaugurated governor said the federal government should not pile on more taxation and litigation that hurts the […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama says he remains determined to tackle the nation’s toughest problems, even if his actions are politically unpopular.  In an interview with ABC television, the president acknowledged he has paid a political price in his first year in office.
 
President Obama sat down with ABC two days before his scheduled State […]

WASHINGTON - The Republican leader in the U.S. House of Representatives says this week’s victory by a Republican in a Massachusetts Senate race should serve as a warning to President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress.
In the weekly Republican address Saturday, House Minority Leader John Boehner says a political rebellion has been brewing in the […]

WASHINGTON - Republican candidate Scott Brown has won an upset victory in the race to fill the Massachusetts seat held for almost five decades by the late Democratic Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy.  Brown defeated Democratic candidate Martha Coakley by a margin of 52 to 47 percent, in what many analysts view as a serious setback […]

WASHINGTON - Two veteran Democratic senators have announced that they will retire instead of running for re-election, in what may be a sign that Democrats could face a tough time at the polls in mid-term elections in November.  It is a shaky political start to 2010 for Democrats, who currently control both houses of Congress.
First […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama’s domestic political challenges appear to grow more complicated each day.  In addition to facing virtually unanimous Republican opposition on issues like health-care reform, the president must now contend with a growing chorus of discontent on his political left, from liberals within his own Democratic Party. 
The prospects for health-care reform […]

CAPITOL HILL - Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress engaged in procedural battles and traded allegations on Wednesday as lawmakers attempted to conclude work on legislative priorities near the end of the congressional session. 
Senate Republicans used procedural tactics to delay Democrat’s efforts to move toward a vote on health care reform, while House lawmakers […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that would create new regulatory powers to oversee the financial system.  Despite some changes, the House measure would provide more security for investors in the wake of the 2008 financial system and capital markets meltdown and, if approved by Congress and signed by President Barack […]

WASHINGTON - A small group of senators have agreed on a framework for climate change legislation and sent it to President Obama ahead of his trip to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen.  The senators say they want to send a message to the world leaders meeting there that the U.S. Senate is […]