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April 2, 2009

Stevens Case a Blow to DOJ

Criminal defense lawyers on Wednesday said the Justice Department’s decision to abandon the prosecution of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) underscores the burden on prosecutors not to cheat to get a conviction of a high-profile target.

Reid Shifts Blame in Recount Fight

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) shifted his guns Wednesday in the ongoing battle over Minnesota’s vacant Senate seat, redirecting his fire from the GOP candidate challenging the recount to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas).

Sans N.Y. Result, Parties Plot

With the result of the special election in New York’s 20th district likely to remain up in the air for weeks, both parties were essentially robbed of the chance to take their rhetorical victory lap in a competitive contest that they were hoping would set the tone for the 2010 election cycle.

Labor Has Yet to Press Obama Over Card Check

Labor leaders are giving President Barack Obama a pass — for now — on his failure to put “card check” legislation at the top of his to-do list, but they are preparing to demand immediate action if Democrat Al Franken is seated as Minnesota’s Senator.

Small Business Takes to the Hill

When Chuy Medrano decided to take the trip from Colorado to Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s fly-in on the Employee Free Choice Act, it had nothing to do with the potential glamour of meeting powerful lawmakers.

Heard on the Hill: We're Dye-ing to Know

Sen. Tom Carper (D) might be the new senior Senator from Delaware, but it doesn’t seem that he wants to look the part.

D.C. Vote Hinges on Guns, Not DOJ

Negotiations over the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act probably won’t be affected by news that the Department of Justice is split over whether the bill is constitutional, according to Members and staffers on both sides of the issue.

Panel Tackles Museum Asbestos Claims

At a House Administration Committee hearing Wednesday, Smithsonian officials and safety experts were divided on how effective the institution has been in handling asbestos in its museums.

A Three-Way Fix for Health Reform That Saves Money

Before President Barack Obama and Congress overhaul the U.S. health care system at great expense — and, as things look now, without a cost-control mechanism — they ought to consider an alternative conceptual framework.

New York's 20th: It Is a Little Like Kissing Your Sister

It’s overtime in New York’s 20th, where Democrat Scott Murphy’s lead over Republican Jim Tedisco is so small that absentee ballots will determine the district’s next Congressman.

End Automatic Bonuses for Congress

Americans are right to be outraged about taxpayer-funded bonuses. These bonuses are paid every year, usually with no public scrutiny. The folks getting the bonuses feel that they are entitled to them, regardless of their performance. It’s an unfair system that the American people shouldn’t have to put up with, especially in these tough economic times.

GOP-illotine

The latest cartoon from R.J. Matson.

New York House Special: Welcome to Overtime

As they came to grips Wednesday with the knowledge that a new Congressman from New York’s 20th district won’t be sworn in for at least another two weeks, leaders from both political parties worked to spin the too-close-to-call results from Tuesday’s special election and insist that their candidate would have the upper hand when absentee ballots are tallied in the days ahead.

20th District Result Could Affect Massa

Not only is the deadlocked special election in New York’s 20th district leaving that seat vacant for at least a few more weeks, it is also leaving another House race in upstate New York in limbo.

Too Enticing a Target?

Central Arizona’s 5th district offers some enticing statistics for any Republicans looking to challenge sophomore Rep. Harry Mitchell (D) in 2010.

Shop Talk: Making a Lizst, Checking It Twice

Democratic polling firm Anzalone Liszt Research has hired Matt Hogan to be its new vice president.

Alaska: Parnell Weighing Rematch With Young

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell (R) is considering a primary rematch against Rep. Don Young next year. According to sources close to the lieutenant governor, Parnell is leaving the door open to another bid for Alaska’s at-large seat after he came close to defeating the 19-term lawmaker last year.

Texas: Big Haul for Possible McCaul Challenger

Wealthy businessman Jack McDonald (D), who is exploring a possible bid against Rep. Michael McCaul (R) in the 10th district, announced Wednesday that he raised more than $300,000 in five weeks of fundraising before Tuesday’s first-quarter Federal Election Commission filing deadline.

Florida: Meek to Report Strong First-Quarter Fundraising

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) raised nearly $1.5 million in the first three months of the year for his campaign to replace retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R).

Ohio: Car Dealer Enters GOP Race Against Portman

Former Rep. Rob Portman has his first Senate primary challenger, as Cleveland car dealer Tom Ganley confirmed this week that he will also run for the GOP nomination in 2010.

California: Fiorina 'Seriously Considering' Senate Bid

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (R) told reporters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that despite recently undergoing breast cancer surgery and taking a part-time post as chairwoman of the Technology Policy Institute, she is still “seriously considering” running for Senate in 2010.

New Hampshire: Hodes Has Early Edge in Senate Race, Poll Says

Rep. Paul Hodes (D) begins his New Hampshire Senate bid with a small lead over a prospective opponent, according to recent poll results.

A Toast to Spring

Cherry blossoms aren’t the only pink things to grace Washington, D.C., this week. As flowers bloom along the Tidal Basin, bartenders all over town will be pouring pink, frilly drinks in honor of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. From cocktails to flights of wine, Mug Shots is serving a round up of where to go and what to taste.

Art Show Reveals China's Modern, Industrialized Side

In artist Chi Peng’s “Why Should I Love You?” print, a building shaped like a human towers over a large Chinese city.

Women Pitch New Bipartisan Group

After Jackie Speier won her first election in 1980, she picked an old fight and won it with a new strategy. She had just been elected the only woman on the San Mateo (Calif.) County Board, and she was determined to follow up on an idea to establish a commission on women that had been shot down two years earlier.

Photo From the Attic: That's Showmanship

While Capitol Hill has long played host to numerous celebrities, not everyone gets to wield the Speaker’s gavel. In this 1965 photograph, Speaker John McCormack (D-Mass.) demonstrates to Liberace, the piano showman who was wildly popular from the 1940s through the 1980s, how to use the gavel. On his left is Democratic Rep. Clement Zablocki of Wisconsin, who represented Liberace’s home district.