U.S. Congress News

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Friday called ethics charges against Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel "very troubling" and said he hopes the longtime lawmaker can end his career with dignity. Several House Democrats went further, flat-out urging the New York congressman to resign. Full Story »

BILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) - BP Plc said on Friday it could seal its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well by next week as the House of Representatives voted to toughen regulation of offshore energy drilling. Full Story »

TOPEKA, Kan. - The big issue in Kansas' U.S. Senate race is which of two veteran Republican congressmen will fight hardest — and loudest — against President Barack Obama's agenda. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Friday approved the toughest reforms ever to offshore energy drilling practices, as Democrats narrowly pushed through an election-year response to BP's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US House of Representatives on Friday voted to overhaul offshore drilling safety rules and to protect whistleblowing workers in a sweeping response to the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Friday voted to end the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling for oil companies that meet new federal safety requirements. Full Story »

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Charlie Crist is slightly ahead of Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way general election matchup for the U.S. Senate while the race to succeed Crist as governor is about even, a poll released Friday suggests. Full Story »

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - He calls her a "rubber stamp" for President Barack Obama and liberal congressional leaders. She "calls bull" on his attempts to represent regular folks, suggesting he's more attuned to lobbyists and corporate interests. Full Story »

House Democrats, who yanked a tax bill off the floor Thursday in response to a GOP move to repeal a small-business tax compliance law, are trying to react with a new bill Friday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - A House investigator says the panel handling Rep. Charlie Rangel's ethics case has recommended a reprimand by the full House — but that decision could be months away. Full Story »

Washington - If the midterm elections were held today, the Republicans would have a decent shot at taking over the House of Representatives, Democrats themselves admit. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama's chief spokesman predicted Friday that the White House's Democratic allies would keep control of the Senate and House of Representatives in November elections. Full Story »

A House investigative panel filed 13 charges of ethical wrongdoing against Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. Among them are allegations that Rangel: Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Estimates of the number of graves that might be affected by mix-ups at Arlington National Cemetery grew from hundreds to as many as 6,600 on Thursday, as the cemetery's former superintendent blamed his staff and a lack of resources for the scandal that forced his ouster. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - The House has rejected a bill that would pay up to $7.4 billion in aid to people sickened by toxic dust from the World Trade Center. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - On the surface, a judge's decision to block tough provisions of Arizona's immigration law was a defeat for the state's Republican governor and a win for the Democratic Obama administration. But neither party is sure it will play out that way politically, either this fall or beyond. Full Story »

CHICAGO - Vote early, vote often. It's an old joke in Illinois politics but state residents will be choosing twice in November to fill President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - A US senator said investigators could be sent to Britain to quiz witnesses who refused to travel to Washington to testify at a Senate probe into the release of the Lockerbie bomber. Full Story »