Politics

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., appears at the Reuters Washington Summit last year.

From Leadership Posts, Women Said To Be Changing Senate Tone

7:17pm March 28, 2013

by Ailsa Chang

The 20 women in the U.S. Senate this year is the largest number in history. Female senators also now claim an unprecedented number of leadership positions. And several female senators interviewed say that is causing a change on Capitol Hill in the tone and process of legislating.

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Politics & Government

The Politics Of Guns And The Influence Of Advertising

11:50am March 28, 2013

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a $12 million ad campaign in 13 states this week to persuade senators to support gun control legislation. The ads promote universal background checks as a prerequisite for gun ownership.

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Justices Cast Doubt On Federal Defense Of Marriage Act

8:51am March 28, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

In oral arguments, several Supreme Court justices expressed strong skepticism about DOMA, the law that bars same-sex couples legally married under state law from receiving the same federal benefits as married heterosexual couples.

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A member of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization (right) is confronted by a pro-gay-marriage activist outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Politics & Government

Outside the Supreme Court, The Arguments Continue

5:58pm March 27, 2013

As oral arguments were held Tuesday in the first of two same-sex-marriage cases inside the Supreme Court, the steps and sidewalks outside were transformed into a public forum of sorts on the issue.

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Proposition 8 Case Has High Political Stakes For Both Parties

5:58pm March 27, 2013

Mara Liasson joins talks to Audie Cornish about the politics of Tuesday's court argument on gay marriage. Public opinion has shifted rapidly in favor on the issue, and the Supreme Court decision this summer on whether states can ban same-sex marriage and whether federal benefits should flow to same sex partners promise to roil the water again.

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At Arguments, Supreme Court Takes Halting Steps Into Gay Marriage Issue

5:58pm March 27, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

At oral arguments on the constitutionality of California's law banning same-sex marriage, the justices parried over the history of the institution of marriage. They also debated an essential question: Should the case be in the Supreme Court at all?

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Snow covers flowers in front of the Supreme Court building on Monday in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, the justices hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage.

In First Of 2 Gay-Marriage Cases, Court Turns To Proposition 8

9:57am March 26, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

The justices on Tuesday hear a case that stems from a constitutional challenge to the California ban on same-sex marriage that was enacted by voter initiative in 2008. And on Wednesday, the court hears a challenge to the federal law that bars the U.S. government from recognizing gay marriages.

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A statue of golf legend Arnold Palmer stands outside Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa.

'Unprecedented': Budget Cuts Could Hit Some Airport Towers

1:45pm March 25, 2013

by Brian Naylor

Nearly 200 smaller airports, including Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa., are set to have their control towers closed this year as the FAA makes sequestration cuts. Although commercial flights will continue, some say safety is a concern.

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Gay Lobbying On The Hill Has Short Yet Strong History

1:37pm March 25, 2013

by Peter Overby

One argument used by conservatives in the Supreme Court cases is that gay Americans have become so politically powerful that they don't need special attention from the courts. Whether or not that's true, it's clear that advocacy groups for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have built a strong network of lobbyists and political activists in Washington.

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Supreme Court Hears 'Pay To Delay' Pharmaceutical Case

9:39am March 25, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in a case worth billions of dollars to pharmaceutical companies and American consumers. The issue is whether brand-name drug manufacturers may pay generic drug manufacturers to keep their cheaper products off the market.

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