Topic: U.S. Democratic Party

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Immigration reform bill clears Senate, but faces roadblock in House (+video)

The Senate approved the bill by a 68-to-32 vote Thursday. But House leaders, including those supportive of the immigration reform effort, have said the Senate legislation won't get a hearing in their chamber.
Student loans: Despite new proposals in Congress, no fix as deadline looms

Interest rates on some subsidized student loans could double on July 1. A bipartisan Senate group and a sextet of Senate liberals both put forward proposals Thursday, but a deal is elusive.
USA Update Controversial Texas abortion bill will pass in new session, Rick Perry vows

A day after calling for another special legislative session, Texas Gov. Rick Perry vigorously defended the failed abortion bill Thursday at the National Right to Life Convention in Dallas.
Battleground DOMA: What next for opponents of gay marriage?

After twin losses at the Supreme Court, the battleground shifts to the states, where social conservative leaders aim to 'fight like crazy,' with little help from the national GOP establishment.
After DOMA ruling, few fighting words from congressional GOP on gay marriage

One by one, leading Republicans offered statements after the Supreme Court's DOMA ruling that showed they were ready, by and large, to leave the gay marriage fight to the states.
Decoder Wire Battleground Ohio: The [early] polls are in, showing a Clinton-Christie tie

It's never too early to poll test presidential prospects, it seems. So, a new Ohio poll finds Hillary Clinton and Chris Christie dead even, at 42 percent. Clinton beats Rand Paul, Joe Biden doesn't.
USA Update Filibuster of Texas abortion bill makes a star of Wendy Davis. Will that last? (+video)

A Democratic state senator in heavily Republican Texas, Wendy Davis rocketed to global social media prominence on the strength of her filibuster and the failure of the abortion bill she opposed.
Markey wins a low-turnout, big-spending Mass. Senate race

Republican Gabriel Gomez was outspent and out-organized in a Massachusetts Senate race that netted a record low turnout. But Democrats working for Edward Markey were determined not to repeat Scott Brown's stunning 2010 upset.
Filibuster broken, but Texas abortion law fails to pass

Filibuster fails: Wendy Davis spoke for 11 hours in a filibuster but was stopped before the midnight deadline. Still, the Texas abortion law failed to pass when protestors managed to stall a vote.
USA Update Texas abortion law won't go through if 13-hour filibuster succeeds

Texas abortion law would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and require abortion doctors to have visiting rights at nearby hospitals. The state is one of many trying to tighten restrictions.
Climate change: Why does President Obama's plan skirt Congress?

With Republicans implacably opposed – and some Democrats still wary of fallout at the polls – there's little prospect of getting climate change reform through Capitol Hill.
Massachusetts Senate race shows few signs of a 2010-style upset (+video)

Polls in the Massachusetts Senate race have consistently placed Democrat Edward Markey up by at least eight points, and he has outraised Gabriel Gomez by a wide margin.
Texas abortion law, that would shut down clinics, stalls in Senate

Texas abortion law would effectively shut down most abortion clinics. But a Democratic filibuster looks likely to derail it. Texas is the latest conservative state to try to enact tough new laws on abortion.
Decoder Wire Immigration reform: Can a supporter win GOP nomination in 2016?

Although Republicans in general have been under pressure to warm up to immigration reform, such an approach might not resonate in early-primary states, where GOP voters tend to be socially conservative and largely white.
FBI pick: Obama poised to name Bush appointee James Comey

The White House announced today that on Friday, President Obama will nominate Bush's Deputy Attorney General James Comey to head the FBI.
Stunning farm bill defeat lays bare House dysfunction

The farm bill failed to pass the House Thursday after Republicans began tinkering with the measure, driving off Democrats who otherwise would have voted for it.
House defeats farm bill because of food stamp cuts

In rejecting a $500 farm bill that included cuts to food stamps, Congress temporarily sidesteps a paradox: Why are food-stamp rolls growing while the economy is recovering?
In last Gomez-Markey debate, distinct styles but fuzzy policy differences (+video)

Policy differences were nuanced between Democrat Ed Markey and the GOP's Gabriel Gomez in Tuesday's debate, the last before the US Senate election in Massachusetts. But the candidates' styles – policy master vs. fresh-faced outsider – could not be more distinct.
House GOP passes major antiabortion bill. Why Democrats are pleased. (+video)

House Republicans passed legislation Tuesday that would ban abortions after 20 weeks' pregnancy. The party's social conservative base is happy, but Democrats see a political boon.
Immigration reform tying House Republicans in knots

House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that immigration reform will not come to the floor without majority Republican support, hurting its prospects. Yet the House GOP is also planning outreach to Hispanic voters.
Decoder Wire Edward Snowden a hero to many young Americans, poll suggests

Edward Snowden performed a public service in leaking information about NSA programs, say 60 percent of Americans age 18 to 29, according to a poll. Tea partyers and liberals also approve.
Decoder Wire 'Ready for Hillary': Are Democrats behaving like Republicans?

On Tuesday, Sen. Claire McCaskill became the first sitting member of Congress to endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton for president. But anointing Clinton this early may not be the smartest move.
On immigration reform, House GOP plays hardball on 'enforcement'

House Republicans open their bid to overhaul the US immigration system by giving local law officers more authority to enforce immigration laws, in sharp contrast with the Senate bill.
Can immigration reform pass? Five senators to watch.

Immigration reform will pass the Senate before the Fourth of July, Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D) of Nevada has vowed. Here are five key senators (or groups of senators) that will be pivotal during the two weeks of debate.
Is military experience enough to win Gomez Mass Senate seat?

Republican Gabriel Gomez has made his experience as a Navy SEAL a cornerstone of his campaign for Senate against Democrat Edward Markey. But in Massachusetts, a state historically unfriendly toward Republicans, will Gomez's credentials translate to votes?