Democrat Poll: Freshman Barely Leads Carl DeMaio in California

Freshman Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., holds a slight lead over his GOP challenger, former San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio, more than three months from Election Day, in a new poll conducted for House Majority PAC and provided first to CQ Roll Call.

Ratings Change: Montana Senate

As Roll Call was preparing to post my column yesterday on the Montana Senate race and recent Democratic polls showing the contest “closing,” a report surfaced in the New York Times about appointed Senator John Walsh’s plagiarism in his master’s thesis.

• Montana Senate: A Real Race or Simply Manufactured Buzz?
• John Walsh, Your Canned Response Is Ready

Why a Namesake Post Office Is All Barry Goldwater Might Get This Year

Few things Congress does come in for more ridicule than its penchant for naming post offices. While the exercise soaks up some floor time and keeps the clerks busy, it alters public policy not one bit. Instead, each new honorific provides lawmakers with nothing beyond a sliver of feel-good accomplishment.

FAA Lifts Ban on U.S. Flights to Israel’s Main Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration late Wednesday night cancelled its restrictions on U.S. airline flights into and out of Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport.

• Cruz Threatens to Delay State Department Nominees Over FAA's Israel Flight Ban

Medical Credit Card Industry Sized Up by GAO

A group of congressional Democrats last year requested a Government Accountability Office report on companies offering “third party consumer financial products” through medical credit cards and installment loans to cover selected health procedures not normally covered by insurance.

Art and Soul Toques Revere Shared Past, Anticipate Promising Futures

There’ll be a changing of the culinary guard in the Art and Soul kitchen at the end of this month, as Wes Morton hands control of the thriving Hillside dining operation to incoming Executive Chef Doug Alexander.

For D.C. Statehood Activists, Obama's Actions Leave 'a Lot to Be Desired'

When voters elected Barack Obama in 2008, District of Columbia residents were thrilled to see a senator who backed a bill to give them voting rights in Congress head to the White House.

Key Senator Warns He Might Block Iraq Arms Sales Again

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., feuded with the administration over a $6 billion sale of Apache helicopters to Iraq earlier this year, when he played a key role in blocking the deal for a while. On Thursday, he threatened that he might hold up potential future deals — but for a slightly different reason this time.

Internet Sales Tax Bill Dealt a Blow; Wyden Cheers

Majority Leader Harry Reid is quietly stepping back from his intention to bundle an Internet tax moratorium with a more contentious proposal to allow states to collect online sales taxes, at least for now.

Number of Potential Senators in the House Dwindles

Rep. Jack Kingston’s Tuesday defeat in a Senate primary runoff means no more than nine House members could join the ranks of the Senate in the 114th Congress — and that number could shrink again next month.

Capitol Police Stop Another Gun From Entering Cannon

Updated 12:25 p.m. | Capitol Police confiscated a 9mm Ruger handgun from the bag of Camden, S.C., resident Ronald William Prestage shortly after 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning at the Cannon House Office Building. Prestage, 59, was arrested and charged with carrying a pistol without a license, a District of Columbia offense that carries up to five years in prison.

Senate Democrats Count on Bulging War Chests for Final Months

If Senate Democrats lose the majority, it won’t be for lack of cash-flush campaigns. Facing a daunting map, Democrats turned in solid — sometimes eye-popping — second-quarter fundraising totals for the midterms.

Spending Impasse Solidifies With Midterm Results Holding Next Move

This week notwithstanding, this summer on the Hill has been less sticky than usual. But it’s shaping up to be as somnolent as ever.

Chris McDaniel Finished Mississippi Senate Runoff With $386,000

Chris McDaniel, who may soon launch an official challenge to the results of the Mississippi Republican Senate runoff, still had $386,000 in his campaign coffers a week after the late June election, according to his July quarterly report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

House Could Vote on Stopgap Before August Recess

House leaders may consider moving as early as next week a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through the first months of fiscal 2015, according to two House Republican aides and one Democratic aide.

Reid: 'Absurd' Obamacare Decision Vindicates 'Nuclear Option' (Video)

Senate Democrats are hoping their use of the “nuclear option” to end a Republican blockade of circuit court nominees last year will help overturn a 2-1 appeals court ruling with the potential to gut Obamacare tax subsidies for millions.

