David Sherfinski

House retirements creating pickup opportunities for Democrats and Republicans

Two senior House lawmakers — one Democrat and one Republican — announced they won't seek re-election next year, opening up opportunities for both parties to win those seats and signaling that the 2014 elections could be more competitive than analysts had predicted.

December 17, 2013

Senate confirms Obama pick Jeh Johnson as Homeland Security secretary

The Senate approved Jeh Johnson as the fourth Homeland Security secretary, giving him the reins at a department that, more than a decade after its creation, is still unstable and trying to figure out its role in the massive federal bureaucracy.

December 16, 2013

75 is the new old: VA DMV study recommends fitness tests for aging drivers

A yearlong study by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is recommending a closer examination of the fitness of elderly motorists and the granting of legal immunity to people who provide information to the state about those who might not be fit to drive.

December 15, 2013

GOP Rep. Tim Murphy rolls out mental health legislation

Rep. Tim Murphy, Pennsylvania Republican, unveiled legislation Thursday he says will help fix nation's broken mental health system and empower families and individuals to get treatment for those who need it, as lawmakers grapple with possible legislative remedies to help stop gun-related violence.

December 12, 2013

George W. Bush to embattled Alabama kicker: You will be stronger

Cade Foster, the University of Alabama kicker who struggled in the team's shocking loss to Auburn last week, says he got some high-profiled support, in addition to backing from teammates: A letter of encouragement from President George W. Bush.

December 12, 2013

Black supremacist no longer employed at DHS: report

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has parted ways with a black supremacist, who has called for the mass killing of white people, after placing him on administrative leave four months ago pending an administrative review.

December 12, 2013

Senate pulls all-nighter as GOP protests rules change

The U.S. Senate remained in session overnight debating executive nominations as Republicans protested Senate Democrats' recent move to change chamber rules to require a simple majority vote to confirm presidential nominations, excepting U.S. Supreme Court nominations.

December 12, 2013

Despite questions, Senate panel backs top Homeland nominee

Senate Democrats pushed through committee President Obama's pick to become the No. 2 official at Homeland Security on Wednesday, dismissing warnings about an ongoing probe of the nominee's role in a visa program that has raised security concerns about politically connected foreigners using it to buy citizenship.

December 11, 2013

VEGAS RULES: Harry Reid pushed feds to change ruling for casino’s big-money foreigners

EXCLUSIVE: The Obama administration overruled career Homeland Security officials and expedited visa applications for about two dozen foreign investors for a politically connected Las Vegas casino hotel after repeated pressure from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his staff, according to internal government documents obtained by The Washington Times.

December 10, 2013

Senate approves 10-year extension of ban on plastic guns

The Senate voted Monday to extend a ban on undetectable plastic guns for 10 years just hours before the act was scheduled to expire, but advocates lamented that it didn't go far enough and vowed to push forward to expand it in the near future.

December 9, 2013

Israel’s Netanyahu still wary of West’s deal with Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that any agreement with Iran to halt the Islamic republic's nuclear program must also include a change in its "genocidal policy," and that economic sanctions on the country must continue to the extent that they can.

December 8, 2013

Former Reagan aide James Baker: President regretted apartheid veto

Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, who served as President Ronald Reagan's chief of staff, said Sunday he's sure the 40th president regretted vetoing an anti-apartheid bill — a veto that Congress ultimately overrode in 1986.

December 8, 2013

Ezekiel Emanuel: If you want to pay more for your doctor, you can under Obamacare

Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a bioethicist and architect of President Obama's health care law, offered a somewhat novel explanation for Mr. Obama's now-debunked promise that if people liked their doctors and health insurance plans, they could keep them under the law.

December 8, 2013

Sen. Richard Durbin: No line in the sand on unemployment benefits

Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, said Sunday that members of his party have not drawn a line in the sand on an extension of unemployment benefits getting included in a possible budget deal.

December 8, 2013

Sen. Rand Paul: Supreme Court needs to re-examine Fourth Amendment

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, said Sunday that in light of recent revelations about data mining by the National Security Agency, the country needs a serious examination of privacy and the Fourth Amendment — and he pledged to take the fight to the country's highest court if necessary.

December 8, 2013

Sen. Rand Paul: ‘I am seriously thinking about’ running for president in 2016

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, acknowledged that he's seriously weighing a bid for president but that he has to balance such ambitions with family considerations.

December 8, 2013

As the unemployed wait, lawmakers debate about extended benefits

Congressional Democrats and Republicans are fighting over whether to extend unemployment benefits set to expire at the end of the month — a top priority for President Obama — and appear at odds over how exactly to pay for the approximately $26 billion that a one-year extension would cost.

December 8, 2013