David R. Sands

AIG chief asked for return of bonuses

UPDATED: The head of embattled insurance giant American International Group told Congress Wednesday that he had personally asked AIG employees to voluntarily give back part of about $165 million in bonuses, payouts that were made even as the company was getting more than $170 billion in taxpayer bailout aid.

March 19, 2009

AIG CEO says employees starting to return bonuses

UPDATED: The embattled head of AIG told a congressional panel Wednesday that he had asked employees to return some $165 million in bonuses but said he had concluded he had no legal option to cancel them altogether.

March 18, 2009

Democrats to tap tax code to curb AIG

UPDATED: The Obama administration and Congress looked to the tax code to claw back bonuses given to traders at insurance giant American International Group Inc. while softening the losses for victims of Bernard Madoff.

March 18, 2009

GOP gunning for vulnerable Dodd

Five-term Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd unexpectedly has emerged as one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats heading into the 2010 election cycle, with a new poll, a new challenger and new ethics problems all surfacing in recent days to give Republicans hope for taking the seat.

March 18, 2009

Democrats mull end run for Obama

"Reconciliation" is proving a divisive word on Capitol Hill, where it could trigger one of the biggest partisan brawls of the year.

March 17, 2009

GOP rips talk of 2nd stimulus

Sensing a political opening, congressional Republicans on Thursday said talk of a possible second stimulus spending program for the battered U.S. economy was proof that President Obama's first $787 billion stimulus effort had failed to do the job.

March 13, 2009

Two confirmed to Justice Dept. posts

The Senate approved the nomination of two top Justice Department officials Thursday, overcoming reservations from some conservative Republicans about the choices.

March 12, 2009

Feds might offer bounties for market miscreants

The nation's top market cop is looking for a few good snitches.

March 12, 2009

Senate passes omnibus bill

The first major spending bill of the new Obama administration came stuffed with some old-fashioned pork as a $410 billion omnibus bill covering a slew of federal agencies won final approval Tuesday in the Senate.

March 11, 2009

$900M Dulles rail deal back on track

UPDATED: The decades-long effort to bring Metrorail service to Washington Dulles International Airport reached a major milestone Tuesday when officials finalized a deal for $900 million in federal funding.

March 10, 2009

Dulles rail project to get federal funds

Virginia officials and the U.S. Department of Transportation Tuesday will participate in a ceremony sealing the approval of $900 million in federal funding for a long-awaited rail line to Washington Dulles International Airport.

March 9, 2009

Lawmakers told pirate threat not eliminated

A security threat as old as the republic itself - pirates - is generating interest on Capitol Hill.

March 6, 2009

House approves mortgage revision

Struggling homebuyers would get new leverage to force banks to renegotiate their mortgages under a bill that passed the House on Thursday on a vote of 234-191.

March 6, 2009

Lawmakers hear of pirate menace

A House committee Thursday looked into a security threat as old as the republic itself — pirates.

March 5, 2009

Top Democrats cross Obama on earmarks

UPDATED: President Obama's drive to change Washington's free-spending ways is running into a buzz saw of opposition from his party, as another top congressional Democrat on Tuesday bucked the president's plan to curb pork projects.

March 4, 2009

Hoyer pushes back on earmarks

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Tuesday became the second leading congressional Democrat in a week to push back against President Obama's drive to curb member-directed earmarks on spending bills.

March 3, 2009

Hispanics wary of future in GOP

Five years after former President George W. Bush attracted nearly half of the Hispanic vote in the 2004 presidential election, Hispanic Republicans are worrying that support for the party among Latinos is in a free fall.

March 3, 2009

Charity tax limits upset many

Democrats and Republicans poured cold water on President Obama's budget plan to cut down on wealthy taxpayers' charitable giving tax deductions, the second of his ambitious cost-savings plans to earn lawmakers' scorn, and underscoring the legislative minefield he is entering.

February 27, 2009

Senate nixes Fairness Doctrine revival

The Senate overwhelmingly put itself on record Thursday against any revival of the defunct Fairness Doctrine, designed to require public broadcasters to air "balanced" coverage of controversial issues of public importance.

February 27, 2009

Senate nixes ‘Fairness Doctrine’ revival

The Senate overwhelmingly put itself on record Thursday against any revival of the defunct "Fairness Doctrine," designed to require public broadcasters to air "balanced" coverage of controversial issues.

February 26, 2009