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Articles by Jacqueline Klimas

U.S. President Barak Obama gestures as he answers a question from the media during a press conference at the conclusion of the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

Obama war powers unchecked despite postelection vow to work with Congress

President Obama promised a new war debate, but two weeks after making that postelection vow he has yet to send over legislation or even to begin negotiating with Congress on rewriting an authorization to allow him to go after the Islamic State terrorism group that he has committed thousands of U.S. troops to combat in Iraq.

November 18, 2014
On the last day before Congress takes a five-week summer recess, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks to reporters about Republicans pushing through legislation to launch a campaign-season lawsuit against President Barack Obama, after accusing him of deliberately exceeding the bounds of his constitutional authority, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 31, 2014. Democrats have branded the effort a political charade and an effort by top Republicans to mollify conservatives who want Obama to be impeached. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) **FILE**

War on women? Pelosi prevents pregnant Dem from voting by proxy

Democrats are preventing Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a pregnant wounded war veteran, from voting by proxy in next week's caucus leadership elections, despite a doctor ordering Ms. Duckworth not to fly to Washington so late in her pregnancy.

November 14, 2014
Sen. Mary L. Landrieu has called for a vote on Keystone XL. (Associated Press)

Senate Democrats to tackle Keystone, NSA snooping in lame-duck session

With just a few weeks left in power, Senate Democrats want to clear the decks of spending bills and force votes on dozens of President Obama's judicial nominations, but a brewing fight over the Keystone XL oil pipeline already has split Democrats and proved a major distraction.

November 12, 2014
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., testifies at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Voting Rights Act in Washington in July, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

NSA phone snooping ban set for Senate vote

Senate Democrats took the first steps Wednesday to set a final vote on a bill to halt the National Security Agency's phone snooping, signaling a developing consensus to try to shut down the program before the end of the year.

November 12, 2014
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald (Associated Press)

VA overhaul fails to please veterans advocates calling for mass firings

The Veterans Affairs Department announced a bureaucratic reshuffling Monday that Secretary Robert McDonald said will make it easier for veterans to get the care they need, but veterans advocates are still waiting for the mass firings they think the troubled department needs.

November 10, 2014
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald (Associated Press)

Robert McDonald: Helping vets is personal mission

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald said Sunday that he feels a personal commitment to provide the best care to veterans in the VA since many jumped out of airplanes alongside him during his time in the Army.

November 10, 2014
Republican Mia Love celebrates with her father, Jean Maxime Bourdeau, after winning the race for Utah's 4th Congressional District during the Utah State GOP election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Salt Lake City. Love becomes first black female Republican elected to Congress. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

GOP’s new stars break mold, refresh Republican brand

From the first female black Republican ever elected to Congress to the first woman combat veteran to serve in the Senate, voters Tuesday injected a wave of fresh faces into American politics, helping to soften the GOP's image as the party of cranky old white men, and anointing a galaxy of new political stars likely to have an immediate impact in Washington.

November 5, 2014
Congress had said the VA's ability to send out the cards on time was a key test for the Obama administration and Secretary Bob McDonald (above), whom the president tapped to replace Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. (Associated Press)

VA misses deadline for Choice Cards

The VA admitted Wednesday that it will miss a deadline to get veterans their new Choice health cards, failing on the first key test Congress gave the troubled department and new Secretary Bob McDonald in the wake of the wait list scandal.

November 5, 2014
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 13, 2014. The top Democrat in the Republican-controlled House responded to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and her fight with the CIA this week, calling her courageous. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Nancy Pelosi admits: ‘It’s a difficult night’

Top Democrats acknowledged Tuesday night that it will be a difficult night for the party, but said they would continue to knock on doors and make phone calls until the final polls close.

November 4, 2014