For all the blaring headlines that Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has attracted for his remarks on the Civil Rights Act and his views on government interference in private enterprise, there is a strand of his libertarianism that -- on occasion -- can be alluring to progressives ... Mainly this is when the discussion turns to foreign policy matters and the Kentucky GOP candidate's skepticism with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and his opposition to the Patriot Act ... Occasionally, however, Paul's domestic
The Senate will not approve a bill to reauthorize several expired domestic aid programs, including extended jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed, until sometime next week ... "We fully expect to have the 60 votes to be able to pass this bill by early next week," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at a press conference Tuesday ... In the meantime, at least 323,400 people who've been out of work for longer than six months will prematurely lose access to the extended unemployment benefits
Today marks an important milestone in our work to create a healthier and safer America. The newly released 2010 National Drug Control Strategy serves as a blueprint for action to address drug use and its consequences. Emphasizing collaboration and innovative strategies, it outlines five-year goals for reducing drug use and its consequences through a balanced policy of prevention, treatment, enforcement, and international cooperation ... The new Strategy, the inaugural drug control plan for
Congressional Republican leadership opened up a new line of attack on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan Wednesday. But once again, the ghost of Harriet Miers, President Bush's SCOTUS nominee, haunted their efforts ... On the day that he sat down with Obama's pick for the Court, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) went to the Senate floor to express concerns about the Solicitor General's independence from the president(s) she served ... "She's never had to develop the judicial habit of
WASHINGTON, DC – First Lady Michelle Obama today announced that President Obama has directed the National Security Staff to lead a new 90-day review to develop a coordinated Federal government-wide approach to supporting and engaging military families. Building on work and expertise by the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, the review will involve nearly twenty federal agencies as well as the White House Domestic Policy and National Economic Councils and the
Shortly before 11 a.m. on a Sunday in mid-December, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was driving through Washington D.C. when he received a nervous phone call from one of his trusted deputies, Sen. Chuck Schumer ... Schumer wanted to know if Reid had seen Sen. Joseph Lieberman's comments on "Face the Nation" that morning. "Lieberman seemed to draw a line in the sand," the New York Democrat relayed. "You should check in with him. He seemed to rule out supporting the bill if it has the Medicare
See below for an answer to a question(marked with an asterisk) posed in the briefing that required follow up ... *On May 4, the Vice President chaired his monthly Cabinet-level meeting on Iraq. Ambassador Hill and General Odierno briefed Principals on political and security developments via secure video teleconference and the Departments of Justice, State, and Homeland Security discussed Rule of Law programs in Iraq. Participants included Defense Secretary Gates, Homeland Security Secretary
A move to break up major Wall Street banks failed Thursday night by a vote of 61 to 33 ... Three Republicans, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John Ensign of Nevada, voted with 30 Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, in support of the provision. The author of the pending overall financial reform bill in the Senate, Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, voted against it. (See the full roll call.) ... The amendment, sponsored by Sens.
I am pleased to transmit to the Congress, pursuant to sections 123 b. and 123 d. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2153(b), (d)) (the "Act"), the text of a proposed Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Australia Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. I am also pleased to transmit my written approval, authorization, and determination concerning the Agreement, and an unclassified Nuclear Proliferation Assessment
11:26 A.M. EDT ... THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. Before I make a statement on the economy, I just want to offer an update on the ongoing federal response to the worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ... I have dispatched the Secretaries of Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the Administrator of the EPA, my Assistant for Energy and Climate Change Policy, and the NOAA Administrator to the Gulf Coast to ensure that we continue to do everything necessary to respond to this