Congress

The word came from the Spanish filibustero in the 1800s and had a root in the Dutch word vribuiter or "freebooter." The original reference was to a mercenary who traveled around fomenting rebellion.

The bill still must be reconciled with a House bill that doesn't mention women and the draft, and it faces a veto threat from President Obama over, among other things, the closure of Guantanamo Bay.

A proposal by New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte to increase criminal penalties for possessing fentanyl is drawing the ire of advocates, who want to treat drug use as a public health problem.

As the odds grow longer for Bernie Sanders, liberals unhappy with the party could find a cause in Tim Canova, a college professor taking on Democratic National Party Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Capt. Nathan Michael Smith, who is currently on active duty in Kuwait, says he is concerned that an "illegal" war "forces him to violate his oath to 'preserve, protect and defend' the Constitution."

Donna Edwards is vying to be just the second black woman ever elected to the Senate. But not all of the state's black female leaders or African-American members of Congress are lining up behind her.

A major theme in the latest congressional hearing on encryption was whether the FBI, rather than asking tech companies for cooperation, has focused enough resources to keep up with technology itself.

Under a cloud of secrecy, the island's top leaders are gathering for a party meeting that may usher in the beginning of the post-Castro world.