Topic: Mark Begich

All Content

Decoder Wire Sen. Sarah Palin? Already, she and incumbent Mark Begich are circling. (+video)

Sarah Palin has expressed only tepid interest in running for the US Senate – and it's by no means assured Alaskans would even have her. But incumbent Sen. Mark Begich felt compelled to weigh in, and Palin to counterpunch. Does it mainly serve to boost Sarah Palin Inc.?
Actually, Americans aren’t shrugging over NSA surveillance (+video)

Two new polls find that a majority of Americans disapprove of the NSA's data-mining programs. The head of the NSA says he's ready to provide evidence they've helped prevent terrorist attacks.
Can Democrats find moderate candidates in time for midterms?

Democrats may struggle to recruit moderate and conservative-leaning candidates for the 2014 midterm elections in states with the most competitive Senate races.
Why Obama agenda group faces pushback from some Democrats

Organizing for Action, an issue-advocacy group that spun off from President Obama's reelection campaign, is going after some Democrats and competing for fundraising dollars.
Gun vote backlash: Five senators who said 'no' see ratings plunge

Approval ratings have plummeted for five senators who voted against expanded background checks for gun buyers, says a PPP survey. But only one is up for reelection in 2014. Will it still matter in 2016 or 2018?
Robert Reich Senate balks on gun control. Reasons for the division.

The US Senate failing to pass gun control is a sign that rural, older, white America occupies one land; younger, urban, increasingly non-white America lives in another, Reich writes.
Decoder Wire Gun control: Three ways supporters are carrying on the fight

While gun control proponents may have conceded defeat in the Senate, they insist the war isn’t over. President Obama himself said he saw the defeat as just Round 1.
'Shame on you!' Gun vote shamed by Obama, Giffords, Maisch

'Shame' was the word of the day after the U.S. Senate failed to pass gun control legislation yesterday. A spectator in the gallery yelled out 'Shame on you!' while President Obama referred to the vote as 'pretty shameful' and Rep. Gabby Giffords wrote 'Shame on them' in an op-ed about the senators.
Decoder Wire Four reasons the Senate gun control bill may be kaput

The Senate is slated to vote Wednesday on nine gun control provisions, but prospects for passage for several – including expanding background checks to more gun buyers – look dim. Here's why.
How liberal anger at Obama budget helps the president, Democrats

The president's budget, with its cost-saving measures in Social Security and Medicare, has infuriated the left. That positions Obama more to the center and could help him achieve other goals – and save some Democratic seats in 2014.
Democrats from rural areas face pressure from pro-gun constituents

Democratic senators from mostly rural areas in the West and South must walk a fine line between party loyalty and constituents' wishes when it comes to gun control legislation.
Will Saturday cuts save the Postal Service?

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe announced plans to reduce Saturday deliveries beginning in August. The Postal Service says the changes will save $2 billion annually. Though The Postal Service lost $15.9 billion last fiscal year, some in Congress and elsewhere oppose the Saturday cutbacks.
Congress: Will fiscal cliff, election results lead partisans to stand down?

Post-election, the GOP-led House still sees its mandate as tax-hike prevention. Obama and the Democrats still want to raise taxes for the wealthy. But if they don't work together, the looming 'fiscal cliff' – which no one wants to see – may doom them all.
How the 2014 elections tip prospects for a 'grand bargain' on US deficits

Whoever wins the White House – President Obama or Mitt Romney – will need help from the other side of the aisle in the Senate to reach a deal on meaningful debt- and deficit-reduction. But key senators up for reelection in 2014 face wrenching tradeoffs.
Obama: Taxpayers shouldn't subsidize oil industry's record profits (+video)

Moments after Obama made his election-year appeal in the White House Rose Garden, the Senate failed to reach the threshold of votes needed to proceed to a measure that would have ended the subsidies.
Opinion Lieberman and Collins: Shipping industry must choose between Iran and the US

Iran thwarts economic sanctions through loopholes in international shipping regulations. 'Classification societies' give certifications (access to ports and international trade) to both Iranian and US vessels. These groups must end their conflicting role, which supports Iranian commerce.
12/15/2011 02:06 pm
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.
10/05/2011 08:25 pm
Bill to chop Big Oil's tax breaks falls short – but makes its point

Senate Republicans halt a bill that would take away multibillion-dollar tax breaks for oil companies. Wednesday, Democrats are expected stop a bill that would force Obama's hand on Gulf drilling permits. 'It’s summertime symbolic politics' in Washington.
05/17/2011 09:36 pm
Oil CEOs warn senators of downside to axing industry tax breaks

Five oil CEOs testified Thursday that a Senate bill to shrink their companies' tax breaks would mean less domestic oil production and higher gasoline prices. Democrats cite firms' big profits.
05/12/2011 04:59 pm
Behind closed doors, bipartisan bids to break budget impasse

The words of Republican and Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill suggest Congress is headed for a government shutdown over budget issues. But several bipartisan groups of rank-and-file senators are seeking to find a solution.
02/04/2011 08:27 pm
The Vote Alaska Senate race results: Lisa Murkowski poised for historic win

The latest Alaska Senate race results suggest Sen. Lisa Murkowski is set to win her write-in campaign. She would become the second US senator ever to be elected as a write-in candidate.
11/03/2010 05:57 pm
Ted Stevens buried at Arlington

Stevens was a World War II veteran and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He went into public service before Alaska became a state in 1959 and was appointed to the Senate in December 1968.
09/28/2010 06:05 pm
Alaska senate race: Will Joe Miller win mean less federal money for Alaska?

Alaska's Joe Miller is a fiscal conservative and front-runner for the senate seat now held by Republican Lisa Murkowski. Less seniority in the US Senate will likely mean fewer federal dollars for Alaska, say political observers.
09/02/2010 10:07 am
Sarah Palin endorsement: Did her support for Lisa Murkowski's rival matter?

Sarah Palin endorsed Joe Miller, a 'tea party' candidate expected to lose by a wide margin, in Alaska's GOP Senate primary. But Miller has a slight lead as absentee ballots flow in. Just how influential is Sarah Palin?
08/26/2010 05:50 pm
Ted Stevens and eight others on board plane that crashed in Alaska

Ted Stevens, former US Senator from Alaska, was one of nine people on board the plane that went down in the southwest part of the 49th state.
08/10/2010 01:23 pm