by Rachel Janik | Mar 18, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON—The Senate Judiciary Committee last week sent a sweeping assault weapons ban to the Senate floor for a full vote, but all signs point to a quick death for the controversial gun control legislation. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., drafted the legislation in...
by Rachel Janik | Mar 12, 2013 | National Security, Politics
WASHINGTON – Although the more controversial assault weapons ban remains stalled, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Tuesday that would require universal background checks on gun buyers, sending the measure to the full Senate for a vote. Sen. Chuck...
by Rachel Janik | Mar 7, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act into law Thursday after a 500-day journey to reauthorization that was fraught with controversy. Even now, some of the most significant gains of the new law may be the least talked-about. The...
by Rachel Janik | Mar 7, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON—The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved a gun trafficking bill over Republican opposition. The proposal would combat illegal movement of firearms across state lines, and also hit straw purchasers — those who buy guns from licensed dealers for...
by Rachel Janik | Feb 27, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON—The Violence Against Women Act passed an important procedural hurdle in the House Wednesday, but its future remains uncertain. The House now faces votes on not one bill, but two—the version of the bill passed by the Senate two weeks ago and an alternative...
by Rachel Janik | Feb 20, 2013 | Business, Politics
WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his wife Sandra Jackson pleaded guilty on Wednesday to felony charges involving misuse of more than $750,000 in campaign money on personal spending. When District Judge Robert Wilkins questioned Jackson on...
by Rachel Janik | Feb 19, 2013 | Education
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Education Arne Duncan rolled out a new national plan for equity in public education that includes recommendations for school finance reform and stepped up early childhood education. The plan is based on a report two years in the making from...
by Rachel Janik | Feb 12, 2013 | Politics
WASHINGTON — The contentious battle over gun control continued Tuesday in the Senate, offering little hope for consensus as the discussion quickly broke down along party lines. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., called the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine...
by Rachel Janik | Feb 5, 2013 | Business
WASHINGTON —Congressional gridlock and confusion on Capitol Hill is damaging the American economy and the capabilities of the private sector, experts told a House committee Tuesday. Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a...
by Rachel Janik | Jan 29, 2013 | Politics
Politicians, family and the celebrity pose for photographers following the ceremony to capture one last moment celebrating Chen’s work. (Fritz T. Burgher/Medill News Service)Chen is the fourth recipient of the Human Rights Prize, following in the footsteps of...
by Rachel Janik | Jan 22, 2013 | Education, Politics
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress and crime experts Tuesday stressed evidence-based reforms and ending an urban “school to prison pipeline” as ways to reduce gun violence. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., hosted a youth violence prevention summit in the Capitol Visitors Center...
