The White House briefing on Monday was a ritual in many ways, as the assembled reporters tried to get the White House Press Secretary to say something that he was just never going to say in front of a microphone.

Pleased with the success of the Cap and Trade bill in the House last Friday, President Obama on Monday kept up his calls for action in the Senate on the sweeping measure dealing with global warming.

A decision made by Chief Justice John Roberts may actually help Democrats argue for expedited Senate consideration of the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.

While the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling that was in part made by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, the political implications for her confirmation seemed somewhat muted, especially with the Congress out of town.

The U.S. Supreme Court will wrap up its term with three final rulings today, one of which could smack down Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

There was a lot of celebration and outrage expressed over the weekend by politicians and voters alike after the House on Friday approved a global warming bill from Democrats.

As I was slogging through the text of the Cap and Trade bill this weekend, something struck me. All of the stories I have done on this bill have never mentioned how much it would cost.

Congress is off this week, as lawmakers will rest up for what promises to be a brutal run through the month of July. Brutal in the sense of lots of work, and brutal in the sense that it will be brass tacks time on some big time issues.

Democrats are certainly taking home an almost unexpected win to a July 4th break, as they muscled a global warming bill through the House on a 219-212 vote.

The lobbying was furious on Thursday, as the White House and Democratic Leaders in the Congress tried to gain the votes needed to approve a controversial bill designed to limit the emission of pollutants that some argue cause global warming.

Here is the list of lawmakers that have earmarks in the Interior Appropriations bill being considered by the House, the amount of money they are worth and the number of projects.

Yesterday we showed you how President Obama had a good number of earmarks in the Interior Appropriations bill that is being considered by the House. Now here is your list of projects, with the dollar amount and which lawmakers asked for them.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford had plane reservations to stay in Argentina with his mistress for ten days, according to an airline industry source who reviewed Sanford's travel plans.

While Republicans have been trying to stir the pot over Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the current Justices could do some of that work for them as early as today.

There won't be any admission of defeat or anything, but Democrats have missed a self-imposed action deadline, failing to get any bill out of two Senate committees before going on a July 4th break.

Since the Congress began publicly listing which lawmakers request budget "earmarks," lawmakers have also been noting the projects that have been specifically asked for by the President as well.

The name for this blog comes from a graphic at the bottom of the screen on Fox News on Wednesday afternoon, soon after the absolutely must-see-TV involving South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, where he admitted having an affair with a woman in Argentina.

Another day with a lot of talk, but not much in the way of publicly announced progress on health care reform in the Congress, as President Obama once more made the case for action at a Tuesday news conference.

Usually, you don't see an exchange in a Presidential press conference where you wonder if a question has been arranged. But that's what some sensed on Tuesday.

As early as today, the U.S. House will consider a spending bill that funds Homeland Security operations for the next fiscal year, and true to form, it's becoming a magnet for home state earmarks.

A lot of people will be staying out of the first and last cars on the Washington, D.C. subway system in coming days.

It's clear the White House is trying hard to regain some momentum in the fight over health care reform, as critics continue to focus on the high cost of proposed changes from Democrats.

Democrats this week will try to jam a health care reform bill through a key Senate Committee in hopes of regaining some lost momentum on the issue.

Democrats have two budget bills on the schedule in the U.S. House this week before Congress takes a July 4th break. We'll see if it means more guerilla warfare over spending.

I would be curious to know how much packing has gone on so far in the offices of Justice David Souter, as the Supreme Court term comes to an end over the next week or two.

Yeah, if you had really sharp eyes, then you did see me on C-SPAN Friday night, next to the White House Press Secretary and just down a few seats from the President.

Democrats can try to sugar coat it all they want. This was not a good week for them in the drive for health care reform.

When I started working on Capitol Hill in 1980, it was a time when there were still some real live characters in the Congress, especially in the Senate.

War has been declared by both parties in the House of Representatives over the budget process, and that means it could be an ugly Summer of work on appropriations bills.

While the excitement level has waned a bit in recent days, Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor continues to meet quietly with Senators about her nomination, with just over three weeks until the start of her confirmation hearings.

As a US Senate committee begins work today on major health reform legislation, the fine print is still missing on what Democrats want to do on this hotly contested subject.

When I find something good, I figure I should keep after it, whether it is revealing earmarks in Congressional spending bills, or digging out some of the details in the war supplemental for Afghanistan and Iraq.

While lawmakers engaged in extramarital affairs are nothing new, the latest revelations also added in something a bit different - the word "blackmail."

Three years ago, Democrats in the House were denouncing what they considered an autocratic Republican Majority, angered by limits on debate and more. Now that Democrats are in charge, the two parties have switched roles.

The first budget bill for the next fiscal year hits the floor of the U.S. House today, chock full of home state earmarks that supposedly were going to be reined in by the Obama Administration.

Little by little, the debate over health care reform is taking shape, as in coming days, Democrats will have to actually put forward a complete legislative proposal on this hot button political issue.

Today we continue a quick look at some of the lesser known provisions in the war supplemental funding bill that is mainly aimed at funneling more money to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This week Democrats in Congress will try to approve extra money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But that "war supplemental" is about a lot more than just military and diplomatic work in those countries.

While I was out of town over the past week, I still managed to note a few happenings in DC that I figured needed at least a mention on my blog.

It didn't get much play last week, but a House Appropriations Subcommittee did something new, as officials released a list of earmarks stuffed into a broader spending bill for the next fiscal year.

The past speeches of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor seem likely to give more ammunition to critics already unsettled by her 2001 comment on "wise Latina women judges."

As a House Appropriations subcommittee got to work Thursday on next year's budget, we were given fresh evidence of why reporters were skeptical about President Obama's plans to cut $17 billion from the federal budget.

The added ethics scrutiny this week for Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Indiana) has again focused attention on ethics troubles for some Democrats that are simmering on the back burner.

The questions continue for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about her charge that the CIA lied to her about the use of waterboarding, but right now, there are no answers in response.

It has taken awhile, but we're finally starting to see some rumblings in the Congress against the idea of the U.S. government being in charge of General Motors after it emerges from bankruptcy.

The overnight emails in my Inbox included one interesting missive from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who says he went too far when he labeled Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor a "racist."

The President and some Democratic Senators seemed to have been in different meetings on Tuesday as they discussed health care reform at the White House.

House Republicans returned to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday talking tough again about Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her accusations that the CIA lied to her about the use of waterboarding on terrorist detainees.

We'll get a good idea today about whether this administration is ready for prime time as Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor starts paying courtesy visits on Senators.

What struck me more than anything about Monday's announcement on General Motors by President Obama was the way that he and White House officials addressed questions about day to day operations at GM.

As the U.S. House returns today from a 10 day break, we will get a better idea as to whether Republicans will keep up their attacks on Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her accusation that the CIA lied to her about the use of waterboarding on terror detainees.

One of the things that disappoints me the most about my time around the U.S. Congress has been how some lawmakers stay too long and then die in office.

The White House is refusing to say how much it cost to ferry the President and First Lady to New York City on Saturday for a Presidential Date Night.

We are into June, which means the watch is now on as the Supreme Court will make its way through the final rulings for the term, before going on a summer break.

One of my favorite parts of the sports page has always been the list of "Transactions," as in which players have been signed, cut, traded and more.