Congressional Glance
A group of more than 190 North Carolina religious leaders and other Christians, Jews, Quakers and a Muslim chaplain wrote in August to Sen. Richard Burr, urging him to support the release of the findings of an investigation into the post-9/11 treatment of terrorism suspects.
This week, the North Carolina Republican finally replied, saying he opposed making the 6,000-page report public.
Sen. Burr disappoints N.C. religious leaders on release of torture report
White House presses Senate to delay new Iran sanctions
The White House hosted a meeting of aides to Senate committee leaders on Thursday seeking to persuade lawmakers to hold off on a package of tough new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, a senior Senate aide said.
The White House will press for another delay on a sanctions bill that had been expected to come to a vote in the Senate Banking Committee last month but was held back after appeals from President Barack Obama's administration to let negotiations on Iran's nuclear program get under way.
Ex-House Speaker Tom Foley dies
Former House speaker Tom Foley, a Democrat who lost his congressional seat in the 1994 Republican revolution, has died. He was 84 years old and had been in declining health.
Foley's death was confirmed by a House Democratic aide, who asked for anonymity pending a statement from the family. Foley's wife, Heather, confirmed her husband's death Friday morning in an e-mail to SeattlePI.com.
House passes budget deal; Obama to sign 'immediately'
The U.S. Congress passed a last-minute deal Wednesday night to avert a damaging debt default and to reopen the government after a more than two-week shutdown. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill momentarily.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the bill shortly after 10 p.m. with 285 members voting for the legislation and 143 opposing it. The Senate passed the same bill 81 to 18 shortly after 8 p.m.
Senate leader announces bipartisan budget deal
Democratic leader Harry Reid says Senate leaders have reached a bipartisan deal to avoid default and end the government shutdown, now in its 16th day.
Reid made the announcement at the start of the Senate session on Wednesday.
The deal would reopen the government through Jan. 15 and increase the nation’s borrowing authority through Feb. 7.
House Republicans yield shutdown talks to Senate
House Republicans stepped back from budget negotiations Saturday, leaving the Senate to take the lead on reopening the federal government and avoiding a default on the nation's debt.
At a meeting of House Republicans on Saturday morning, top leaders said they have no new proposal to offer the White House after President Obama rejected their offer.
Patriot Act author prepares bipartisan bill to curb NSA
The conservative Republican who co-authored America's Patriot Act is preparing to unveil bipartisan legislation that would dramatically curtail the domestic surveillance powers it gives to intelligence agencies.
Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, who worked with president George W Bush to give more power to US intelligence agencies after the September 11 terrorist attacks, said the intelligence community had misused those powers by collecting telephone records on all Americans, and claimed it was time "to put their metadata program out of business".
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