Topic: U.S. House of Representatives

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Get irrational: 3.14 things to do on Pi Day

March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant measuring the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (beginning with 3.14). Pi Day is celebrated internationally, and in 2009 it was decreed an official holiday by the US House of Representatives. Here are 3.14 ways to celebrate.
Inauguration 2013: 10 highlights from previous second-term addresses

Barack Obama will be the 17th American president to deliver two inaugural addresses. Here are 10 highlights from such speeches by previous two-term presidents, including the shortest one ever.
Senate freshmen: What the 14 new members bring to Capitol Hill

A freshman Senate class was sworn in Jan. 3, bringing diverse skills and experience – not to mention agendas – to the legislative body. Whether the 14 newest senators help break partisan gridlock, or refuse to work across the aisle, will be the test for the 113th Congress.Twelve were elected on Nov. 6, including three Republicans, eight Democrats, and an independent. In addition, a Republican and a Democrat were appointed to vacant seats after the election. Here is a look at the 14 and what they bring to the Senate:
Briefing
Four curious outcomes if the Electoral College ends in a tie

Here are four ways that a 269-to-269 tie in the Electoral College could play out in the 2012 presidential election.
Election 2012: top seven super PACs

Decoder profiles the seven top super PACs, the organizations that have spent the most trying to influence the elections – and still have the most money in the bank.

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Steny Hoyer: Neither party is spoiling for a fight over a government shutdown

The end of the fiscal year is typically a flash point for partisan battles, but not with a 'fiscal cliff' looming after November elections. Even GOP conservatives are accepting higher spending levels, rather than risk a government shutdown.
Gabrielle Giffords visits CERN atom smasher

Former Arizona lawmaker Gaby Giffords, the victim of a 2011 Arizona shooting that left six dead, visited the CERN and the French Alps with her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly.
Opinion: Voter ID laws are inherently reasonable, not racist or Republican

Analogies between voter ID laws and Jim Crow poll taxes are absurd. That pockets of citizens lack ID is a compelling argument for active voter registration drives, not damning attempts to curb fraud. Ensuring the integrity of our electoral process ought not to be a partisan issue.
Briefing
Defense cuts: three things Americans should know

The US House approved a bill in July that’s likely to spark a showdown on military spending.
Asian-Americans take higher profile in congressional races

The 2012 campaign cycle marks the highest number of viable Asian-American candidates ever – and not just on the West Coast. Their success could help Democrats regain ground in the House.
How GOP could be forced to raise taxes this December

Twenty leading congressional conservatives are imploring GOP leaders to head off any Democratic attempt to use the threat of a government shutdown to force Republicans to accept tax hikes.
What will federal budget cuts mean for local economies?

Former Vice President Dick Cheney visited Republican senators on Capitol Hill to convey his message that defense spending cuts will hurt the U.S. military. Local mayors are concerned that lost government contracts will threaten their local businesses.
Opinion: Push in Congress to ban biofuels in military has big long-term costs

The US armed services is working hard to wean itself off of fossil fuels and foreign oil. Yet some in Congress, for short-term savings, want to ban them from purchasing biofuels. Cutting investments in long-term solutions like alternative fuel will cost America dearly in the future.
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.'s 'mood disorder' raising questions (+video)

Just hours after Democratic leaders in Congress ratcheted up pressure on Jackson to reveal more information, his office released a brief statement from his doctor.
House may prosecute journalists for reporting leaked information

After recent New York Times stories containing information that some considered a threat to national security the House is considering revising the Espionage Act, and allowing journalists to be prosecuted for disclosing sensitive information.
Why Obama wants to keep Bush tax cuts for another year

President Obama will call for a one-year extension of Bush-era tax cuts for families earning less than $250,000 a year. Will House Republicans support this extension?
The Monitor's View: The Internet needs its own ‘declaration of independence’

A new ‘Declaration of Internet Freedom’ should spark a much-needed discussion about online rights and privacy.
Focus Is Congress to blame for a downshifting US economy?

Evidence is mounting that the economy is taking a hit because Congress can't – or won't – deal with the 'fiscal cliff' looming at year's end. The fight on Capitol Hill last summer over the national debt limit also took an economic toll.
The Circle Bastiat Liberty for all: Will the real 'Mr. Republican' please stand up?

Liberty and progress go hand in hand, according to The Circle Bastiat's John P. Cochran. President Taft was once known as Mr. Republican. In the present era, Cochran believes Ron Paul has taken up Taft's mantle.
Robert Reich Game changer: Justice Roberts switches teams

The Court’s majority, made possible by Chief Justice Roberts' surprise decision, has given a huge victory to the Obama administration and, arguably, the American people. The Affordable Care Act is still flawed, but it is also a milestone.
Decoder Wire Could Congress jail Attorney General Eric Holder for contempt?

Congress has jailed those deemed in contempt before but never a sitting Cabinet official – and not recently. Moreover, the few times Congress has locked down people within the Capitol, it has not turned out well for Congress.
House holds Eric Holder in contempt: What happens to him now? (+video)

Republicans say Attorney General Eric Holder is withholding documents that could show a coverup. Democrats say the investigation is a witch hunt. The outcome? Likely, more delay.
Why Republicans see a loss in the Supreme Court as a win at the polls

Supreme Court's 5-to-4 ruling upholding President Obama's health-care law gives Republicans a new case to repeal the law, hammer taxes, and rev up the party base.
130 rescued from boat of asylum seekers headed to Australia

After a boat trying to reach Australia capsized, 130 survivors, most of them women and children, were rescued near Indonesia. It's the second boat of asylum seekers to capsize in a week.
Is today's Democratic primary the last hurrah for Rep. Charles Rangel?

Charles Rangel has a storied past in Harlem and the US House of Representatives, where he has served 21 terms. But ethics violations, censure, and redistricting could take a toll in Tuesday's primary.
Decoder Wire On Fast and Furious, Obama invokes 'executive privilege.' What's that?

Facing a contempt vote, Attorney General Eric Holder urged Obama to invoke 'executive privilege' to avoid turning over documents to Congress. To be valid, the claim must bear on a core power of the presidency.
Obama invokes executive privilege to protect Eric Holder: Can he do that?

Just minutes before Congress began preparing a contempt vote against Eric Holder, Obama raised the stakes in the long-running conflict over the botched ‘Fast and Furious’ gun-walking affair by claiming executive privilege to keep tens of thousands of e-mails secret.
Colorado wildfire takes its first fatality (+videos)

The Colorado fire has killed one woman, and destroyed at least 118 structures near Fort Collins. Colorado lawmakers are calling for more federal help to fight the uncontained wildfire.
The Circle Bastiat He's a fan: One man's defense of Ron Paul

A staunch libertarian, presidential candidate Ron Paul has always had interesting ideas about how best to run the American economy. From Austrian economics to the gold standard and free market money, a new book outlines and defends Paul's plans.
Opinion: Wisconsin recall election: Scott Walker, Republicans – 1; American democracy – 0

The Wisconsin recall elections left Scott Walker safe, but showed that American democracy isn't faring as well. The bitter recall election battle there has brought into sharper relief how our politics are changing structurally and what is being lost.