Mikulski Bid for Fifth Term Leaves Md. Officials Looking at Career Ceiling

When Sen. Barbara Mikulski squelched rumors of her impending retirement by announcing she’s ready for a fifth term, she also put a damper on the career aspirations of ambitious Maryland politicians.

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Clinton Heading to Latin America After Chile Quake

Secretary of State Clinton’s weeklong, five-nation tour of Latin America will go on, despite the massive earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday morning.

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Pelosi Not Prepared to Strip Rangel of Chairmanship After Ethics Violation

Rep. Charlie Rangel’s admonishment by the House ethics panel does not disqualify him from leading the chamber’s influential tax-writing committee, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday, even as she acknowledged the conflict doesn’t pass the smell test. 

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Republicans Gird for Democrats’ End Run on Health Care

The Senate appears to be gearing up to use a rare budgetary maneuver to push through a Democratic-supported health care plan, but even the Senate Democrat’s top budgeter says it can’t be used for wholesale reforms.

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Obama in Great Shape, Still Trying to Kick the Nicotine Habit

President Obama got his first physical since entering the White House, He has a bit of tendinitis and a nicotine dependency.

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Jobless Benefits to End, But Likely Only For a Couple Days

The Senate will pass an unemployment benefits extension this week, Sen. Jon Kyl said Sunday, but said it was right of Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., to hold up the legislation last week because the money to pay for it hasn’t been found.

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Pelosi: Lawmakers Should Sacrifice Jobs for Health Care

House Speaker Pelosi says lawmakers aren’t in Washington for job security but ‘to do the job for the American people.’

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Pelosi Claims Tea Party Hijacked by GOP

The House speaker claims the Tea Party movement has been hijacked by the Republican Party despite grassroots sharing common ground with Democrats.

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Obama Signs One-Year Extension of Patriot Act

President Barack Obama has signed a one-year extension of several provisions in the nation’s main counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act.

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Unemployment Benefits to Expire Sunday After Senate Stalemates On Extension

Unemployment insurance and COBRA benefits will expire Sunday for millions of voters because the Senate was unable this week to pass a short-term extension, a failure that reflects partly the partisan gridlock that has stalled the Democratic legislative agenda and partly the Senate rules that allows one lawmaker to block legislation.

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