In a possible breakthrough on energy, a bipartisan group of senators Friday unveiled a compromise that would preserve the oil drilling ban off the West Coast while easing restrictions on exploration off the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. ...more

August 2, 2008

Despite assurances to the contrary from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democratic insiders are certain Sen. Joseph Lieberman next year will be kicked out of the party's caucus and lose his Senate chairmanship if he addresses the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., as planned. ...more

July 14, 2008

A little-noticed provision co-authored by Sen. Mel Martinez and contained in a massive Senate housing bill would create a national licensing registry for mortgage loan workers, requiring them to undergo fingerprinting and background checks. ...more

July 12, 2008

With gasoline topping $4 a gallon, President Bush urged Congress on Wednesday to lift its long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, saying the United States needs to increase its energy production. Democrats quickly rejected the idea. ...more

June 19, 2008

Before multimillionaire Democratic power broker James A. Johnson quit as Sen. Barack Obama's chief vice presidential screener, the name that came to the fore in his internal discussions was 65-year-old, six-term Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware. ...more

June 16, 2008

Avoiding casualties in Iraq is more important than bringing troops home, Republican John McCain said Wednesday, feeding an outcry from Democrats who quickly declared him to be out of touch with the public and the needs of the military. ...more

June 12, 2008

Top Democratic leaders intend to push for a quick end to the battle for the presidential nomination when primaries are over next week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday, adding that he, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and party chairman Howard Dean will urge uncommitted delegates to choose sides. ...more

May 30, 2008

Edward Kennedy, a liberal Democratic icon of the Senate and the surviving patriarch of American political royalty, suffered a seizure Saturday at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass., and was rushed by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, hospital officials said. ...more

May 18, 2008

In an effort to pressure lawmakers to toughen legislation on consumer product safety, consumer groups this week began publicizing the recent settlement of a major lawsuit against Sears for installing millions of kitchen ranges that were vulnerable to tipping over. ...more

February 21, 2008

The president of the Mormon church was remembered Saturday as a "giant among men" who cared deeply for others and devoted his life to the work of his faith. ...more

February 3, 2008