Topic: Dianne Feinstein
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How can Congress cut $2.4 trillion? Here are three places to start.
Finding $2.4 trillion in spending cuts is not easy, but Congress's search is beginning to show some signs of promise. In particular, three programs long protected by big, bipartisan majorities in the past now appear vulnerable.
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Meg Whitman and the perils of employing illegal help: six memorable cases
Meg Whitman, California GOP gubernatorial candidate, is alleged to have employed a housekeeper from 2000 to 2009 even though she knew the woman was in the US illegally. It's a political bombshell for Ms. Whitman. The politics of household employment and immigration have proved tricky before. Here are six prominent cases, plus the allegations against Whitman.
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Gallery: Notable women in US politics
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Senate committee cuts Pakistan aid over doctor's conviction
After a Pakistani court sentenced the doctor who helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden to 33 years for treason, a US Senate panel voted Thursday to cut aid to Pakistan by $33 million.
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Could airport scanners detect latest Al Qaeda non-metal bomb? (+video)
A covert CIA operation in Yemen intercepted an 'undetectable' bomb intended to blow up an airplane. Authorities suspect it was the work of master bomb maker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. Al-Asiri, who built the first underwear bomb.
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CIA: We stopped "undetectable" bomb
Officials said the plot, timed to occur about a year after the death of Osama bin Laden, involved a more advanced version of the underwear bomb that failed to detonate on a plane over Detroit in December 2009.
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Trayvon Martin shooting: a turning point in gun rights debate?
For years, gun laws had grown less restrictive. But some gun rights advocacy has been curtailed after the Trayvon Martin shooting, which has provided ammunition for gun control groups.
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Violence Against Women Act: A political opening for Democrats?
Senate Democrats aim to extend the Violence Against Women Act, adding services for illegal immigrants and same-sex couples, a move Republicans say is out to score political points.
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Why did Democrats choose Antonio Villaraigosa to lead national convention?
Antonio Villaraigosa has built an impressive résumé in the California Assembly and as mayor of Los Angeles. As chair of the Democratic National Convention, he could help woo Latinos.
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Supreme Court on TV? Senate panel advances bill requiring cameras in high court.
The Senate committee's vote comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear five and a half hours of argument in March in a challenge to President Obama’s health-care reform law.
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Reports on Afghanistan war too rosy? Army officer, others say yes.
An Army officer sets the Pentagon, Capitol Hill buzzing with a published complaint that US military leaders are not being honest about slow progress in the Afghanistan war. He's not the only doubter.
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Guantánamo for US citizens? Senate bill raises questions
The National Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate this week could allow the US military to detain American citizens indefinitely. Civil libertarians are alarmed, and President Obama says he might veto it.
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Latin America Monitor
Burma sanctions should be model for Cuba embargo
The byzantine Cuba embargo in many ways ties the US's hands, says guest blogger Anya Landau French, so maybe it’s time to apply the Burma sanctions model – defend it or lose it – to Cuba.
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Saudi Arabia refrains from fingering Iran in alleged assassination plot
The US continues to ratchet up pressure on Iran over an alleged assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador to the US. But Saudi Arabia Wednesday said it was working to determine who was responsible.
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'King' Harry? GOP fury as Reid rewrites how the Senate works.
Senate majority leader Harry Reid left Republicans dumbfounded Thursday when he made a move some call the 'nuclear option.' It could mean Senate gridlock has passed a breaking point.
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When is a terrorist not a terrorist? America's Haqqani conundrum.
Congress is pushing the State Department to list the Haqqani network in Pakistan as a terrorist organization. Military officials have said Haqqani fighters are America's most formidable foe in Afghanistan, but the Haqqanis could also be key to any reconciliation efforts.
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Obama, in stand for gay rights, calls for repeal of DOMA
In nod to gay rights, Obama backs repeal of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), which defines marriage as between one man and one woman and withholds federal benefits from gay married couples.
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Debt ceiling: Why Sunday could be make-or-break day for 'grand bargain'
President Obama is pushing for a comprehensive deal to raise the debt ceiling and trim long-term deficits. But any big deal will require arm-twisting in Congress, and time is running out.
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How much damage did ATF's ill-fated gun-running sting do to war on drugs?
Fast and Furious, the Mexico gun-running sting gone bad, may cost the ATF's acting chief his job. A larger concern is that it may undermine efforts to stop the flow of US guns south.
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How can Congress cut $2.4 trillion? Here are three places to start.
Finding $2.4 trillion in spending cuts is not easy, but Congress's search is beginning to show some signs of promise. In particular, three programs long protected by big, bipartisan majorities in the past now appear vulnerable.
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US guns fuel Mexico drug war? The politics behind the issue.
A new report shows that 70 percent of confiscated weapons submitted for tracing come from the US, but critics say the figure is politically motivated.
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Ethanol vote: First step toward extinction for federal tax subsidies?
Sen. Tom Coburn's bid to end tax subsidies for ethanol failed. But the measure got 34 GOP votes, suggesting that many Republicans are open to eliminating tax breaks to trim the deficit.
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Was Obama's speech too tough on Israel? Republican criticism mounts.
Congressional appropriators voiced doubts about some aspects of Obama's speech. But the most pointed criticism was from the GOP. 'Obama has thrown Israel under the bus,' Mitt Romney said.
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Terrorism & Security
Obama doubles down on refusal to release bin Laden photos
The White House seems to have decided that satisfying skeptics is not worth the risk of releasing 'gruesome' photos of Osama bin Laden, which could enrage radicals.
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After Osama bin Laden's death, Congress rethinks aid to Pakistan
The killing of Osama bin Laden could have a profound effect on three big issues in American policy: aid to Pakistan, the usefulness of harsh interrogation techniques, and the Afghanistan war.
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Obama's new national security team faces major challenges
President Obama's new national security team, headed by Leon Panetta and General David Petraeus, has a wealth of experience. But it faces major challenges, especially in Afghanistan.
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How Leon Panetta could change Washington as next Defense secretary
Leon Panetta, currently CIA director, is a close ally of Vice President Biden. But political realities could prevent him from adopting Mr. Biden's stance on US troops in Afghanistan.
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Fukushima warning: US has 'utterly failed' to address risk of spent fuel
Nuclear experts told Congress Wednesday that spent-fuel pools at US nuclear power plants are fuller than safety suggests they should be. They say the entire US spent-fuel policy should be overhauled in light of the nuclear crisis at Japan's Fukushima plant.
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