Blog Posts by Chris Moody

Paul Ryan holds up a copy of his budget plan entitled "The Path to Prosperity." (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a $3.53 trillion budget proposal that would reduce spending by more than $5 trillion over 10 years compared to President Barack Obama's budget recommendations, would overhaul the federal Medicare program, and would reduce taxes and spending on certain programs.

The House voted 228-191 to pass the bill with 10 Republicans opposing it. Democrats unanimously opposed the measure.

[Related: GOP passes Paul Ryan's budget in a familiar fight]

The bill, championed by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is destined for almost sure defeat in the Democrat-led Senate, but its passage in the House will be used by Republicans to contrast the spending priorities of each party.

Rep. Booby Rush (C-SPAN)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi applauded Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who was admonished Wednesday for wearing a "hoodie" sweatshirt during a speech in memory of Trayvon Martin, a teenager who was killed in February.

"I think that Bobby Rush deserves a great deal of credit for the courage he had to go to the floor in a hoodie, knowing that he would be told he was out of order," Pelosi told reporters Thursday. "He quickly left the floor, he wasn't contentious about it. But he made his point. He called attention to a situation in this country that needs to be addressed in a way a man in a suit and tie might not be able to do."

Rush began a speech on the House floor Wednesday morning in a suit, but removed his jacket and pulled a hood over his head. He was asked to leave the floor shortly after, because he was in violation of House rules that forbid headgear in the chamber. The stunt was meant to draw attention to Martin, who was wearing a similar sweatshirt when he was shot.

Newt Gingrich (Julia Rendleman/AP)Until Mitt Romney secures 1,144 delegates, Newt Gingrich's aspiration to win the Republican nomination still has a fighting chance—it's a long shot—but there's still a tiny chance.

Gingrich has acknowledged that it would be impossible for him to win a majority of the delegates through the traditional primary process, and he has shifted his strategy to convincing individual Republican delegates to withhold support for Romney. In the meantime, Gingrich has downsized his campaign by cutting one-third of his staff and has transitioned to a modified and cheaper travel schedule.

The move, after a long stint of primary losses, is nothing short of a fourth-quarter Hail Mary pass. But there are rules set by the Republican National Committee that Gingrich could exploit to make it more difficult for Romney to stake his claim as the official nominee. The RNC, which oversees the primaries, is staying officially neutral as long as no candidate has reached the 1,144 delegates required. "Right now there are still a lot of delegates to be won and a lot of contests to be had, so we're focused on that," said RNC spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski, noting that the organization could not comment on specific candidate strategies.

In the event that 1,144 delegates pledge support for Romney during the primary season, it's all pretty much over. Gingrich can do very little to keep the contest going, and he has said that he will support Romney against President Barack Obama if this happens. If Gingrich and Santorum were to exit the race now, Romney would obviously sweep up those needed delegates with ease, but as long as they're around, the former Massachusetts governor must continue to pay to campaign for each one. And the harder it is on Romney, the longer Gingrich can stay in the race.

[Related: Poll shows Obama out front of Romney and Santorum in key states]

Of course, there are several hurdles that will probably keep Gingrich from realizing his new strategy: Other than the obvious barrier of failing to secure enough delegates, an RNC rule stipulates that every candidate must win a plurality of votes in at least five states to get their name on the ballot at the convention. Gingrich has not yet met that criteria—and it does not appear that he will—but loopholes exist that he can exploit to get around it.

Newt Gingrich campaigns in Maryland. ((Jose Luis Magana/AP)Newt Gingrich plans to continue what he says will be a campaign that won't end until the Republican convention in August, but he'll be making that journey with a much leaner staff. Key aides are stepping down, Yahoo News has learned, and multiple news outlets report that only two-thirds of his staff will press on with him.

After coming in a distant third in several recent state contests behind Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, Gingrich has acknowledged that he won't win by amassing the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the nomination. But he has resisted calls to drop out, resting his strategy on keeping Romney from reaching that number and hoping to fight for the nomination in a contested convention.

[Related: Poll shows Obama ahead of Romney and Santorum in key states]

"I think you'll then have one of the most interesting open conventions in American history," Gingrich said Tuesday during a stop in Annapolis, Md., according to reporters who were present. He said the question will be, "Who can best beat Barack Obama? And at that point, I think most Republicans would probably agree that I would probably do a better job debating Obama than any other candidate, and I think it becomes a very viable, very lively campaign."

Gingrich has said that if Romney reaches enough delegates to clinch the nomination, he will suspend his campaign and support the candidate. But until then, Gingrich will base his strategy on what communications director Joe DeSantis told Politico was "a big-choice convention."

Demonstrators outside the Supreme Court Tuesday. (Charles Dharapak/AP)

WASHINGTON—As the second day of oral arguments over the federal health care law wrapped up in the Supreme Court building, outside, two camps formed in front of the white marble steps that lead to the court chambers.

