http://www.mail.com/people/3014-mitch-mcconnell.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.23/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/people/3014-mitch-mcconnell.html http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1858370-congress-sends-bill-to-obama-averting-govt-default.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Barack Obama drama-free legislation on Thursday raising the debt ceiling, averting a government default and putting off the next tax-and-spending clash between the White House and Republicans until later in the year. The measure cleared the Senate on a vote of 64-34 after winning House approval late last week. It ... Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:58:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1858370-congress-sends-bill-to-obama-averting-govt-default.html 2013-01-31T22:58:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1854542-reid-replace-automatic-cuts-short-increments.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Democrat in the Senate said Tuesday that lawmakers should redouble their efforts to replace looming across-the-board cuts to the Pentagon and domestic programs with alternative spending cuts and tax hikes. The comments by Majority Leader Harry Reid came amid increasing resignation among both Democrats and Republicans that the acr... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:27:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1854542-reid-replace-automatic-cuts-short-increments.html 2013-01-29T19:27:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1850308-immigration-overhaul-gop-dem-senators-vow-action.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer providing a possible path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people now in the U.S. illegally. The senators acknowledged pitfalls that have doomed such efforts in the past, but they s... Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:52:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1850308-immigration-overhaul-gop-dem-senators-vow-action.html 2013-01-28T23:52:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1851432-gop-to-fight-dems-negotiate-with-obama.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Is Washington's backroom dealing dead? House Speaker John Boehner says he no longer wants to negotiate deficit reduction with President Barack Obama. The president says he won't negotiate raising the government's borrowing authority. Rank and file lawmakers say they're tired of being left out of the loop and insist on the regular legisla... Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1851432-gop-to-fight-dems-negotiate-with-obama.html 2013-01-28T17:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1846424-obama-presses-liberal-agenda-starts-2nd-term.html WASHINGTON (AP) — From gun control to gay rights, President Barack Obama's second-term agenda is shaping up as an unabashedly liberal wish list. In less than a week, he's vowed to tackle climate change and protect government entitlements. His administration has lifted a ban on women in combat and expanded opportunities for disabled students. Proposals for... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:58:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1846424-obama-presses-liberal-agenda-starts-2nd-term.html 2013-01-25T18:58:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1840914-reset-delay-norm-us-govt.html Congress often gives itself more breathing room. In other words, it kicks the can down the road. It's an overused expression nearly everybody scoffs at or denounces. Yet lots of cans litter the road ahead. The House on Wednesday voted to delay a looming showdown over the government's debt ceiling until May. "It's not... Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1840914-reset-delay-norm-us-govt.html 2013-01-23T20:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1836882-obamas-lofty-inaugural-ideals-reality.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's lofty ideals from his inaugural address ran smack into reality Tuesday on the first working day of his second term. Twenty-four hours after Obama pledged to tackle climate change and called for gays and lesbians to be treated equally under the law, the White House struggled to back up his sweeping rhetoric with s... Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1836882-obamas-lofty-inaugural-ideals-reality.html 2013-01-23T00:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1836916-obama-stands-ground-fiscal-debates.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama devoted one word — "deficit" — to the issue that brought Washington to the brink of fiscal crises time and again during his first term. But it was the paragraph that followed in his inaugural address that foreshadowed what's to come — more hard bargaining and more last-minute deals driven by Obama's own conviction ... Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:11:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1836916-obama-stands-ground-fiscal-debates.html 2013-01-22T17:11:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1838154-reset-obama-move-2nd-term-agenda.html President Barack Obama now faces the heavy lifting of trying to move ahead on the lofty second-term vows and declarations he laid out in his inaugural address. He presented a muscular retooled agenda that includes addressing climate change, controlling health care costs, advancing gay rights and tax fairness, overhauling the immigration system and curbing... Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:50:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1838154-reset-obama-move-2nd-term-agenda.html 2013-01-22T16:50:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1835856-inauguration-quotes.html Quotes on Inauguration Day: "Our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it." —President Barack Obama, during his second inaugural address. "It's going to take some give-and-take. I hope they're not too proud to do so." —Army Maj. Phillip Santoni of F... Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1835856-inauguration-quotes.html 2013-01-21T21:33:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1836286-analysis-obama-agenda-will-confront-gop-debt.