Ruling Reverses Sotomayor in Firefighter Case
Casting a wary eye on affirmative action, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters faced unlawful discrimination when their city threw out a promotion test after not enough minorities did well on it.
Vulnerable House Dems in GOP Sights
Republicans believe a handful of junior House Democrats may have taken a career-ending vote by supporting the controversial energy bill last week and are planning to launch an ad campaign in targeted districts to try to seal their fate.
Franken Declared Minnesota Senate Victor
Democrats picked up a crucial vote for President Obama's agenda in Congress as the Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously declared challenger Al Franken the winner over incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in their epic, eight-month legal battle for the Senate's last vacancy.
Sarah Palin Story Sparks Republican Family Feud
A hard-hitting piece on Sarah Palin in the new Vanity Fair has touched off a blistering exchange of insults among high-profile Republicans over last year's GOP ticket - tearing open fresh wounds about leaks surrounding Palin and revealing for the first time some of the internal wars that paralyzed the campaign in its final days.
Roberts Court Shifts Right, Tipped by Kennedy
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. emerged as a canny strategist at the Supreme Court this term, laying the groundwork for bold changes that could take the court to the right even as the recent elections moved the nation to the left.
GOP Forum Airs Health Care Issues
Calling the debate on health care reform a seminal moment for domestic policy, three Republican U.S. senators brought the GOP case to the Texas Medical Center Tuesday.
What's So Super About a Supermajority?
by Carl Hulse
Senate Democrats are about to reach the magical threshold of 60 votes, allowing them in theory to sweep aside Republican delaying tactics. But the arrival of that 60th vote, in the person of Al Franken of Minnesota, is not likely to make the party's very real difficulties in advancing contentious legislation disappear.
A Sarah Palin Rebound?
by Chris Cillizza
After enduring months of derision within Republican circles for her role as the party's 2008 vice presidential nominee and her uneven performance as a national figure this year, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is experiencing something of a rebound among the D.C. chattering class in the 48 hours since the release of a very tough profile on her in Vanity Fair magazine.
Congressmen Call Energy Bill 'Disastrous'
The American Clean Energy and Security Act that barely passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week is either the first major step in curtailing the emission of gases believed responsible for global warming or will lead to "the complete annihilation of the oil industry in the United States."
Confidence in Stimulus Plan Ebbs, Poll Finds
Barely half of Americans are now confident that President Obama's $787 billion stimulus measure will boost the economy, and the rapid rise in optimism about the state of the nation that followed the 2008 election has abated, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
All-Black D-Day Battalion Vet No Longer Forgotten
Samuel J. Harris knew he wasn't dead. But on June 7, his morning newspaper suggested otherwise. The 88-year-old Washington resident read in an Associated Press story that the last known survivor of an all-black World War II U.S. Army unit had received the Legion of Honor from the French government. But he, too, had served in the 320th Anti-Aircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion and was, therefore, confused.
In Political Ads, Christian Left Mounts Sermonic Campaigns
Randy Brinson, a conservative political consultant in Alabama, has been fielding anxious calls for weeks from business interests across the South. Their concern is massive ad blitz on Christian and country-music stations across 10 states. The ads, funded by a left-leaning coalition, urge support for congressional legislation to curb greenhouse-gas emissions -- by framing the issue as an urgent matter of Biblical morality.
Climate Vote Threatens Some Democrats' Careers
Rep. Thomas Perriello relishes an energy fight with Republicans - even here in the rural Southside. The freshman lawmaker understands the potential consequences that he and other vulnerable Democrats face for backing a sweeping climate-change bill, and rather than ducking the issue, he's embracing what may have been the toughest vote of his young political career.
IOUs Spell Uncertainty for California Small Businesses
Business consultant Katrina Kennedy has taken her young son out of preschool and put a family vacation on hold. Dairyman Mike O'Kelly is wondering whether he is going to have to let employees go.
Massachusetts: A Model Not to Copy
by Phyllis Schlafly
The Obama-Kennedy health plan is modeled after the Massachusetts plan which, when adopted, many applauded as innovative and destined for success. In fact, the Massachusetts plan has been a massive failure and is a model for what not to do.
Palin to Call It Quits as Alaska's Governor
Republican Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska stunned her state and the political world Friday by announcing she will resign her post at the end of the month, igniting speculation about what the move means for her political future and her viability for the GOP's presidential nomination in 2012.
