http://www.mail.com/people/16962-claire-mccaskill.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/people/16962-claire-mccaskill.html http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102282-house-panel-moves-to-curb-military-sexual-assaults.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of a House panel angry over the growing epidemic of sexual assaults in the military took a key step toward tackling the problem by passing legislation Wednesday that would strip commanding officers of their longstanding authority to unilaterally change or dismiss court-martial convictions in rape and assault cases. Lawmakers believe the revision wil... Wed, 22 May 2013 21:06:51 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2102282-house-panel-moves-to-curb-military-sexual-assaults.html 2013-05-22T21:06:51Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2099768-apple-case-spur-to-tax-action.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Now that tech darling Apple Inc. has been dragged front and center into the debate over the U.S. tax code, lawmakers are hoping that the spotlight on such a high-profile company could be the catalyst for Congress to take action to close loopholes or reform the law. At a hearing Tuesday, members of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Inv... Wed, 22 May 2013 04:04:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2099768-apple-case-spur-to-tax-action.html 2013-05-22T04:04:57Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2088518-sexual-abuse-cases-pentagon-under-fire.html WASHINGTON (AP) — One after another, the charges have tumbled out — allegations of sexual assaults in the military that have triggered outrage, from local commanders to Capitol Hill and the Oval Office. But for a Pentagon under fire, there seem to be few clear solutions beyond improved training and possible adjustments in how the military prosecutes such ... Thu, 16 May 2013 02:05:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2088518-sexual-abuse-cases-pentagon-under-fire.html 2013-05-16T02:05:31Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2074572-senators-seek-ban-renting-recalled-vehicles.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Rental companies would be barred from leasing or selling vehicles to consumers that are under a manufacturer's recall until the defect is fixed under a bill introduced Thursday by a bipartisan group of senators. Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats Chuck Schumer of New York, Barbara Boxer of California and Claire McCaskill o... Thu, 09 May 2013 19:14:13 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2074572-senators-seek-ban-renting-recalled-vehicles.html 2013-05-09T19:14:13Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2068520-military-sex-assault-reports-up-changes-ordered.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Sexual assaults in the military are a growing epidemic across the services and thousands of victims are still unwilling to come forward despite a slew of new oversight and assistance programs, according to a new Pentagon report. Troubling new numbers estimate that up to 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, ... Tue, 07 May 2013 22:58:08 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2068520-military-sex-assault-reports-up-changes-ordered.html 2013-05-07T22:58:08Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2068404-senator-military-plagued-sexual-assaults.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The sexual battery arrest of the Air Force officer who led the service's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response unit underscores how far the Defense Department has to go in addressing the plague of sexual crimes in the military, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Tuesday. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., told a committee h... Tue, 07 May 2013 14:51:36 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2068404-senator-military-plagued-sexual-assaults.html 2013-05-07T14:51:36Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2052882-outraged-lawmakers-to-change-military-justice.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Outrage over an Air Force officer's decision to overturn a jury's guilty verdict in a sexual assault case has Republicans and Democrats joining forces on ambitious legislation to change the military justice system. On both sides of the Capitol, lawmakers have interpreted Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's recent proposal to essentially stri... Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:47:43 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2052882-outraged-lawmakers-to-change-military-justice.html 2013-04-30T13:47:43Z http://www.mail.com/sports/other/2049624-lawmaker-fbi-checking-training-angle-bombing.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday that the FBI is investigating in the United States and overseas to determine whether the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing received training that helped them carry out the attack. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is charged with joining with his older brother, Tamerlan, who's ... Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:48:26 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/other/2049624-lawmaker-fbi-checking-training-angle-bombing.html 2013-04-28T16:48:26Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2026196-praise-levity-greet-hagel-senate-return.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators who nearly buried Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel found reasons to praise him on Wednesday. Seven weeks after his bruising Senate confirmation fight, Hagel fielded questions on the defense budget, Afghanistan, Syria and North Korea in his first appearance before the Armed Services Committee since it narrowly approved his nominatio... Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:21:40 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2026196-praise-levity-greet-hagel-senate-return.html 2013-04-17T21:21:40Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/2024954-police-to-suspect-mind-ricin-case.