President Obama's practice of killing purported terrorists with airborne drone strikes overseas has ventured into uncharted legal territory. The maneuver is likely to trigger pointed questions when White House counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan faces a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday as CIA director nominee.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has been on the losing side of every vote the Senate has taken in his young career — the only senator who can claim that distinction, boosting his anti-establishment credentials and earning him rave reviews from grass-roots conservatives.
Congress is poised to clear the final $50 billion chunk of emergency aid for Superstorm Sandy relief Monday — and in one vote, it will have used up all the new tax money President Obama won by raising rates on the wealthy in the "fiscal cliff" deal.
President Obama's objective in the "fiscal cliff" battle was make Republicans break their pledge not to raise taxes. The GOP entered the game with the goal of winning real spending cuts and no higher tax rates.
GOP Sen. Jim DeMint's announcement Thursday that he will resign to run the conservative Heritage Foundation leaves the tea party without its leading voice in the Senate, but the movement has several advocates in the chamber ready to fill the void.
Washington was stunned Thursday to learn stalwart Sen. Jim DeMint will leave Congress in January to run the Heritage Foundation.
Conservatives' deep-seated suspicion of the United Nations was on high display in the Senate Tuesday, when Republicans blocked ratification of a U.N. treaty aimed at ending discrimination against the disabled despite assurances it wouldn't affect U.S. sovereignty.
A United Nations treaty advocating equal rights for disabled people faces significant Republican opposition in the Senate this week as lawmakers fear it could cede U.S. sovereignty and is not something that should be addressed during the lame-duck session.
Senate plans to consider a U.N. treaty espousing equal rights for the disabled is drawing opposition from some Republicans wary of the treaty and asserting that the lawmakers should not be taking up international treaties during a lame-duck session.