Earlier in the day, demonstrators for and against the health care law co-mingled outside, but by the time the justices had finished inside, picketers had parted ways, divided by a very apparent—albeit invisible—line. On the right, an older crowd of hundreds of marching tea party supporters chanted while hundreds more on the left side of the steps danced to the song "Celebrate Good Times."

Walking in circles between the occasional George Washington lookalike in 18th-century garb, the tea party demonstrators waved yellow Gadsden flags while donning red shirts that read "Hands Off My Health Care!" The shirts came courtesy of the organizing group Americans for Prosperity. As country music blasted over the loudspeaker, they shouted the borrowed protest line, "Hey hey! Ho Ho! Obamacare has got to go!" and held up homemade signs that read "It's Not Working," "I'm Mad, Big Government, Remember in November," and "Don't Tread on Me!" In the very center of all this hoopla a man held a giant red octagonal sign that read "Stop Change Before It's Too Late" with a hammer and sickle. in the letter "C."

On the other side, liberal supporters of the law huddled close to each other to hear a report from an ally who had watched the oral arguments. The signs they waved were more uniform than their counterparts, reading "Birth Control for Me" and "Protect the Law." As they craned their necks to hear a report about why the speaker thought the court would uphold the law, the conservatives kept celebrating.

At around noon, most of the tea party supporters left the court for an AFP rally a few blocks down, where they met thousands of others in a park across the street from the Senate.

Conservatives demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court Monday (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

WASHINGTON—It's a frigid morning here outside the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill, as a few hundred early rising, sign-toting demonstrators march in circles below the white marble steps. Conservative and liberal groups have both set up P.A. systems along the sidewalk and are trying to outshout one another, while foot soldiers wave signs in front of them.

"Protect our care, protect the law!" one man belts into his microphone.

At the same time—and with the same cadence as though they're in unison—a woman chants, "Stop Obamacare, we love freedom!"

Signs trot by demanding "Birth control for me" and "Keep your Ovaries off my Rosaries." One man is wearing a dress like the Statue of Liberty. The Black Eyed Peas play on the loudspeakers.

And this is just the calm before the storm.

If he fails to best Mitt Romney in the race for the party nomination, Rick Santorum would be open to serving as vice president, the former Pennsylvania senator told the Christian Broadcast Network on Monday.

Here's a partial transcript of the interview with CBN's David Brody, which will air later this week:

Brody: If he for some reason asks you to be the vice presidential candidate on his ticket? I know, after is all said and done. Would you even consider it?

Santorum: Of course. I mean, look. I would do in this race as I always say, this is the most important race in our country's history. I'm going to do everything I can. I'm doing everything I can. I'm out there. In the last 10 months, I've had five days off. Two for Thanksgiving, and three for Christmas.

I've been working every single day. My wife and my kids, we're just busting our tail, because we know their future and all of our children's future is at stake in this election. And I don't want to be the guy who has to sit with my granddaughter, 20 years from now, and tell stories about an America where people once were free. I don't want to have that conversation.

Brody: So, you're keeping your options open.

Santorum: I'll do whatever is necessary to help our country.

A woman waits outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

WASHINGTON—Temperatures are expected to dip below freezing overnight Monday, and Charles Medley will spend the whole time outdoors near the base of the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. Why? He's hoping to hold a coveted place near the front of a line for access to the oral arguments over the federal health care law.

But when the second day of arguments begins Tuesday morning, Medley won't actually be going inside. He's one of about 25 people camping out Monday—some paid just $5 an hour—to hold a place for somebody else interested in watching the health care hearings. Tickets for Supreme Court cases are granted on a first-come-first-serve basis, and because of the enormous popularity of this case, anyone without a special pass or media credential is required to wait for several hours or pay someone to do it for them.

Prices for D.C. line-standers vary widely. Some say they make as much as $15 an hour, while others bring in a third of that. Most don't want to reveal who they're working for, or simply say they don't know to avoid divulging any details. The majority of the people getting paid to hold a spot are unemployed; some are homeless. However, there are actual businesses in the D.C. area that specialize in this, charging as much as $50 per hour to save your place.

Medley, an out-of-work subcontractor who said he found out about the opportunity through a friend, arrived in front of the Supreme Court building at about 2:30 Sunday afternoon. He spent Sunday night outside shielding himself from a light rain, and will sleep on the street here until Wednesday morning, the final day of the hearings. He gets an hour and a half break for lunch each day—people rotate in and out to save spots—and he treks a half a mile to Union Station to use the restroom.

"They're paying for us to stay here for three days," he said, surrounded by new friends perched on lawn chairs who were also holding spots for other people. "It's got to be something real important."