S.A. Miller

Tea party on life support after brutal primary beatdown

Support for the tea party has dropped to an all-time low, said a new CBS News poll released Wednesday.

White House sends mixed signals on when Obama learned of VA problems

With criticism and anger mounting on both sides of the aisle, the White House on Tuesday struggled to explain exactly when President Obama learned of lengthy wait times and false reporting at Veterans Affairs health care facilities but defended its larger effort to improve care for the nation's veterans.

Mitch McConnell a ‘pretend’ conservative, Matt Bevin says

Tea party-backed candidate Matt Bevin took to national TV Monday for a last-ditch attack on incumbent Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, warning that he just "pretends" to be conservative to win re-election.

Voters give GOP edge on No. 1 issue: The economy

American voters say the economy is the top issue in this year's elections for Congress, and they give Republicans a slight edge over Democrats as best able to handle it, found a new poll released Tuesday.

Ben Carson prayer breakfast speech made White House ‘very upset,’ demanded apology

Famed pediatric brain surgeon Dr. Ben Carson, who became a conservative leader after giving a National Prayer Breakfast speech that was considered critical of the Obama administration, revealed Tuesday that the he was prodded afterwards to personally apologize to President Obama.

Durbin pushes for military green cards for illegal ‘Dreamers’ who enlist

Senate Assistant Majority Leader Richard J. Durbin vowed Monday to keep fighting to give green cards to some illegal immigrants who serve in the U.S. military.

Lawmakers leery of AT&T-DirecTV deal

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee raised alarms Monday about the proposed mega-merger of AT&T and DirecTV, saying the panel will be "looking closely at this transaction."

Senate Democrats boast bigger fundraising haul

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee finally had something to crow about, announcing Monday that it raised slightly more than its Republican counterpart in April.

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey: Obama should boot VA’s Eric Shinseki

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey on Monday called on President Obama to fire Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, adding his voice to the growing chorus of lawmakers and veterans groups demanding the former Army chief of staff lose his job over the scandalous mismanagement of VA hospitals.

Obama, health care crippling Democrats in midterm races, poll shows

Deep dissatisfaction with President Obama and the health care law is dragging down Democrats heading toward this year's midterm elections, with voters favoring Republicans in House and Senate races across the country, a new poll showed.

Red state Democrats in risky races skip ‘fairness’ frenzy

The White House and Senate Democratic leaders devised an election-year messaging strategy trumpeting "fairness" issues, including raising the minimum wage, gender pay equity and giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence announces GOP-friendly twist on Medicaid expansion

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence unveiled a plan Thursday to extend health coverage to about 350,000 lower-income residents, a play on Obamacare's Medicaid expansion that should be more palatable to conservatives.

Rep. Fred Upton: Vladimir Putin playing at ‘extortion’

Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat Thursday to cut off the natural gas supplies to Ukraine sparked outraged from House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, who called the move "extortion."

IRS papers contradict Lois Lerner story as many groups still await tax-exempt reply

A year after a scorching audit revealed that the Internal Revenue Service targeted tea party groups for intrusive scrutiny, and despite an effort to clean house at the agency, many of those groups are still awaiting approval for tax-exempt status.

Stop Hillary PAC prods FEC to act on complaint against pro-Clinton group

The Stop Hillary PAC, an organization dedicated to preventing Hillary Rodham Clinton from becoming the next president, pressured the Federal Elections Commission on Wednesday to act on a complaint that another group with the opposite goal is illegally operating as a Clinton campaign committee.

Conyers fails to make Democratic primary ballot

Clay Aiken congressional challenger found dead

In a stunning turn of events, North Carolina congressional candidate Keith Crisco, who was locked in a too-close-to-call Democratic primary race with former "American Idol" contestant Clay Aiken, was found dead in his home Monday, according to reports.

The coal-state Democrat may be climate casualty

President Obama's aggressive focus on climate change is intended to fire up Democrats' environmentalist base, but it's burning some of the party's most endangered incumbents.

States’ moves on marijuana leave lawmakers dazed and confused

Capitol Hill lawmakers are dazed and confused when it comes to dealing with the growing number of states legalizing marijuana use, which has created a glaring conflict with federal statutes outlawing cannabis as a Schedule I drug — the classification for the most dangerous controlled substances.

Rep. Jim Jordan: Justice Dept. won’t say who will lead IRS probe

A Republican lawmaker clashed with a top Justice Department official Friday over the administration's refusal to disclose even the most basic information about its probe of the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative groups.