James Sceniak: Congress needs to get out of the way, cut waste
Libertarian James Sceniak, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat, shares his thoughts leading up to Tuesday’s midterm elections.
U.S. Senate
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Supreme Court clears way for Graham testimony in Georgia
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s testimony in a Georgia investigation of possible illegal interference in the 2020 election by then-President Donald Trump and his allies in the state.
Biden vows abortion legislation as top priority next year
President Joe Biden promised Tuesday that the first bill he sends to Capitol Hill next year will be one that codifies Roe v. Wade — if Democrats control enough seats in Congress for Biden to sign abortion protections into law.
In Senate debate, McDermott goes on offensive against incumbent Young
The first and only debate among the three Indiana candidates for U.S. Senate gave Democratic hopeful Tom McDermott a rare opportunity to verbally spar with Republican Sen. Todd Young, who is seeking another six-year term as the state’s senior senator.
Pryor confirmation vote waits while U.S. senators hit campaign trail
Magistrate Judge Doris Pryor of the Indiana Southern District Court has been waiting since August for the U.S. Senate to vote on her nomination to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and she will likely have to wait some more.
Senate race: Young tries to keep focus off abortion ruling that McDermott is trying to exploit
Voters can let Republicans keep their grip on Indiana’s Senate presence by reelecting Sen. Todd Young, who emphasizes his bipartisan accomplishments, or hand his seat to Tom McDermott, the hard-charging, plainspoken Democratic mayor of Hammond.
Senators push to reform police’s cellphone tracking tools
Civil rights lawyers and Democratic senators are pushing for legislation that would limit U.S. law enforcement agencies’ ability to buy cellphone tracking tools to follow people’s whereabouts.
House to vote on election law overhaul in response to Jan. 6
The House will vote on an overhaul of a centuries-old election law, an effort to prevent presidential candidates from trying to subvert the popular will.
Democrats punt same-sex marriage vote until after election
Democrats are punting a vote to protect same-sex and interracial marriages until after the November midterm elections, pulling back just days after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to put the Senate on the record on the issue “in the coming weeks.”
Abortion ban legislation adds to political challenge for GOP
Don Bolduc didn’t have much time to celebrate winning the Republican nomination for Senate in New Hampshire on Wednesday before he and other swing-state GOP candidates were on the defensive.
GOP’s Graham unveils nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a nationwide abortion ban Tuesday, sending shockwaves through both parties and igniting fresh debate on a fraught issue weeks before the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
Court puts on hold Graham’s testimony in Ga. election probe
A federal appeals court on Sunday agreed to temporarily put on hold a lower court’s order requiring that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham testify before a special grand jury that’s investigating possible illegal efforts to overturn then-President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Pryor’s confirmation may be just a matter of time
Now the wait for the confirmation vote begins as the nomination of Southern Indiana District Court Magistrate Judge Doris Pryor to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has been sent to the U.S. Senate.
Pryor’s nomination to 7th Circuit advances to full Senate
Southern Indiana District Court Magistrate Judge Doris Pryor’s nomination to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has advanced to the full U.S. Senate after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in her favor Thursday morning, with two Republicans breaking from their party despite the ranking member announcing his opposition to her confirmation.
Time winding down for White House to fill Kanne vacancy
The Indiana seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals left vacant by the sudden death of Judge Michael Kanne gives the Biden administration the opportunity to flip the seat. But with Republicans largely expected to win back the Senate in November, the time needed to select, nominate and confirm a judge by the end of this year is rapidly slipping away.
Senators propose changes to electors law after Capitol riot
A bipartisan group of senators agreed Wednesday on proposed changes to the Electoral Count Act, the post-Civil War-era law for certifying presidential elections that came under intense scrutiny after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Biden signs landmark gun measure, says ‘lives will be saved’
President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.
Setting gridlock aside, Congress set to OK gun violence bill
A bipartisan gun violence bill that seemed unimaginable a month ago is on the verge of winning final congressional approval, a vote that will produce lawmakers’ most sweeping answer in decades to brutal mass shootings that have come to shock yet not surprise Americans.
Senators reach bipartisan compromise on gun violence bill
Senate bargainers reached an agreement Tuesday on a bipartisan gun violence bill, potentially teeing up final passage by week’s end on an incremental but landmark package that would stand as Congress’ response to mass shootings in Texas and New York that shook the nation.
In a boost, McConnell backs Senate bipartisan gun deal
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his support Tuesday for his chamber’s emerging bipartisan gun agreement, boosting momentum for modest but notable election-year action by Congress on an issue that’s deadlocked lawmakers for three decades.