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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Keystone XL pipeline: New route, new problems for Obama?

President Obama blocked the Keystone XL pipeline in January, saying Congress didn't allow enough time to assess the project. TransCanada has now proposed a new route though sensitive areas of Nebraska, and Republicans are trying to do an end run around Obama.
Change Agent Boom in biking benefits everyone, not just bicyclists

All Americans are better off because biking and walking foster public health, stronger local communities and economies, less traffic congestion, safer streets, lower energy use, and a cleaner environment.
Decoder Wire GSA scandal: Does agency have culture of waste, fraud, and abuse?

Critics of the huge federal bureaucracy have a history of missteps to cite, from well before the latest GSA scandal, in which Jeffrey Neeley authorized $823,000 for a conference in Las Vegas.
Michigan teacher fired for Trayvon Martin hoodie fundraiser

Brooke Harris, an eighth grade English teacher, was fired after encouraging students raise money in support of Trayvon Martin's family. A petition has been started to reinstate Brooke Harris.
As Santorum fades, Mitt Romney attacks Obama for flip-flopping (+video)

Mitt Romney now leads Rick Santorum in his home state of Pennsylvania, a new poll shows. And Romney is accusing Obama of flip-flopping on issues.
Conn. Senate votes to repeal death penalty bill

State senators voted 20-16 in favor of a death penalty repeal bill after about 11 hours of impassioned floor debate.
Obama signs STOCK Act, banning insider trading by members of Congress (+video)

Obama said the move to bar insider trading among lawmakers would assure everyone 'plays by the same rules.'
Would overturning health-care reform be 'judicial activism'?

For the Supreme Court to strike down health-care law, including its key individual mandate, smacks of the judicial activism typically denounced by conservatives, President Obama says.
Ron Paul: Most Americans agree with him on Afghanistan pullout

Ron Paul has yet to win a primary or caucus election, but on one thing he has the support of most Americans: The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan sooner rather than later.
Romney gains key endorsements, moves into mop-up phase of campaign

Second-place Rick Santorum seemed to publicly acknowledge for the first time Wednesday that his quest for the presidential nomination may end in failure, and third-place Newt Gingrich is running out of money and cutting back his campaign, both in staff and appearances.
The Vote Why couldn't Rep. Bobby Rush wear hoodie on House floor?

A hoodie won't fly on the House floor, where dress code mandates no hats – and a hoodie counts as a hat, even when its used to bring attention to Trayvon Martin.
Newt Gingrich cuts one third of campaign staff but vows to press on

Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, plans to spend much less time in primary states and instead personally call delegates to try to persuade them to back him at the Republican National Convention in August.
Marco Rubio & 9 likely Republican VP candidates

Too soon to start speculating about possible Republican vice-presidential candidates? Evidently not. Mitt Romney's rise to the level of presumptive presidential nominee seems to have given political writers and pundits the go-ahead to begin one of the favored handicapping contests in all of politics.
Newt Gingrich: $50 per photo as campaign struggles

Newt Gingrich is now charging $50 to take a photo with him in order to raise campaign funds, reports the National Journal. The Gingrich campaign is now $1.6 million in debt.
The Paul Ryan 2012 budget: What he learned in 2011

The Paul Ryan 2011 budget sounded like a graduate thesis on statistical steroids. Paul Ryan's 2012 budget is an 80-page campaign commercial.
Trayvon Martin case: Should Sanford police chief be fired?

Late Wednesday, Sanford city commissioners passed a motion of "no confidence" in Police Chief Bill Lee Jr., who has defended his department for not arresting George Zimmerman after he shot Trayvon Martin, a black teenager.
The Circle Bastiat Will health care reform be successful? Capital Hill barbershops show no

President Obama has promised that more government will make health care cheaper and more available. A comparison of two Capitol Hill barbershops sheds some light on whether the president has it right.
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.
Obama strikes back at Republicans on high gas prices

President Obama accused Republican presidential candidates on Thursday of playing election politics over high gasoline prices, and mocked them for resisting development of alternative energy sources.
Why Obama is unleashing Joe Biden on 2012 campaign trail

Vice president Joe Biden spoke to auto industry workers in Ohio Thursday about the auto bailout. Biden speaks to working-class American voters, say analysts, in a race that could be between two Harvard-trained presidential candidates – Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
Mitt Romney edges Obama in poll on eve of Alabama, Mississippi primaries

Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich face a tight race in Alabama and Mississippi. But Mitt Romney beats Obama in a 2012 presidential race, says a new national poll.
In South Carolina, Republicans play hard, fall hard. Consider Ken Ard.

The indictment, conviction, and resignation of Lt. Gov. Ken Ard over campaign corruption charges is the latest in a long line of embarrassing moments for the Republican stronghold of South Carolina.
Right-wing 'patriot' groups girding for actual class warfare, report says

The Southern Poverty Law Center says an 'explosive' growth in the number of antigovernment 'patriot' groups is tied to fears of economic cataclysm and civil war between rich and poor.
Chellie Pingree, Maine Rep., decides against Senate bid

Pingree said it was a difficult decision and that she's grateful for the support she's received from across Maine and the country.
Scott Brown pulls ahead of Elizabeth Warren in Mass. Senate race

Sen. Scott Brown, the Republican who famously won the seat held by Edward Kennedy, has built an early lead against Elizabeth Warren in what will be a closely watched race nationally.