West Virginia Newcomer Battles Carpetbagger Label

RIPLEY, W.Va. -- At the local Fourth of July parade, Alex Mooney proudly showed off his West Virginia concealed gun permit. The Republican’s campaign colors are blue and gold -- echoing the Mountain State’s flagship public college, West Virginia University. In a gold polo shirt, Mooney pointed to his son sporting a WVU baseball cap, standing near the campaign’s pickup truck stuffed with gold balloons.

• Shelley Moore Capito Campaigns Amid Father's Complicated Legacy
• 'Nicky Joe' Bets Political Survival on His Local Brand

Getting to the Meat of the Matter in Texas

From the looks of things on social media, folks in the Lone Star State can’t quite figure out exactly what they should be stuffing their faces with.

Photos: Storm Clouds Over Washington

Photo Editor Bill Clark braved the bad weather this week to capture some stunning images of ominous clouds over the Capitol. As you can see from the photos below, photographers often take the same objects and frame them differently to try to get the best results. Which framing of the Supreme Court do you like the best?

Pelosi Still Supports Senate-Passed ENDA Despite Diminishing LGBT Support

As advocacy groups withdraw support for a Senate-passed bill to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered employees from discrimination in the workplace, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi signaled on Thursday that she was still prepared to support the legislation should it come to the House floor.

• Pelosi Slams Boehner Lawsuit of Obama

Former Congresswoman Loans $500,000 to Her Comeback Campaign

Former Rep. Nan Hayworth, R-N.Y., has injected hundreds of thousands of dollars into her campaign to defeat freshman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y.

• Dan Benishek Raises $487,000 in Top Michigan House Race
• Carl DeMaio Reserves $1.2 Million in Fall TV Time

GPO Might Turn Employee Parking Lot Into Commercial Development

In addition to plans to trim 100 workers from its ranks, the Government Printing Office is considering commercial development of an employee parking lot about a block west of Union Station.

House Side of U.S. Capitol Reopens After Asbestos Spill

The House side of the U.S. Capitol reopened at 9 a.m. after being briefly closed this morning so that Capitol Police and a hazardous materials team could address an asbestos spill that had occurred overnight. Portions of the building, though, will remain closed throughout the day. House leaders decided not to convene morning hour at 10 a.m. due to the accident, but were expected to go ahead with legislative business at noon.

Rubio Calls for Obama to Help Vet in Mexican Jail

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., voiced concerns Thursday about a Mexican judge’s decision to return Afghanistan war veteran Andrew Tahmooressi to jail for breaking Mexico’s strict gun laws.

CBO Score Continues to Vex Veterans Bill Talks

The sky-high CBO score for a veterans’ health care overhaul continues to stall progress weeks after separate bills blitzed through the House and Senate.

House Subcommittee Votes to Eliminate Funds for Eisenhower Memorial

Funding for the Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial would be eliminated in fiscal 2015 under a bill advanced Wednesday by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment.

Howard Coble Wields Influence in North Carolina Race

Outgoing Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., has become a fixture in the GOP runoff to determine his successor in the 6th District.

Health Insurance for Congress and Staff: It's Complicated

As members of Congress and their staffs head into their second year of enrollment in D.C.’s health exchange, they’ll decide among plans that range from a double-digit increase to a double-digit percent decrease in premiums, even as providers go in different directions that will result in fewer overall plans to choose from.

Cuban Conspiracy Aside, Menendez Troubles Remain

In the short term, anyway, the tide of good news seems to have turned in favor of Robert Menendez.

Democrats' Hobby Lobby Response Would Curtail Religious Freedom Law (Video)

If Sen. Patty Murray and fellow Democrats get their way, employers wouldn’t be able to use a 1990s-era law to avoid Obamacare health coverage mandates for contraception.

Woodall Wins Unopposed Election to Interim RSC Chairman

Rep. Rob Woodall of Georgia was unanimously selected to be the chairman of the Republican Study Committee for the remainder of the 113th Congress.

Embezzlement Charges Against Capitol Police Officer Stir Up Criticism of Department Hiring

A guilty plea to embezzlement charges from the head of the Capitol Police’s Office of Diversity provoked U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Richard J. Leon to exclaim, “I’ve never seen anything like this in my 12 years here.”

Obama's $4B Bill for Border Surge Gets Frosty Reception on the Right

Reaction to President Barack Obama’s request for almost $4 billion in emergency funds to deal with the Texas border crisis was met with skepticism Tuesday by most Republicans, but especially by hard-liners who have consistently blamed White House policies for the surge in illegal immigration.

• Obama Asking Congress for $4.3 Billion for Border Crisis, Wildfires
• A Tale of Two Congressional Visits to the Southwest Border
• Obama Still Needs Congress to Show Him the Money

Mitch McConnell: It's Clear Thad Cochran Won Mississippi Runoff

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky dismissed allegations from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, of impropriety in the Mississippi Republican primary — but noted it’s an issue for state officials to decide.

• Chris McDaniel Campaign Wants Runoff Redo

RNC 2016 Convention Heads to Cleveland

The Republican National Convention is headed to The Cleve in 2016.

• Chowing Down, Cleveland-Style

Members in Waiting: The 20 Candidates Headed to D.C.

Perhaps by design, and maybe because of circumstance, Jim Risch remains among the least recognized senators after almost six years on the job. But, given the course of his path to Congress, he was at a big disadvantage from the start — if getting noticed was his desire.

Did House Travel Disclosure Rules Change? | A Question of Ethics

Q. I am hoping you can clear up some confusion about the controversy over news that the House Ethics Committee changed the rules to limit Members’ disclosure of gifts of free travel on annual financial disclosure forms. The reactions seemed all over the place. Some said that it was a big step backwards. Others said that nothing really changed. So, what’s the story?

Postmortem on the 'Patent Troll' Bill: Leahy Says Reid Killed It

When Sen. Patrick J. Leahy abruptly shelved legislation targeted at companies that file abusive patent infringement lawsuits back in May, the Vermont Democrat said it was because of a lack of consensus from stakeholders. But in an an interview with a home-state newspaper Leahy said he was “furious” that Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively shelved the bill.

Waiting for the 'SuperJob'

Like your job? But what if there is something out there even better for you — fancier title, higher tax bracket, maybe even a MacBook Air? How do you decide when to leave a good job for something that could be better? Hill Navigator discusses.

D.C. Activists Declare Independence From Andy Harris

If you face less traffic on your July Fourth escape to Ocean City, you can thank the activists at DC Vote. The champions of local autonomy are recruiting D.C. residents to boycott the beach in defense of Home Rule.