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David Sherfinski

dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com

David Sherfinski covered politics for The Washington Times.

Articles by David Sherfinski

This April 2014 photo provided by Colorado Parks and Wildlife shows a Gunnison sage grouse with tail feathers fanned near Gunnison, Colo. (AP Photo/Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Dave Showalter, File)

Spending bill: GOP secures environmental policy riders on grouse, Clean Water Act

Included in the massive, $1.1 trillion bill unveiled late Tuesday that would fund most of the government through next fall are several policy "riders" on energy and the environment supported by Republicans, adding fuel to what is already shaping up to be a fight between the GOP and the Obama administration over environmental policies next year.

December 10, 2014
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton laughs when asked what would be good qualities for a "First Gentleman" during a question and answer session at the Massachusetts Conference for Women in Boston, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Howard Dean: If Hillary Clinton runs, I will support her

Former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential candidate Howard Dean is throwing his support behind a would-be presidential campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, writing that Mrs. Clinton is "by far the most qualified person in the United States to serve as president."

December 10, 2014
A grass-roots effort to draft Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren to run for president in 2016 may upend the supposed inevitability of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton becoming the eventual Democratic nominee. (Associated Press)

Elizabeth Warren may upset Hillary Clinton inevitability

A coalition of powerful liberal groups said Tuesday they may launch a formal campaign urging their hero, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, to seek the White House in 2016, adding more intrigue to the party's presidential primary process and casting doubt on the popular narrative that Hillary Rodham Clinton will cruise to the Democratic nomination.

December 9, 2014
FILE - In this Nov. 21, 214 file photo, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. speaks in Highland Heights, Ky. Paul hinted in an interview Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, that he smoked marijuana in his youth, adding that voters should not confuse his push for reduced criminal penalties for drug offenses as an endorsement of drug use. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

Rand Paul: I won’t vote for spending bill that funds amnesty

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, said Tuesday that he plans to vote against a government spending measure if it provides funding for President Obama's plan to grant temporary legal status for more than 4 million illegal immigrants in the country.

December 9, 2014
Kentucky Senators Rand Paul, left, and Mitch McConnell address the media during a news conference following Mr. McConnell's victory in the republican primary on May 23 in Louisville, Ky. Columnist Christine O'Donnell says all Republicans must work together as both Tea Partyers and establishment Republicans need an attitude adjustment. (Associated Press)

Mitch McConnell: ‘Almost certainly’ endorsing Rand Paul in 2016

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he'll "almost certainly" be endorsing the would-be 2016 presidential campaign of his fellow Kentuckian Sen. Rand Paul, just a few election cycles removed from when Mr. McConnell backed Mr. Paul's primary opponent in 2010.

December 9, 2014
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. speaks to the Center for American Progress’s Second Annual Policy Conference in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014.  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

‘Draft Elizabeth Warren’ campaign afoot at MoveOn.org

The liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org is gauging the level of support from members on whether to launch a concerted effort to get Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to run for president in 2016.

December 9, 2014
President Obama speaks during an exclusive interview with The Associated Press in the White House library in Washington on Oct. 4, 2013. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Obama approval rating hits 39 percent in new poll

President Obama's approval rating has sunk below 40 percent in a new poll and a majority of Americans disapprove of his recent move to grant temporary legal status to millions of people in the country illegally.

December 9, 2014
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, right, walks with then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, as they make their way to a GOP strategy session on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ** FILE **

GOP favorability hits five-year high in new poll

As Republicans prepare to assume a new majority in the U.S. Senate next month, a new poll shows the GOP's favorability at a five-year high, with the standing of the Democratic party trending lower in the wake of this year's midterm elections.

December 9, 2014
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., center, speaks with reporters following a closed-door policy meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. From left behind McConnell are Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Republican Policy Committee chairman, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Senate Republican Conference chairman, and Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Mitch McConnell: We’ll make ‘every effort’ to repeal Obamacare

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, says he has every intention of voting to repeal Obamacare with a new GOP majority in January, but also said people should be realistic about what to expect in the way of repeal with President Obama still in the White House.

December 8, 2014