Topic: Jon Tester

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Focus Was Shane Todd murdered over high-tech secrets?

Shane Todd, a US citizen working in Singapore, believed he had access to restricted tech. His death in 2012 was by suicide, say local authorities. But his family, suspecting murder, wants the FBI to take part in the investigation.
Veteran dealmaker Max Baucus announces Senate retirement

A centrist Democrat in a conservative state, Max Baucus has taken many tough votes over his six terms in the Senate, but battles over guns and health care loomed large in his reelection bid.
McConnell campaign on Ashley Judd: Was secret recording legal?

Kentucky state law suggests the secret recording of a McConnell campaign strategy session – posted Tuesday on the Mother Jones website – could be illegal. The FBI is also getting involved.
Robert Reich Will the Tea Party compromise?

Tea Partiers may be more amenable to an agreement on tax revenues now that the electorate has signaled it doesn’t especially like what the Tea Party has been up to, Reich writes.
Rand Paul as kingmaker in US Senate race in Montana?

Sen. Rand Paul (R) – heir to his father's libertarian political dynasty – on Sunday endorsed Republican Denny Rehberg, who is running in a tight three-man race. A GOP concern is that the Constitution Party candidate could siphon votes from Rehberg.
Focus Election 2012: In Senate, a mighty struggle to maintain status quo

The battle for the Senate now looks like a standoff with neither Republicans nor Democrats likely to win the 60 seats needed for political control. Will partisan gridlock change after Election 2012?
Congress exits Washington to hit campaign trail

The most partisan, least productive Congress in memory has skipped out of Washington for the campaign trail. Left behind for a postelection session is a pile of unfinished business.
Did Todd Akin just cost GOP a US Senate takeover? (+video)

With the uproar over his comment on 'legitimate rape,' Missouri Rep. Todd Akin has likely hurt his chances at beating Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) in November. Control of the Senate hangs in the balance – and Akin is resisting calls to exit the race.
Romney's Paul Ryan pick energizes GOP (+video)

In his first campaign speech as Mitt Romney’s VP pick, Paul Ryan warned that the US is in a 'different, difficult, dangerous moment' which the GOP presidential team won’t shrink from. So far, Republicans say they’re very impressed.
Middle-class tax cut extension passes Senate: Policy or politics?

Senate Democrats squeak through an extension of middle-class tax cuts. Republicans deride it as damaging to the economy. And a January train wreck for spending cuts and tax increases looms even closer.
Patty Murray: Democrats will go over 'fiscal cliff' unless GOP relents

No. 4 Senate Democrat says that Republicans must agree to let tax cuts expire for the richest Americans or face a tax hike for all – a move that lifts a page from the GOP playbook.
Decoder Wire Why Democrats are hesitant to vote on Obama's tax plan

President Obama urged Congress immediately to pass his plan to extend some of the Bush tax cuts. But Senate Democrats are taking their time, hoping to score political points.
DNC no-show list grows, and GOP crows. But are Democrats being smart?

According to Republicans, who are keeping track, 12 major Democratic politicians are planning to skip the DNC. While the convention's timing is hard on Democrats in tight races, a long list of no-shows could embarrass Obama.
Supreme Court strikes down Montana law, reaffirming Citizens United

Voting 5 to 4, the justices found, in a two-paragraph opinion, that the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling applied to a 100-year-old Montana anticorruption law barring corporate money in elections.
Payroll-tax cut not dead yet. Can the House save it?

House Republicans met behind closed doors Friday in search of common ground on the payroll-tax cut and other popular measures, set to expire Dec. 31.
New Obama jobs bill: Do too many Democrats view it as 'bailout lite'?

The White House is pushing a new $35 billion jobs bill to stave off layoffs for teachers, firefighters, and police. But moderate Democrats are balking at parts of the plan.
Plan B on Obama jobs bill is to take it up piecemeal. What will fly?

Parts that deal with tax cuts and transportation projects stand a better chance of getting enough GOP support to pass. Tax-the-rich elements and extra aid to local governments? Probably not.
President Obama jobs bill fails to pass Senate

President Obama and others expected Republicans to vote against the jobs bill but Obama says, 'we can't take 'no' for an answer.'
Why Democrats proposed a 5% surtax on millionaires that won't pass

With Republicans against higher taxes, there's virtually no chance that a surtax on millionaires will pass Congress. But there are strong political reasons for Senate Democrats to put it on the table.
Debit card fees: Will shoppers benefit from new cap?

Debit card fees paid by retailers to banks could plummet next month after the Senate failed to pass a delay Wednesday. Retailers are happy, but that might not help consumers.
Debit card fees: Senate discusses limiting swipe costs to stores

Debit card fees are the topic of debate in the Senate on Wednesday. Some lawmakers oppose a proposal from the Federal Reserve to lower the debit card fees that stores must pay when a card is swiped.
Wolf wars: Can man and predator coexist in the West?

As the gray wolf comes off the Endangered Species list, new questions swirl about whether the animal can survive without federal protection – and its impact on cattle and other wildlife. The view from one ranch.
Budget bill cuts federal wolf protection. Environmentalists howling.

After being hunted to near-extinction, wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains have recovered due to federal management under the Endangered Species Act. But wolves will be "delisted" under a rider to the recent budget bill, and environmentalists are howling.
Census data show Hispanic boom. How it could impact US politics.

The US Hispanic population grew 43 percent during the past decade to 50.5 million – more than half the country's population growth. The demographic trend could impact elections.
If Senate takeover eludes GOP on Election Day 2010, look to 2012

The 2012 election is shaping up to be a big opportunity for Republicans. If they don't win a Senate majority on Election Day 2010, they'll have plenty of vulnerable seats to contest in 2012.