Politics & Government

'Fast-Track' Trade Authority Wins Key Test Vote In Senate

3:28pm May 21, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Lawmakers voted 62-38 to limit debate on a bill that would grant the authority to President Obama, marking a big step toward a new trade pact with 11 Asia-Pacific nations.

In an image from Senate video, presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul speaks on the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday afternoon at the start of an almost 11-hour speech opposing renewal of the Patriot Act.

Sen. Rand Paul Stages 'Filibuster' To Protest Patriot Act

1:04pm May 21, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The Kentucky senator and presidential candidate opposes the collection of bulk telephone data and other surveillance measures that the government says are needed to combat terrorism.

Senate Panel Considers New Constraints On Fed's Emergency Lending

7:44am May 21, 2015

Renee Montagne talks to David Wessel about Congress, the Federal Reserve and banking regulations. Wessel is director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution.

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Karla Rodriguez and her family: Evelia Beltran (from left), Aileen Orozco, Cesar Orozco, Karla Rodriguez, Evelyn Orozco, Brandon Orozco and Brenda Orozco.

Immigrant Family's Hope On Hold After Promises From The President

8:40pm May 20, 2015

by Tamara Keith

Six months ago, President Obama announced executive actions that would protect millions of immigrants who are undocumented from deportation. But those actions are on hold pending a lawsuit.

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Netanyahu Cancels Palestinian-Only Bus Plan Just Before Scheduled Start

7:17pm May 20, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Lahav Harkov, Knesset reporter for the Jerusalem Post, about the politics around a plan to require Palestinian laborers from the West Bank to ride Palestinian-only buses.

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People line up outside the Kynect store at the Fayette Mall, in Lexington, Ky., in February to apply for health insurance through the state exchange.

Popular Health Exchange In Jeopardy After Surprise Republican Win

3:22pm May 20, 2015

by Domenico Montanaro

Kentucky has one of the best-run health exchanges in the country, Kynect. It's led to the second-biggest drop in uninsured nationwide. But if a GOP primary result holds up, its days could be numbered.

Presidential adviser Sidney Blumenthal, then an adviser to President Clinton, leaves Capitol Hill in 1999 after being deposed in the president's impeachment trial.

Who Is Clinton Confidant Sidney Blumenthal?

1:57pm May 20, 2015

by Ron Elving

Emails from informal adviser Blumenthal to Hillary Clinton on U.S. policy in Libya have been subpoenaed by a House committee. He's no stranger to controversy, but Clinton says he's just an old friend.

Beau Biden, Vice President Joe Biden's Son, Hospitalized

7:50pm May 19, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The former Delaware attorney general is being treated at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. In 2013, he underwent surgery after being diagnosed with a brain lesion.

State Department To Release Hillary Clinton Emails By January 2016

7:06pm May 19, 2015

by Tamara Keith

Campaigning in Iowa Tuesday, former Secretary of State Clinton said the timing of the release is beyond her control. It was the first time she answered questions from the press in several weeks.

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Demolition crews remove the last remains of a house that was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, which battered parts of the East Coast, in 2013.

As States Ready Disaster Plans, Feds Urge Them To Consider Climate Change

7:06pm May 19, 2015

by Debbie Elliott

Several U.S. senators are accusing the Federal Emergency Management Agency of injecting "unnecessary, ideological-based red tape" into the disaster-preparedness process.

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