Patrick Leahy news stories on Newser

SOPA Author's Own Website Violated Copyright

Kevin Spak — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:35:05 CST

SOPA author Lamar Smith is being roundly mocked thanks to Jamie Lee Curtis Taete of VICE , who found that as of July, Smith's own website violated copyright, using a background image without attribution. The photo was under a Creative Commons license, so if Smith had just credited the photographer, he...

US Changes Tune on Killing Egypt's Aid

Kevin Spak — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:36:06 CST

Many top US lawmakers are backing off their calls to cut aid flowing to Egypt, as consensus builds that the money offers necessary leverage over the Egyptian military. John McCain, who had previously said that aid cuts were “on the table,” said yesterday that it is “just not the right...

Democrats Keep Senate; Harry Reid Beats Angle

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:42:54 CDT

They may have lost the House, but Democrats will keep control of the Senate, barely. In big blue victories to help seal it, Harry Reid held off Sharron Angle in Nevada, while Joe Manchin won in West Virginia and Barbara Boxer in California. Earlier, Rand Paul (Kentucky), Marco Rubio (Florida),...

Democrats Confront Pentagon on Afghan War

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:56:51 CDT

A schism deepened yesterday between US war leaders and Congress as top Democrats challenged Pentagon assertions that progress is picking up in Afghanistan. "I wouldn't call it eroding," Carl Levin said of support for the war. "But there's a lot of fair concern." That was especially evident in a hearing...

Cheney: Dropping F-Bomb Was 'Best Thing I Ever Did'

Polly Davis Doig — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:43:22 CDT

As potty-mouthed vice presidents go, Dick Cheney is utterly unrepentant about his 2004 slip of the F-bomb in which he told Pat Leahy to go "fuck yourself." Dennis Miller on his radio show yesterday thanked the former veep for "almost kicking Patrick Leahy's ass," reports Think Progress . Cheney responds: "You'd...

Democrats to Play Offense in Court Fight

Kevin Spak — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:00:00 CDT

“Judicial activism” isn’t just a conservative buzzword anymore. Democrats intend to use the upcoming confirmation battle over John Paul Stevens’ successor to argue that it’s the conservatives on John Roberts’ court who are litigating from the bench, high-ranking Democrats tell Politico . Exhibit A: The wildly unpopular Citizens United v. FEC...

Obama: Cut Pork From Health Bill. Senate: Say What?

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:58:34 CST

There's $600 million in Medicaid payments to Vermont, $100 million for a Connecticut hospital, and the infamous "Cornhusker Kickback," among others, and President Obama wants to yank those porky projects from the health care bill. Democratic senators, being senators, beg to differ. "We're going to do what we have to...

Showdown Looms as Abused Filibuster Frays Senate Tempers

Jane Yager — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:29:14 CST

Last night's GOP filibuster of a routine nomination to the National Labor Relation Board left Democrats livid, and considering reforms to stop a filibuster-happy GOP from crippling the Senate. "I'm in my thirty-sixth year. I've never seen anything like it," Sen. Pat Leahy told the Huffington Post . Leahy said previous...

Mexico Drug Aid Delayed Over Rights Concerns

Rob Quinn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:39:53 CDT

More than $100 million in anti-narcotics aid to Mexico has been delayed because of alleged human rights abuses in the country's war with drug cartels, the Washington Post reports. Sen. Patrick Leahy, chair of a subcommittee that oversees foreign aid spending, blocked plans to release a favorable State Department report...