Capitol Hill news stories on Newser

Trayvon's Parents Find Support on Capitol Hill

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:07:53 CDT

In a packed forum on Capitol Hill today, the parents of Trayvon Martin got support from members of Congress who turned the death of their 17-year-old's son into a rallying cry against racial profiling. Martin's parents spoke briefly before a Democrats-only congressional panel as cameras clicked noisily in front of...

Wannabe Suicide Bomber Nabbed on Way to Capitol

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:07:00 CST

The FBI today arrested a man who allegedly thought he was on his way to blow himself up on Capitol Hill—but who was actually wearing a harmless vest provided to him by undercover FBI agents. The suspect, a man about 30 of Moroccan descent, thought he was working with...

Obama: 'State of Our Union Is Getting Stronger'

John Johnson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:27:00 CST

President Obama delivered his third State of the Union address tonight, with a focus as expected on economic inequality and the need for all Americans to get a "fair shot" at success, reports CNN . In fact, Obama called keeping the promise of the American dream alive the "defining issue of...

Lawmakers Give Inside Info to Big Investors—Legally

Kevin Spak — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:55:09 CST

Congressmen aren’t the only ones trading on their inside info . A lucrative practice has sprung up in Washington, in which hedge funds and other investors pay handsomely for private meetings with top lawmakers or their aides, who give them an early scoop on market-moving news, the Wall Street Journal reports....

Capitol Hill Buried in Avalanche of Angry Mail

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:41:05 CDT

Could the USPS' last great hope be angry Americans? An avalanche of letters and emails are pouring into Congress, with offices reporting that they're dealing with, in one case, as much as 1,422% more constituent-penned correspondence than they did in 2002. Politico reports that House offices are seeing an...

Capitol Cops Steaming About Shorts Ban

Tim Karan — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:13:36 CDT

Apparently, cops aren't above the law when it comes to crimes of fashion. Officers assigned to the Capitol are upset with a top brass decision to ban them from wearing shorts. Union reps say the decision was made because cops carrying automatic rifles don't look imposing in shorts, reports Roll...

Capitol Hill Workers Owed $9.3M in Back Taxes in 2009

Emily Rauhala — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:24:00 CDT

The IRS doesn't have to go far to track down tax scofflaws: Capital Hill employees owed $9.3 million in overdue taxes at the end of last year, reports the Washington Post . And while their debt is only a sliver of the $1 billion owed by all federal workers, according...

Obama Shows Congress Who's Boss

Nick McMaster — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:12:00 CDT

President Obama is growing more assertive on Capitol Hill. Since he took office, the president's supporters have criticized him for not exerting enough control over the details of legislation, instead letting Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi hammer out specifics—even on major administration goals, like the health care bill. On...

Loaded Kennedy Cut Off After 6 Shots

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:50:00 CDT

Just hours after recalling his history of substance abuse—he was even introduced by his former sponsor—Rep. Patrick Kennedy got loaded at a bar and was cut off after six shots of vodka. He seemed to have a good time though—a tipster tells Roll Call that Kennedy was...