May 18 Watch Senators Press CIA Nominee on Legality of Surveillance Efforts In the face of close questioning by senators, Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, President Bush's nominee for CIA director, strongly defended a domestic eavesdropping program Thursday, saying it protected the country against terrorism and did not violate Americans' civil rights. Continue watching
May 10 Watch White House Lawyer Brett Kavanaugh Holds Judicial Nomination for D.C. Fed. Court A new round of Senate battles began Tuesday over President Bush's judicial nominations. White House lawyer Brett Kavanaugh went before the Senate Judiciary Committee to warrant a seat on the District of Columbia Federal Court of Appeals. Continue watching
May 04 Congress Set to Hammer Out Competing Lobbying Reform Bills By PBS NewsHour With House passage Wednesday of legislation aimed at reforming the relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists, a conference committee must now hammer out critical differences between the House bill and a measure adopted by the Senate in March. Continue reading
Mar 01 Senate Approves Patriot Act Changes By PBS NewsHour The Senate voted Wednesday to renew the USA Patriot Act with some checks on government power, but some Democrats and civil liberties groups protest the act would still infringe on people's privacy. Continue reading
May 25 House Approves Stem Cell Bill; Senators Call for Action By PBS NewsHour Despite President Bush's veto threat, senators who support embryonic stem cell research on Wednesday called for a quick vote on a House-approved bill to allow more funding of stem cell research on human embryos that would otherwise be discarded. Continue reading
May 24 Deal Averts Filibuster Showdown in Senate By PBS NewsHour A bipartisan group of senators struck a deal Monday night to allow a vote on a handful of President Bush's judicial nominees while maintaining the Democrats' right to filibuster others under "extraordinary circumstances."… Continue reading
Apr 21 Senate Passes $81 Billion in Extra Funding for Afghanistan, Iraq By PBS NewsHour The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved $81 billion in additional emergency funding for security and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Continue reading
Nov 03 GOP Gains Senate Seats in Hotly Contested Races Republicans secured 55 seats in the Senate after Tuesday's election -- a gain of four, leaving Democrats disappointed in an election they had hoped would help them take back Senate control. Continue reading
Oct 28 Candidate Empties Bank Account in Final Days of Campaign By PBS NewsHour As the most expensive Senate race in Oklahoma history reaches the home stretch, Republican Tom Coburn has spent down to $60,000 in his campaign bank account, while opponent Democrat Brad Carson has more than ten times that amount. Continue reading
Oct 06 South Carolina Senate Debate Focuses on Local Issues By PBS NewsHour The first of five televised debates between South Carolina Senate candidates Republican Jim DeMint and Democrat Inez Tenenbaum was an acrimonious affair that continued to focus on more local, less national, issues. Continue reading