Valerie Richardson

Obama, Boehner face to face

President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner met at the White House on Sunday to try to jump-start the "fiscal cliff" negotiations as members of Congress teetered between calls for cooperation and jabs at the other side's failure to compromise.

December 9, 2012

Iowa’s GOP governor pushes to ditch the straw poll

This isn't the first time Republicans have tried to bail on the Iowa straw poll.

November 29, 2012

Pot smokers’ outlook still hazy after Colorado legalization vote

When it comes to legalized pot, Coloradans are still holding their breath.

November 27, 2012

Cure for gridlock? One-party rule

The bitter partisan gridlock facing Congress really isn’t a problem in Tennessee. Or California. Or North Dakota. The same voters who re-elected the Republican House and Democratic Senate also swept in one-party rule in a whopping 45 state legislatures, up from 41 in 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

November 22, 2012

Incoming Congress least devout, most religiously diverse

The 113th Congress won't be sworn in until January, but it's already making history on the religious-diversity front.

November 18, 2012

Secession petitions boosting spirits on right wing

November 6 was a rough day for the normally peppy Cathy Cloud. Like many voters, she truly believed it was the most important presidential election of her lifetime. Then Mitt Romney lost.

November 15, 2012

Inclusion key in anti-suicide drive

The anti-euthanasia movement found new life last week after voters in Massachusetts defied the conventional wisdom by rejecting a physician-assisted suicide initiative.

November 14, 2012

Petitions to secede are filed for 23 states since election

It's traditional for Americans to threaten to move to France or Canada when their candidate loses, but this year some disappointed voters are implementing a different plan. In the wake of the Nov. 6 election, petitions seeking to secede from the union have been filed on behalf of 23 states on the White House website.

November 12, 2012

Tax-initiative passage opens floodgates in California

After decades of fighting with tight-fisted taxpayers and Republicans for more money, California's Democrats finally saw the revenue floodgates open Tuesday.

November 8, 2012

Health care law wins reprieve with Obama re-election

Like a sick patient who somehow always rallies, President Obama's health care law survived another scare Tuesday with Mr. Obama's defeat of Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Tuesday.

November 7, 2012

ELECTION 2012: Sen. Dean Heller retains seat in Nevada

Republican Sen. Dean Heller has won a re-election squeaker in Nevada, besting Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley by just 12,137 votes.

November 7, 2012

ELECTION 2012: Colorado, Washington legalize pot for adult recreational use

Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, setting up a showdown with federal authorities over the enforcement of national drug laws.

November 6, 2012

Partisans brace for worst-case scenarios

Both presidential candidates can't win Tuesday, which means somebody's got to lose. What if it's your guy?

November 5, 2012

Election 2012: First the voting, then counting, then challenges

For those who can't wait until the 2012 presidential election is finally over on Wednesday: not so fast.

November 4, 2012

176 initiatives on ballots on Election Day

Ballot measures on marijuana and marriage are drawing the lion's share of media attention across the country, but other propositions included on this year's ballot could affect everything from the food you eat to how much you pay in taxes.

October 31, 2012

Governor fights legalizing of pot in Colorado

Ordinarily Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Democrat, enjoys being ahead of the curve — but not when it comes to being the first state to legalize marijuana for nonmedical use.

October 30, 2012

Despite ground support, Berkley struggles to soar in Nevada

Democratic operatives in Nevada are pumping voters here to the polls like nickels into a slot machine, and yet their efforts may not be enough for Senate candidate Shelley Berkley.

October 27, 2012

Poll sees rising resistance to California tax hike

California Gov. Jerry Brown's $6 billion tax-increase initiative is losing steam as it enters the final stretch of the race, according to a poll released Thursday.

October 25, 2012

California governor takes risk with proposal to raise taxes

There's something cruel yet comical in the way that California voters continually elect Democrats and then forbid them from raising taxes.

October 23, 2012

Calif.’s Democrat-vs.-Democrat, Berman-Sherman contest may be nation’s nastiest

A U.S. House contest in Southern California may be the country's most bitter — even though both candidates are Democrats and respected, longtime incumbents.

October 20, 2012