• Boehner on Obamacare: 'It Cannot Be Fixed'
• Obamacare Ruling a Balm to Boehner, Headache for Obama

How to Suffer Fools Gladly | Hill Navigator

Every office has one: The person whom you aren’t quite sure how he landed a job. Or how she graduated college. Or managed to wear matching shoes.

Georgia Runoff Results: David Perdue Wins GOP Nod for Senate (Video)

Businessman David Perdue’s outsider narrative and personal wealth propelled him to the Republican nomination Tuesday in the Georgia Senate race, defeating Rep. Jack Kingston.

• House Races: Bob Barr Loses Comeback Bid

D.C. Residents Keep Facing Questions About Identification

A District of Columbia driver’s license should be enough identification to allow citizens to board a plane or enter a federal building, according to federal and local officials. So how come there’s so much confusion on the topic?

GOP Struggles With Fundraising for Women's Initiatives

It’s been a promising year for Republican women who have set out to fix their party’s “woman problem,” but not good enough for their bank accounts.

Chaffetz on Oversight: More Results, Less Confrontation

In the past 89 years, there have been four members of Congress who became committee chairmen in their fourth term. Rep. Jason Chaffetz is trying to become the fifth.

Senate Needs 'Magic' to Complete Pre-Recess Agenda (Video)

The Senate might just have too much to do before departing for August recess.

Tennessee Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Obama, Romney, Paul Ryan

Police have arrested a Tennessee man who allegedly threatened to kill President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Rep. Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., and shoot other national and local officials.

Democratic Poll: The Issues That Resonate With Single Women Voters

A new poll of likely voters in 12 Senate battleground states suggests a populist economic message and focus on women’s health issues could help Democrats improve their standing with unmarried women voters in advance of the midterm elections.

Back in the Beltway and Looking for a Capitol Hill Job

Sometimes it takes time away from D.C. to realize this is where you want to be. But how do you get back on the job market after you return? Hill Navigator discusses.

Bill Clinton Had Secret Meeting With Obama in Oval Office May 1

President Barack Obama met secretly with former President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office May 1 — a meeting revealed to the public months later by a photo released by Pete Souza, the official White House photographer.

When Is a Tweet an Ethics Violation? | A Question of Ethics

It’s not really against the rules for staffers to tweet endorsements of other candidates, is it?

Nomination Backlog Frustrates Administration, Democrats as August Looms

A pileup of nominations — particularly for scores of would-be U.S. ambassadors — has the Obama administration pushing hard for Senate action ahead of the August recess, while senators want to get home to campaign before the midterms.

Federal Judge Tosses Ron Johnson's Obamacare Lawsuit

A federal judge based in Green Bay has tossed a Sen. Ron Johnson’s Obamacare lawsuit targeting the health benefits for members of Congress and their staff.

Capitol Police Complete Investigation of Suspicious Substance in CVC

Updated 10:38 a.m. | Capitol Police sealed entrances to the Capitol Visitor Center shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday, in response to a suspicious substance.

'Simple' Doesn’t Equal 'Easy' in N.H. Senate Race

Having written about House and Senate races for the past 30 years, I’ve seen plenty of press releases, polling memos and campaign strategy emails. But rarely have I received anything as silly as a July 9 press release from New Hampshire Republican Senate hopeful Scott P. Brown’s campaign, which presented the challenger’s alleged “Path To Victory.”

The Re-Education of Rick Nolan

Minnesota Democrats have two problems: The 8th District has changed, and Rep. Rick Nolan doesn’t want to change with it.

Ryan Shucard Case Highlights Gun Law Discrepancies

Staff in Rep. Tom Marino’s office are convinced that Ryan Shucard, the press secretary that arrived at the Cannon House Office building toting a 9 mm handgun on Friday morning, was not planning to harm anyone with the gun.

Dads on Capitol Hill: House Paternity Leave Varies Widely

Matt Dennis wasn’t used to making reporters wait for a response. But when he was on paternity leave, his newborn son Jonah took priority over his boss, Democratic Rep. Nita M. Lowey of New York, so he put the BlackBerry aside.

• Experts Weigh In on Capitol Hill Paternity Leave Policy

Oklahoma Republicans to Obama: No More Child Migrants at Fort Sill

The Oklahoma congressional delegation is proud of its Fort Sill Army Base, but that doesn’t mean it wants to play host to thousands more unaccompanied child migrants awaiting deportation proceedings.

• Obama Convenes Meeting on Border Crisis as Flood of Migrants Slows