David R. Sands

Dodd to change controversial mortgage terms

UPDATED: Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd said Monday that he would refinance two questionable low-rate mortgages he received from lending giant Countrywide Financial Corp. in 2003, seeking to put behind him a personal ethics controversy as he prepares to shepherd an overhaul of the nation's financial markets through Congress.

February 3, 2009

GOP may lose Gregg to Commerce

Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire acknowledged Friday he is being considered for secretary of commerce in President Obama's Cabinet, a move that could have momentous consequences for the balance of power in Congress.

January 31, 2009

Gregg considered to head Commerce

Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire Friday confirmed intense speculation on Capitol Hill that he is being considered for the post of commerce secretary in President Obama's Cabinet, a move that would have momentous consequences for the balance of power in Congress.

January 30, 2009

House OKs stimulus plan without GOP

The House approved a massive $819 billion stimulus bill Wednesday evening to boost the struggling economy, but not a single Republican voted for the measure despite a personal lobbying pitch from President Obama.

January 29, 2009

GOP: Its plan is better jobs machine

House Republicans on Wednesday argued that their alternative stimulus program, heavy on tax cuts, would create nearly 3 million more new jobs than the $816 billion economic recovery plan being pushed by the Obama administration and congressional Democrats -- using the same methodology favored by President Obama's top economic advisers.

January 28, 2009

House passes $819B stimulus plan

The House approved a massive $819 billion stimulus bill to boost the struggling economy, but not a single Republican voted for the measure despite a personal lobbying pitch from President Barack Obama.

January 28, 2009

Gillibrand sworn in to Clinton’s Senate seat

The Senate was down to one vacancy Tuesday as Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand was sworn in on the Senate floor to take the seat vacated by new Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

January 28, 2009

Senate grills SEC on Madoff’s dealings

Key lawmakers Tuesday demanded much tougher government oversight of Wall Street and the securities markets as regulators struggled to explain how they failed to detect the $50 billion Ponzi scheme reportedly operated by financier Bernard Madoff for more than a decade.

January 28, 2009

Gillibrand sworn in to succeed Clinton

UPDATED: The Senate was down to one vacancy Tuesday as Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand was sworn on the Senate floor to take the seat vacated by new Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

January 27, 2009

Geithner gets Treasury post amid opposition

UPDATED: The Senate confirmed Timothy F. Geithner on Monday to head the Treasury, giving President Obama a key member of his team at a time when the administration faces a long to-do list.

January 27, 2009

Political dynasties fade away

Call it Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton fatigue syndrome, or perhaps the new Obama meritocracy, but some of the most famous names in U.S. politics have come up empty-handed in recent days.

January 27, 2009

Biden swears in new Colo. senator

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. made his first trip back to his old stomping grounds Thursday, returning to the floor of the Senate to swear in new Sen. Michael Bennet, Colorado Democrat. The ceremony marked Mr. Biden's official debut as president of the Senate, where he served six terms as a senator from Delaware.

January 23, 2009

Senate panel approves Treasury pick

Timothy Geithner overcame concerns about irregularities in his income-tax returns and won Senate panel approval for his nomination to head the Treasury Department, as the agency he may soon head received a vote of no confidence from House lawmakers displeased with its handling of the Wall Street bailout.

January 23, 2009

House blasts bailout in symbolic vote

In a vote without impact but heavy on symbolism, the House on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to deny the Obama administration the remaining $350 billion under the Wall Street bailout package.

January 22, 2009

Panel votes 18-5 to approve Geithner

UPDATED: The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Timothy Geithner as secretary of the Treasury on an 18-5 vote, despite lingering doubts from Republicans on the panel over irregularities in the nominee's tax records.

January 22, 2009

Obama takes charge

Barack Hussein Obama became the nation's first black president on Tuesday, beckoning Americans to move beyond divisive politics and a "collective failure to make hard choices." Now Wednesday, the real work begins.

January 20, 2009

Kennedy suffers seizure at luncheon

DEVELOPING: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy fell ill with what one lawmaker described as a "lengthy seizure" and was removed from the luncheon honoring President Obama.

January 20, 2009

‘Begin again the remaking of America’

UPDATED: Promising a "new era of responsibility," Barack Hussein Obama Tuesday took the oath as the 44th president and first black commander-in-chief.

January 20, 2009

Six in Cabinet OK’d; Clinton waits

The Democrat-dominated Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved the first six members of President Obama's Cabinet just hours after he was sworn in, but the day was marred by a seizure that struck Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

January 20, 2009

Following Lincoln a tall order

In ways great and small, 44 is very big on 16.

January 18, 2009