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A letter addressed to President Barack Obama is being checked for a "suspicious substance," a day after a letter addressed to a U.S. senator tested positive for poisonous ricin, the U.S. Secret Service says. The letter to Obama arrived Tuesday and was intercepted at a facility away from the White House, said Secret Service spokesman Ed D... Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:13:44 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/2024954-police-to-suspect-mind-ricin-case.html 2013-04-17T16:13:44Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2025710-officials-2nd-suspicious-letter-intercepted.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement officials say a second suspicious letter that has been received in Washington was actually directed to the White House, not the Senate. Two officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the letter was being treated in the same manner as a separate one sent to Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker and was undergoing field ... Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:57:03 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2025710-officials-2nd-suspicious-letter-intercepted.html 2013-04-17T15:57:03Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2024310-letter-to-miss-senator-tests-ricin.html WASHINGTON (AP) — An envelope addressed to Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi tested positive Tuesday for ricin, a potentially fatal poison, authorities said, heightening concerns about terrorism a day after a bombing killed three and left more than 170 injured at the Boston Marathon. One senator, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, said authorities have a suspec... Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:18:51 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2024310-letter-to-miss-senator-tests-ricin.html 2013-04-17T04:18:51Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2011082-officer-defends-overturning-sexual-assault-verdict.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force commander who overturned a jury's guilty verdict in a sexual assault case — enraging members of Congress and prompting talk of military justice reform — explained his case in a letter to a top Pentagon official, saying he found the accused officer and his wife more believable than the alleged victim. In a detailed six page ... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:29:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2011082-officer-defends-overturning-sexual-assault-verdict.html 2013-04-10T21:29:57Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2006078-hagel-seeks-change-conviction-reversals.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is recommending that military commanders be largely stripped of their ability to reverse criminal convictions of service members, a move that comes in response to a congressional uproar over an Air Force officer's decision to overturn a guilty verdict in a sexual assault case, the Pentagon said Monday. Hagel... Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:27:39 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2006078-hagel-seeks-change-conviction-reversals.html 2013-04-08T22:27:39Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1986218-hasty-embrace-lawmakers-gay-marriage.html WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Supreme Court considered two landmark cases on gay marriage this week, the flood of activity across the street in the Capitol was not lost on Chief Justice John Roberts. "As far as I can tell, political leaders are falling all over themselves to endorse your side of the case," Roberts told lawyers urging the court to rule that mar... Fri, 29 Mar 2013 07:08:03 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1986218-hasty-embrace-lawmakers-gay-marriage.html 2013-03-29T07:08:03Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1985416-lawmakers-rush-to-catch-up-gay-marriage.html WASHINGTON (AP) — For years, American opinion on gay marriage has been shifting. Now lawmakers are in a mad dash to catch up. In less than two weeks, seven senators — all from moderate or Republican-leaning states — announced their support, dropping one by one like dominos. Taken together, their proclamations reflected a profound change in the American po... Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:55:57 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1985416-lawmakers-rush-to-catch-up-gay-marriage.html 2013-03-28T21:55:57Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1983914-court-rules-gay-marriage-debate-wont.html NEW YORK (AP) — However the Supreme Court rules after its landmark hearings on same-sex marriage, the issue seems certain to divide Americans and states for many years to come. In oral arguments Tuesday and Wednesday on two cases involving gay couples' rights, the justices left open multiple options for rulings that are expected in June. But they signaled... Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:08:43 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1983914-court-rules-gay-marriage-debate-wont.html 2013-03-28T07:08:43Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1963096-mo-senator-threatens-block-epa-administrator.html ST. LOUIS (AP) — Republican Sen. Roy Blunt threatened Monday to block President Barack Obama's choice for Environmental Protection Agency administrator until plans are resolved for a long-stalled levee project in southeast Missouri. The two senators from Missouri, Blunt and Democrat Claire McCaskill, expressed disappointment that the EPA and two other age... Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:07:47 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1963096-mo-senator-threatens-block-epa-administrator.html 2013-03-18T20:07:47Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1951342-panel-criticizes-military-sexual-assault-cases.html WASHINGTON (AP) — In a stinging rebuke of the military's efforts to curb sexual assault, members of a Senate panel hammered Defense Department officials on Wednesday for making too little progress in combating the crimes and failing to improve a military justice system that victims described as slow and uncaring. During a two-part hearing, the panel heard... Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:50:06 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1951342-panel-criticizes-military-sexual-assault-cases.html 2013-03-13T21:50:06Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1949946-victim-calls-decision-assault-case-shocking.html WASHINGTON (AP) — An advocacy group says the victim in an Air Force sexual assault case is shocked and disappointed by a general's decision to dismiss the charges against the officer found guilty of the crime by a jury and sentenced to a year in prison. At a Capitol Hill press conference on Tuesday, a representative from Protect Our Defenders read portion... Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:06:12 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1949946-victim-calls-decision-assault-case-shocking.html 2013-03-12T22:06:12Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1946862-hagel-to-review-air-force-sexual-assault-case.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A case involving an Air Force general who dismissed charges against a lieutenant colonel convicted of sexual assault will be reviewed at the top levels of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a letter released Monday. But it's seemed unlikely that the ruling would be changed. Hagel said that under military law, neither he ... Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:24:49 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1946862-hagel-to-review-air-force-sexual-assault-case.html 2013-03-12T00:24:49Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1915710-senate-confirms-hagel-defense-secretary.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A deeply divided Senate voted on Tuesday to confirm Republican Chuck Hagel to be the nation's next defense secretary, handing President Barack Obama's pick the top Pentagon job just days before billions of dollars in automatic, across-the-board budget cuts hit the military. The vote was 58-41, with four Republicans joining the Democrats ... Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:21:53 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1915710-senate-confirms-hagel-defense-secretary.html 2013-02-26T23:21:53Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1911472-condemn-pending-budget-cuts-spread-blame.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and Republicans kept up the unrelenting mudslinging Sunday over who's to blame for roundly condemned budget cuts set to take effect at week's end, with the administration detailing the potential fallout in each state and governors worrying about the mess. But as leaders rushed past each other to decry the potentially deva... Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:20:21 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1911472-condemn-pending-budget-cuts-spread-blame.html 2013-02-25T04:20:21Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1777566-hagel-pick-raises-concerns-senate-gop.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's possible pick of Republican Chuck Hagel to run the Pentagon raises serious concerns among some of his former Senate colleagues, who question his pronouncements on Iraq, Israel and the Middle East. The reservations publicly expressed by a few Republicans and even a Democrat hardly rival the unyielding GOP objectio... Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1777566-hagel-pick-raises-concerns-senate-gop.html 2012-12-19T22:17:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1751024-apnewsbreak-corps-budging-miss-river-flap.html ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers has turned back requests by federal lawmakers and the barge operators to release more water from the Missouri River, believing the drought-starved Mississippi River it feeds still will remain open to shipping. The industry, however, warns that the situation is growing increasingly dire. Army Assistant Secretary... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:00:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1751024-apnewsbreak-corps-budging-miss-river-flap.html 2012-12-07T21:00:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1750906-gop-senate-group-aided-akin-despite-disavowal.html JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Despite publicly disavowing candidate Todd Akin after his "legitimate rape" remark, the National Republican Senatorial Committee quietly sent $760,000 to Missouri in a last-ditch attempt to aid Akin's unsuccessful bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. The long-suspected money shuffling, which had never previously been ... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:49:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1750906-gop-senate-group-aided-akin-despite-disavowal.html 2012-12-07T17:49:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1749290-drought-revives-water-war-river.html JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The water wars are raging again in America's heartland, where drought-stricken states are pleading for the increasingly scarce water of the Missouri River — to drink from their faucets, irrigate their crops and float the barges that carry billions of dollars of agricultural products to market. From Montana to West Virginia, offi... Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1749290-drought-revives-water-war-river.html 2012-12-06T20:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1738028-partisan-split-un-ambassador-rice-widens.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans continue to argue that U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice is unfit to be secretary of state. Democrats say the criticism is unfair. Republican senators say they remain deeply concerned over Rice's statements about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and suggested her motive was to help President Barack... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:49:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1738028-partisan-split-un-ambassador-rice-widens.html 2012-12-03T07:49:00Z