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Lawmakers struggle over guest workers in immigration bill

May 15, 2013 12:32
By Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the Senate gets ready to debate the details of a broad U.S. immigration bill, a group of House of Representatives lawmakers is still struggling to write its own legislation, hung up in part over guest worker programs sought by businesses. Programs allowing employers in high-tech, agriculture, construction and other industries to hire foreign workers were also a stumbling block for senators who introduced a separate immigration bill last month.

Battle lines drawn as US Senate readies gun debate

April 15, 2013 23:30
The most significant US Senate debate on gun laws in 20 years starts Tuesday with the chamber introducing a bipartisan compromise on background checks, as both sides expect a razor-thin vote this week. The measure's two primary authors, Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey, spent much of Monday scouring the 100-member chamber for last-minute support for the deal, which got a surprise boost when the second-largest US gun rights group came out in favor of it.

US Republicans oppose gay marriage, in Hollywood

April 12, 2013 21:15
US Republicans reaffirmed their opposition to gay marriage Friday, as they closed a three-day meeting vowing to reach out to liberals, symbolically in the lion's den of liberal Hollywood. The Republican National Committee proclaimed that marriage was a "relationship that only a man and a woman can form" and urged the Supreme Court to rule against same-sex marriage in two key cases before it.

Gun control bill clears first hurdle in US Senate

April 12, 2013 16:18
Gun control supporters won the first Senate showdown Thursday over how to respond to the December school carnage in Connecticut, defeating an effort by conservatives to derail a package of firearms restrictions before debate could even start.The 68-31 roll call gave an early burst of momentum to efforts by President Barack Obama and lawmakers to push fresh but modest gun curbs through Congress.

Huh? US lawmakers suddenly getting along

April 11, 2013 23:46
Cherry blossoms aren't the only things in bloom in the US capital these days. Progress and bipartisanship are, if not in full flower, at least pushing through cracks in longstanding political gridlock. By most accounts, the recent accomplishments on Capitol Hill have been anything but ordinary, as lawmakers appear eager to erase their reputation as the "do-nothing Congress."

FBI investigating alleged bugging of Republican senator's office

April 9, 2013 20:47
Washington, Apr 9 (EFE).- The FBI said Tuesday that it is "looking into" who may have bugged Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office and taped him at a private meeting with members of his reelection campaign discussing strategies to discredit a possible election rival. "I can only confirm that we were contacted by Sen. McConnell's office and that we are looking into those accusations," Mary Trotman, an FBI spokesperson in Louisville, Kentucky, told Efe.

Democrats pressure Republicans for a vote on guns

April 9, 2013 18:48
US Senate Democrats on Tuesday demanded a vote on a gun bill as Vice President Joe Biden slammed a Republican threat of a filibuster as "mind-boggling" in the wake of the Newtown massacre. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was shocked that 13 conservative senators had lined up to block the vote, and promised to overcome the tactic, known as a filibuster, with a procedural vote on Thursday.

U.S. Senate group resolves key issues on immigration reform - lawmakers

March 31, 2013 15:00
By Thomas Ferraro and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With U.S. business and labour now in agreement, a bipartisan group of senators has resolved all major issues in a pending deal to overhaul the U.S. immigration system and aims to unveil it after Congress reconvenes in the second week of April, key lawmakers said on Sunday.

Outlook improves dramatically for U.S. immigration deal

March 30, 2013 16:45
By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prospects for a U.S. law to create a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants brightened on Saturday after major business and labour groups reached an agreement on a guest-worker program, a source familiar with the deal said.

Hillary Clinton supports same-sex marriage

March 18, 2013 16:31
Washington, Mar 18 (EFE).- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her support for same-sex marriage Monday in a video on the Human Rights Campaign Web site. Gays, lesbians and transgender people "are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends, our loved ones. And they are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship - that includes marriage," she said in a statement some saw as an indication of her possible candidacy for president in 2016.
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