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama appealed for "one nation and one people" in his second inaugural address. Any notion that the country's bitter partisanship might fade, however, seemed tempered by the president's newly assertive push of central Democratic tenets: safety-net programs for the poor, equal rights for gays and minorities and government spending on investm... Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:15:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1836286-analysis-obama-agenda-will-confront-gop-debt.html 2013-01-21T21:15:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1834972-obamas-host-coffee-with-congressional-leaders.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Could a blend of inaugural excitement and fresh coffee be the stimulant Washington needs to break political gridlock? One could only conjecture as President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and their wives played host Monday to congressional leaders of both parties at the White House. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugur... Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:02:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1834972-obamas-host-coffee-with-congressional-leaders.html 2013-01-21T14:02:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1828072-poll-damage-us-debt-limit-raised.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans think jarring economic problems will erupt if lawmakers fail to increase the government's borrowing limit. Yet they're torn over how or even whether to raise it, leaning toward Republican demands that any boost be accompanied by spending cuts. According to an Associated Press-GfK poll, 53 percent say that if the debt limit... Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:43:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1828072-poll-damage-us-debt-limit-raised.html 2013-01-18T07:43:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1821338-obama-proposing-gun-limits-faces-tough-obstacles.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is launching the nation's most sweeping effort to curb gun violence in nearly two decades, urging a reluctant Congress to ban military-style assault weapons as well as the kinds of high-capacity ammunition magazines used in last month's massacre of 20 elementary school children in Newtown, Conn. The broad package O... Wed, 16 Jan 2013 03:06:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1821338-obama-proposing-gun-limits-faces-tough-obstacles.html 2013-01-16T03:06:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1821282-cost-cut-talk-long-emotion-short-details.html WASHINGTON (AP) — In the heated talk about deep spending cuts that will dominate Congress in the coming weeks, one thing is likely to be in short supply: details. The reason is simple. Americans embrace the general, abstract idea of reducing federal spending. Their support quickly fades, however, when specific programs are targeted. That's why Republicans... Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:19:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1821282-cost-cut-talk-long-emotion-short-details.html 2013-01-15T07:19:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1819706-senate-gop-leader-optimistic-afghanistan.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States should keep a residual force of about 10,000 in Afghanistan after combat forces leave at the end of 2014, the Senate Republican leader said Monday after a series of meetings with military leaders in the country. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who led a congressional delegation to Afghanistan and Israel, expressed optimism about ... Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1819706-senate-gop-leader-optimistic-afghanistan.html 2013-01-14T19:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1819322-obama-demands-quick-action-to-raise-debt-limit.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama demanded on Monday that lawmakers raise the nation's $16.4 trillion federal debt limit quickly, warning that "Social Security benefits and veterans' checks will be delayed" if they don't and cautioning Republicans not to insist on cuts to government spending in exchange. "They will not collect a ransom in exchange ... Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:57:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1819322-obama-demands-quick-action-to-raise-debt-limit.html 2013-01-14T16:57:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1814588-top-dems-urge-obama-to-weigh-unilateral-debt-hike.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's top Democratic allies in the Senate advised him Friday to consider "any lawful steps" to make sure the government does not default of its debts and spur an economic crisis — even if it means acting without approval by Congress. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is among those urging Obama to consider options li... Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:11:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1814588-top-dems-urge-obama-to-weigh-unilateral-debt-hike.html 2013-01-11T21:11:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1811758-qa-obama-lacks-clear-edge-fight-with-gop.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama had a clear political edge in his fight with Republicans over the fiscal cliff, and used it to his advantage. In the upcoming battle over federal borrowing and spending, the leverage will be more evenly divided and the outcome less predictable. In the fiscal cliff fight, Obama wanted to block automatic New Year's D... Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:21:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1811758-qa-obama-lacks-clear-edge-fight-with-gop.html 2013-01-10T18:21:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1809786-us-troop-plan-afghanistan-iraq-playbook.html WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the same debate, the same numbers and practically the same plan, but the White House is working harder to keep troops in Afghanistan than it did in similar but failed discussions in Iraq in 2011. Security remains shaky in both war zones, but current and former U.S. officials say the Obama administration cannot afford to lose in Afgh... Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:22:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1809786-us-troop-plan-afghanistan-iraq-playbook.html 2013-01-09T22:22:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/hockey/1809824-senators-meet-with-afghan-president.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is meeting with members of the Senate to discuss what Republican leader Mitch McConnell says are mutual goals for the two countries. Karzai sat down on Wednesday for a private session with McConnell and a few members of the Foreign Relations and Armed Services panels, Sens. Bob Casey, Tim Kaine and Deb ... Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:32:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/hockey/1809824-senators-meet-with-afghan-president.html 2013-01-09T21:32:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1806028-white-house-tries-to-momentum-gun-control.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than a month after a horrific elementary school shooting, the White House is fighting to keep the momentum for new gun legislation amid signs it's losing ground in Congress to other pressing issues. Vice President Joe Biden has invited the National Rifle Association and other gun-owner groups for talks at the White House on Thursday... Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1806028-white-house-tries-to-momentum-gun-control.html 2013-01-08T22:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1804218-reset-obama-gop-drawing-battle-lines.html President Barack Obama is heading toward bruising fights on Capitol Hill on multiple fronts even before second-term Inauguration Day festivities fade. Battle lines are forming in the Senate over his latest national-security team selections and in both chambers over his proposal to raise the government's borrowing limit. And an expected major White House ... Mon, 07 Jan 2013 21:59:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1804218-reset-obama-gop-drawing-battle-lines.html 2013-01-07T21:59:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1804304-gop-scoffs-obamas-no-negotiation-vow-debt.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, meet Congressman Michael Burgess. The president says he absolutely will not let Republicans threaten a national debt ceiling crisis as a way to extract deeper federal spending cuts. Burgess' take? "It's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard," the Texas Republican says. "He's going to have to negotiate." ... Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:00:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1804304-gop-scoffs-obamas-no-negotiation-vow-debt.html 2013-01-07T17:00:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1801228-republican-party-divided-angry.html BOSTON (AP) — The Republican Party seems as divided and angry as ever. Infighting has penetrated the highest levels of the House GOP leadership. Long-standing geographic tensions have increased, pitting endangered Northeastern Republicans against their colleagues from other parts of the country. Enraged tea party leaders are threatening to knock off dozen... Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1801228-republican-party-divided-angry.html 2013-01-07T13:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1803382-column-washington-compromises-embers-flicker.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Every election year, they become the popular ones, the celebrities with the power to hire or fire politicians. Then, when actual governing begins, they become the forgotten ones — jilted wallflowers watching as the leaders they elected are devoured into a political system dominated by extremes. These middle-of-the-road American voters fe... Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:22:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1803382-column-washington-compromises-embers-flicker.html 2013-01-07T12:22:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1803380-white-house-gop-draw-red-lines-debt-debate.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Struggling for the upper hand in the next round of debt talks, Republicans and Democrats this weekend drew lines in the sand they said they'd never cross when it comes to the U.S. debt limit. The tough talk on the Sunday morning talk shows doesn't bode well for voters who are frustrated by the political gridlock. "I believe we need to ra... Mon, 07 Jan 2013 07:41:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1803380-white-house-gop-draw-red-lines-debt-debate.html 2013-01-07T07:41:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1802502-sources-obama-to-nominate-hagel-pentagon-chief.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary, a senior administration official said Sunday, choosing a former Senate colleague and a decorated Vietnam veteran and signaling he's ready for a contentious confirmation fight likely dominated by questions about Hagel's stands on Israel and Iran. Obama, who av... Mon, 07 Jan 2013 01:41:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1802502-sources-obama-to-nominate-hagel-pentagon-chief.html 2013-01-07T01:41:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1802770-movement-lawmakers-dig-heels-debt-crisis.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders on Sunday showed no signs of emerging from their corners to resolve the next step in the financial crisis, with Democrats still talking about higher taxes on the wealthy and the Senate's top Republican suggesting that a crippling default on U.S. loans was possible unless there were significant cuts in government spending. ... Sun, 06 Jan 2013 19:59:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1802770-movement-lawmakers-dig-heels-debt-crisis.html 2013-01-06T19:59:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1802406-mcconnell-takes-wait-and-see-approach-hagel.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate's top Republican says he'll need to take a close look at what former Sen. Chuck Hagel — who's the front-runner to be the next defense secretary — has said in the past on Israel and Iran. Sen. Mitch McConnell says that the next Pentagon chief must have a complete understanding of the U.S. relationship with ally Israel and the t... Sun, 06 Jan 2013 13:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1802406-mcconnell-takes-wait-and-see-approach-hagel.html 2013-01-06T13:14:00Z