U.S. Congress News

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Charlie Crist is slightly ahead of Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way general election matchup for the U.S. Senate while the race to succeed Crist as governor is about even, a poll released Friday suggests. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Republicans wanted an election-season ethics case against Democratic powerhouse Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. And now, it looks like they have one. Full Story »

A House investigative panel filed 13 charges of ethical wrongdoing against Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. Among them are allegations that Rangel: Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three months after the catastrophic oil rig explosion that sent millions of gallons of crude spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. House of Representatives was poised on Friday to debate legislation clamping down on the industry's offshore drilling practices. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Estimates of the number of graves that might be affected by mix-ups at Arlington National Cemetery grew from hundreds to as many as 6,600 on Thursday, as the cemetery's former superintendent blamed his staff and a lack of resources for the scandal that forced his ouster. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - The House has rejected a bill that would pay up to $7.4 billion in aid to people sickened by toxic dust from the World Trade Center. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - On the surface, a judge's decision to block tough provisions of Arizona's immigration law was a defeat for the state's Republican governor and a win for the Democratic Obama administration. But neither party is sure it will play out that way politically, either this fall or beyond. Full Story »

CHICAGO - Vote early, vote often. It's an old joke in Illinois politics but state residents will be choosing twice in November to fill President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - A US senator said investigators could be sent to Britain to quiz witnesses who refused to travel to Washington to testify at a Senate probe into the release of the Lockerbie bomber. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republicans blocked a $30-billion plan to help community banks boost lending to small businesses, dealing a blow to President Barack Obama's election-year battle to reduce unemployment. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Representative Charles Rangel reached a tentative plea agreement on ethics charges on Thursday, but Republicans may reject it and push for a trial that could hurt his fellow Democrats in the November elections. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The House ethics committee on Thursday accused veteran US Representative Charles Rangel of 13 violations including financial wrongdoing, a potential headache for Democrats three months ahead of mid-term elections. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate plans to hold a procedural vote next Wednesday to test whether there is enough support to pass legislation clamping down on offshore oil drilling procedures and expanding alternative energy, a Democratic aide said on Thursday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US military authorities lost track or mishandled remains at thousands of gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery, where many national heroes are buried, a Senate report revealed Thursday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON — A special House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday outlined 13 counts of ethics violations against Rep. Charles Rangel, the former chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. The charges place his political career in jeopardy and could put Democrats on the defensive as November's elections approach. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's nominee to be chief of U.S. intelligence, James R. Clapper, was unanimously approved Thursday by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Full Story »

CHICAGO - Jurors deciding if former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to sell President Barack Obama's old Senate seat were out of sight Thursday, a far more benign result for Democrats than if the corruption trial had lasted through the summer as expected while the party geared up for tough elections. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday unanimously approved James Clapper to be President Barack Obama's intelligence chief, sending the nomination to the full Senate. Full Story »