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What does the JOBS Act actually do? Six questions answered.

A bipartisan bill known as the JOBS Act, for 'Jumpstart Our Business Startups,' is among the GOP's priorities in Congress. It is targeted at small-business owners, but what would the bill actually do?
Who's who on Congress's debt 'super committee'

Congress has created a special super committee to find at least $1.2 trillion in US budget cuts. If the plan is voted down, automatic spending cuts are slated to occur. Here are the 12 lawmakers named to the super committee.
What can Congress do to create jobs? Five Republican proposals.

Amid worries that the economy may be tipping toward a second recession, both Republicans and Democrats say creating jobs is their top priority. But the two parties are far apart on their approaches. Here are the Republicans' top five priorities.
In Pictures: Who's who in the US debt crisis
Obama open to short-term deal on debt ceiling. Here are five ideas.

The White House announced Wednesday it would support a short-term deal to raise the debt ceiling. Suddenly, Washington is awash in prospects for a deal. Check out these five.

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What Congress has planned after Memorial Day

Congress will be racing to complete a number of priorities between Memorial Day and the August recess, all under the shadow of massive fiscal issues looming at year's end.
Senate Republicans plead for a budget as frustrations boil over

Senate Republicans proposed five budgets Wednesday, but the Democratic-controlled Senate defeated them all. Republicans say Democrats are punting on tough choices, Democrats say they already have a budget.
Decoder Wire
Democrats return fire after John Boehner's opening debt-ceiling salvo (+video)

Democrats charge that John Boehner's renewed call for spending cuts as a condition to raise the debt ceiling is 'dangerous,' recalling the standoff last summer that drove consumer confidence – and Congress's approval rating – sharply down.
Decoder Wire
How the sequester could save Democrats in December

Congress has an apocalyptic list of issues to deal with after the November elections, including the Bush tax cuts and the sequester. Any chance for compromise could rest on Democrats' willingness to be as ruthless as Republicans have been.
Student loans: GOP filibuster blocks Senate move to freeze low rates

Student loans will cost more come July 1 unless Congress acts. While both parties say they support extending low rates on federally subsidized loans, election-year politics have intervened.
US Senate race in Virginia shaping up as national battleground

In Virginia's US Senate race, Democrat Tim Kaine isn't Barack Obama, and Republican George Allen isn't Mitt Romney or the House GOP leadership. But you wouldn't know it from the special-interest ads pouring into this key battleground state.
GOP, Democrats make student loans an election-year issue

Both parties are advancing plans to address mounting student loan debt while disparaging the approach of their opponents.
On renewal of Violence Against Women Act, Senate Democrats have upper hand

After passing the Senate unanimously in years past, the Violence Against Women Act, with revisions, faces strong partisan opposition. Still, Republicans don't want to be tagged as waging a 'war on women.'
Decoder Wire
Student loans: Romney, congressional GOP race to embrace students (+video)

As President Obama puts a spotlight on student loans, Mitt Romney says that he, too, supports extending the 3.4 percent interest rate – and blames the president for poor job prospects for college graduates.
'War on women' rhetoric turns nuclear power spat radioactive

The head of the US nuclear power watchdog on Friday refuted allegations that he bullies women colleagues in a controversy that involves several political subplots.
White House defends Secret Service director

Press secretary Jay Carney said the President's security was never compromised.
Ryan budget, passed in House, becomes political weapon for both sides

Ryan budget is dead on arrival in the Senate, but is expected to play strong in 2012 races. Democrats say it wrecks Medicare, Republicans say they are willing to make tough decisions.
JOBS Act: Why are Democrats suddenly raising red flags?

No one wants to vote against jobs, but a wide swath of critics – ranging from the SEC, the AFL-CIO, and pension funds – worry that features in the proposed JOBS Act could hurt investors.
What does the JOBS Act actually do? Six questions answered.

A bipartisan bill known as the JOBS Act, for 'Jumpstart Our Business Startups,' is among the GOP's priorities in Congress. It is targeted at small-business owners, but what would the bill actually do?
War games: Republicans could write Obama blank check on Iran

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that Congress should consider giving the president preemptive authority to attack Iran. Democratic leaders were wary of the plan.
Blunt amendment brings culture wars to Congress

The Blunt amendment would attach a provision to a key highway bill that would let employers opt out of a new federal health-care mandate for their employees if they have religious objections.
Tax VOX
Payroll tax cut full of budget gimmicks

There are two gimmicks happening here. Both are functions of the 10-year budget window the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation use to score legislation.
The Vote
Is Rick Santorum helped or hurt when he talks morality?

Rick Santorum says President Obama has “a world view that elevates the Earth above man." Theology-tinged rhetoric may appeal to part of the Republican base, but it could hurt him in a general election.
No budget? No problem! The strange politics behind a budgetless America.

President Obama has proposed a federal budget. Congress looks sure to ignore it, and Senate Democrats show no desire to pass any budget. It would be the fourth straight budgetless year.
Can birth-control flap rekindle 'repeal ObamaCare' crusade?

Republicans see the surge in support for religious freedom as an opening to overturn President Obama’s signature health-care reform. Conservatives are not likely to let the issue go lightly.
Catholic furor over birth control rule turns Democrats on one another

The Catholic Church's anger over a proposed federal rule to force church-affiliated organizations to offer health plans covering birth control has provided Republicans with an opportunity – and Democrats with a problem.
Are new unemployment figures a boost for Obama?

Unemployment in the US has fallen to 8.3 percent, the lowest level since February 2009. It looks like good news for President Obama, but Republicans aren't buying it. And there are other political and economic trends that should give the White House pause.
Mitt Romney favored in Nevada caucuses: Three big reasons why

Mitt Romney has three big things going for him in Saturday’s presidential nominating caucuses in Nevada: Momentum from Florida, a splintered tea party, and many fellow Mormons backing him.
PIPA and SOPA: What you need to know

As PIPA and SOPA work their way through Congress, the controversial bills have raised many questions. The most common: Wait, what are PIPA and SOPA?
The Vote
SOPA and PIPA protest power: why Marco Rubio backed off piracy bill

Sen. Marco Rubio was one of the original co-sponsors of the Senate's anti-piracy bill, but he reversed course Wednesday amid a flurry of protests against PIPA and SOPA.