Politics

Activists Gather On Washington Mall To Protest Police Violence

1:38pm December 14, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

Civil rights leaders and other activists are marching in Washington, D.C., following the shooting deaths of blacks by police officers. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to reporter Hansi Lo Wang on the scene.

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Senate Passes $1.1 Trillion Spending Bill

12:18pm December 14, 2014

The Senate voted late Saturday to pass a bill that will fund the government through the end of the fiscal year. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to NPR's Mara Liasson about the rare Saturday session.

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Outrage On The Left And Right As Senate Delays Spending Vote

2:21pm December 13, 2014

by Ailsa Chang

The Senate is poised to pass the trillion-dollar spending bill that narrowly cleared the House this week, but anger about the measure from both parties has delayed the proceedings.

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Levin, Harkin, Coburn Among Senators Bidding Adieu

2:21pm December 13, 2014

by Don Gonyea

The end of the 113th Congress means a lot of goodbyes for retiring members and for those who lost in November. That means, at least for a moment, partisanship took some time off on the Senate floor.

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Government Funding Bill Rolls Back Trucker Rest Requirements

2:21pm December 13, 2014

by Brian Naylor

One of the many policy riders tucked inside the trillion-dollar spending bill reverses a rule that long-haul truckers take two nights off for every 70 hours they drive. Safety groups are angry.

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Rep. John Dingell, seen here in June, was admitted to a hospital Friday as a precautionary measure. The Democrat is retiring as the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history.

Dingell Admitted To Hospital, One Day After Casting Last Vote In House

4:48pm December 12, 2014

by Bill Chappell

The long-serving Democrat's office didn't give details on Rep. John Dingell's condition, other than to say he was under observation and "resting comfortably."

House's Budget Bill Debate Unveiled Democratic Rifts, GOP Ambitions

2:43pm December 12, 2014

by Juana Summers

Passing the spending package took intense lobbying from the president to get 60 Democrats on board, and persistence by soon-to-be-Speaker John Boehner to fend off the most Republican representatives.

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The U.S. Capitol is seen at dusk Thursday. The House approved a massive spending bill just hours before a midnight deadline to fund the federal government.

'Cromnibus' Spending Bill Passes, Just Hours Before Deadline

8:08am December 12, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Faced with uncertainty over Congress meeting its deadline to approve a bill, the House's leadership decided to vote on both a long-term spending bill and a stop-gap continuing resolution.

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Even Under Obama, Black Activist Says Every Inch Of Progress Is A Fight

7:02am December 12, 2014

by Cheryl Corley

President Obama has said he'll work to improve race relations between police and communitie, but in his hometown, many see a leader unable to sustain the progress predicted during his 2008 campaign.

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Black congressional staffers hold their hands up as they pose for a group photo during a walkout on on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Thursday, in a protest over the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases.

Staffers Walk Out Of Congress In Protest Over Brown And Garner Cases

6:15pm December 11, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Dozens of congressional staff walked out of the Capitol Thursday, gathering on the steps to make the hands-up gesture that has come to symbolize frustration with the deaths of two unarmed black men.