Jay Rockefeller news stories on Newser

Sen. Rockefeller Seeks Murdoch Evidence

Rob Quinn — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:00:00 CDT

Sen. Jay Rockefeller has stepped up his efforts to find out if Rupert Murdoch's News Corp broke American laws in the British phone-hacking scandal. The West Virginia Democrat, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, has asked Lord Leveson, head of the British inquiry into the scandal, to turn over any...

Senate Feud Surfaces Over College Football

Kevin Spak — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:21:05 CDT

A war is brewing in the Senate over… college football? Yep. Mitch McConnell is making a zero-hour backroom push to get Louisville into the Big 12, calling officials at the conference’s other schools to sing his beloved alma mater’s praises, sources tell Politico . That’s put him in direct confrontation with...

Senator Calls for News Corp Probe

Rob Quinn — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:07:52 CDT

If journalists working for Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. hacked the phones of any Americans, "the consequences will be severe," warns the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who says he's concerned that the hacking "may have extended to 9/11 victims or other Americans," has called for US...

Olbermann's 'Worst Person:' Back So Soon?

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:12:05 CST

Well, that didn't take long: Not even three weeks after suspending his Worst Person in the World segment in the wake of Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity, Keith Olbermann brought it back. Olbermann announced the segment's return Tuesday, noting that 73% of polled viewers wanted it restored, according to...

Sen. Rockefeller: Fox, MSNBC Should 'Go Away'

Kevin Spak — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:12:00 CST

Sen. Jay Rockefeller apparently isn’t a fan of cable news. In a hearing on television retransmission consent yesterday, Rockefeller went off-topic to rail against the “endless barking” of a news media that “has all but surrendered to the forces of entertainment.” Then he went off-script to add: “There’s a little...

From the Appalachian Coalfields to 9 Senate Terms

Jane Yager — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:50:00 CDT

Robert Byrd, who died today at age 92, rose from a hardscrabble childhood in the coalfields of West Virginia to become the longest-serving member of Congress in history. Those who knew the conservative Democrat remember him as a self-taught man of iron will (he remains the only congressman to have...

Insurers Find Ways to Deny Kids Coverage

Kevin Spak — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:16:03 CDT

Insurance companies say there’s a loophole in the health care reform legislation that will allow them to keep denying coverage to children with preexisting conditions for years. President Obama had promised that such denials would be “banned forever” this year. But “the fine print differs from the larger political message,...

US May Require Brake Override Systems

Kevin Spak — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:24:57 CST

The Obama administration is considering ordering automakers to install brake override systems in their new cars, Ray LaHood told the Senate Commerce Committee today. “We’re looking at it,” the transportation secretary said, in a hearing on the runaway Toyota problem. “We think it is a good safety device, and we’re...

In Congress, 535 New GM Boardmembers

Jason Farago — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:02:29 CDT

GM might not have realized when it took $58 billion in bailout money that it would now be beholden to members of Congress, who have been acting like 535 new board members as they angle for their constituents' (and their own) interests. Dems and Republicans alike have pressured companies to...