Politics - Congressional Quarterly

In an effort to mitigate the effects of the economic slide on senior citizens, Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller and Labor and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Rob Andrews called Friday on Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. to suspend tax penalties for seniors who do not withdraw required monthly sums from their retirement accounts.

Virginia Rep. Thomas M. Davis III headed the Republicans' successful national House campaign efforts in the 2000 and 2002 election cycles as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). So it is a sign of the difficult straits that his party is in these days that Davis -- at a luncheon event Friday at which he paired off with the Democrats' current chief House campaign strategist -- said the Republicans appear certain to lose a sizable number of seats for the second consecutive election.

House Democratic leaders plan to hear Monday from former Clinton administration officials, a Midwest governor and their go-to economists as they consider putting together a new economic stimulus or recovery bill that could include another round of rebates or tax credits.

There is no surer way to earn the devotion of one's party than to give it a vast sum of money, as Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts did this week, transferring $1 million from his Senate campaign account to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell vouched Friday for the character of Sen. Ted Stevens, who is being tried on charges of concealing more than $250,000 worth of gifts.

Secret communications between the judge and prosecutors in the corruption case against Rep. William J. Jefferson will remain secret.

The House is not in session.

Sen. Larry E. Craig is retiring from politics this year, but he hasn't stopped raising money.

The rebellion of conservative House Republicans that greatly complicated efforts to enact the financial industry "rescue" (or "bailout") plan came in the midst of one of the most fiercely contested national elections in years, as Republicans fight to stave off a Democratic takeover of the White House and big gains that would reinforce the Democrats' current majorities in the House and the Senate.

Ted Stevens' closest friend in the Senate took the stand Thursday at the Alaska Republican's federal corruption trial and told jurors that Stevens, who is accused of illegally concealing gifts, is an honorable man whom he would trust with his life.

Pentagon officials have prepared a new estimate for defense spending that is $450 billion more over the next five years than previously announced figures.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus is demanding answers from the Federal Reserve about its authority over insurance giant AIG as congressional anger grows over an expensive business event the company held shortly after the government bailed it out last month.

House Democratic leaders will return to the Capitol Monday to hear from economists as they push their case for a second economic stimulus package, an aide to Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Federal prosecutors Wednesday attempted to show that Sen. Ted Stevens kept close tabs on the renovation to his Girdwood, Alaska, home -- a key point if they expect a jury to find him guilty of concealing $250,000 worth of free construction and other gifts.

Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. called for a summit of world leaders to help coordinate the response to global financial turmoil Wednesday and said he hopes to have an assistant secretary confirmed by the Senate "as soon as possible" to administer a massive new bailout program approved by Congress last week.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama drew a sharp contrast with rival John McCain on government assistance for embattled homeowners on Wednesday, as a top Obama aide blasted McCain's proposal to pump $300 billion into buying troubled mortgages from lenders and renegotiating the terms for consumers.

The Federal Communications Commission confirmed it has launched a probe to address congressional questions about a Pentagon program viewed by some lawmakers as propaganda.

Jurors in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens listened Tuesday as prosecutors played a secretly recorded phone call in which two of the senator's close friends discussed concealing free repairs at Stevens' Alaska home.

A group of bipartisan senators proposed legislation Tuesday that would compel employers to tell employees what their health insurance costs -- a step, the senators said, toward getting a handle on the spiraling cost of medical care.

The federal budget outlook continued its bleak trajectory in fiscal 2008, with an estimated $438 billion deficit, congressional accountants said Tuesday -- a level they didn't think would be hit until fiscal 2009.

Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee released Tuesday their long-awaited draft legislation to cap greenhouse gas emissions.

A powerful House committee chairman Tuesday took on another of the financial institutions that have come to symbolize the nation's economic troubles, questioning the motives and business sense of the men who ran insurance giant AIG.

Deficit

With exactly four weeks to go before Election Day, CQ Politics' Balance of Power scorecards for the Senate and House of Representatives establish one certainty -- that the Democrats will maintain control of both chambers when the 111th Congress is sworn in come January -- and the very strong likelihood that the Democrats will expand the majorities they won by dominating the 2006 elections.

Asian-Americans comprise just 5 percent of the U.S. population, but their numbers are rising and they could have a significant impact on the presidential race. They prefer Barack Obama to John McCain in the Nov. 4 election, but a large percentage of Asian-Americans remain undecided -- including some in a number of closely contested states.

Months after enacting a new farm law, lawmakers are rehashing a fundamental argument: What constitutes an "actively engaged" farmer? The debate is more than academic, because only those who meet the criteria can qualify for federal agriculture subsidies.

The chairman of the House's oversight committee said Monday that the former head of failed investment bank Lehman Brothers failed to take responsibility for the firm's collapse.

Is it a baseless claim, or is there some truth to the Republican National Committee's complaint that Barack Obama's campaign has been illegally accepting donations from foreign nationals?