RICHARD BLUMENTHAL

A bipartisan group of senators is considering how Congress should respond to the horrific shooting of 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.

The anger among Dem voters isn't just with Republicans. It's also with their own party, which controls both houses in Congress and the White House.

The Senate majority leader castigated Republicans for their repeated inaction after mass shootings but said Democrats had no choice but to try again.

The Biden administration so far has not added Russia to a list of state sponsors of terror, which are limited to Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria.

The most critical moments for prospective justices often come in the dozens of private huddles they hold with senators.

Through a decades-long career in conservative politics, Virginia Thomas has repeatedly maintained that her political activity represented no conflict of interest with the work of her husband, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

History was made the instant Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

When voters stop rewarding such behavior, we will stop seeing so much of it. | Editorial

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson may not get any Republican votes.

Nothing so encapsulates the finely choreographed nature of the modern Supreme Court confirmation process as the round-robin of senatorial interviews.

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is winning praise from a key Senate Republican.

Biden has selected his nominee for the high court and may announce it as soon as Friday

Just being the newest member of the Supreme Court can be a momentous adjustment for a justice.

The bipartisan bill would give online a platforms a duty prevent or mitigate certain harms to minors including suicide, eating disorders and substance abuse.

The bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act comes amid mounting frustration in Washington that apps like Instagram and YouTube aren't doing enough to protect their youngest users.

If President Joe Biden’s search for a nominee to the Supreme Court could be summed up by a Help Wanted ad it might read: “Seeking a well-respected liberal jurist.

Sen. Lindsey Graham is among a handful of Republicans declaring a willingness to back President Joe Biden's yet-to-be-announced Supreme Court nominee.

President Joe Biden appears to be narrowing his list of candidates for the Supreme Court, saying he’s looking at “about four people.”.

The bill’s revival has reignited a battle over the future of Internet regulation and online speech. Prominent technologists, industry groups, civil rights advocates and LGBT interest groups have aggressively campaigned against it, warning the proposal threatens to erode consumers’ privacy and could have a chilling effect on free expression online.

How hard is it to amend the Constitution? Even harder than you think.

In a letter provided exclusively to Insider, three senators asked the Education Department to provide prompt relief to defrauded Navient customers.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has set off for Washington to reassure Americans that his country stands alongside the United States and other NATO partners in opposing any Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The legislation addresses key gripes app developers including Spotify, Epic Games, Basecamp and others have raised about Apple and Google.

Lawmakers say a patchwork of laws and inconsistency is hurting the ability to slow the spread of scams.

Two U.S. senators say they were denied access to parts of a federal prison in Connecticut while trying to examine conditions there.

Two U.S. senators said Wednesday that they were denied access to parts of a federal prison in Connecticut while trying to examine conditions there in response to correctional officers' complaints about a staffing shortage and lack of coronavirus precautions. Concerns about the spread of COVID-19 itself were behind the denial, the federal Bureau of Prisons said. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, both Connecticut Democrats, visited the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution with labor union leaders and two state lawmakers.

Congress has taken a new step toward reining in the market dominance of Big Tech. Bipartisan legislation advanced by a Senate panel would bar the dominant online platforms from favoring their own goods and services over those of rivals on the platforms.

Senator Ed Markey said Americans need to be able to afford the at-home tests so they can "protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities from the spread of COVID-19."

The latest data from the CDC shows 86 cruise ships currently have passengers on board who have tested positive for the virus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating more cruise ships due to new COVID-19 cases aboard.

Travelers love to hate airline fees, and several congressional Democrats say it's time to regulate the extra charges for things like checking a bag.

Takeaways from a hearing include: senators are frustrated with Instagram for not moving more quickly to protect young users and the CEO maintains the platform does more good than harm.

Under sharp questioning by senators of both parties, Instagram head Adam Mosseri defended the company’s conduct and safety measures.

Under sharp questioning by senators of both parties, Mosseri challenged statements that research found Instagram to be addictive for children. He said the site has take steps to protect young users.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri did not commit to permanently ending the paused plans to create a version of the platform for kids under 13.

The head of Instagram, appearing before a Senate panel, met with deep skepticism over new measures the platform is adopting to protect young users nd the company’s commitment to transparency.

“The kinds of baby steps that you’ve suggested so far are underwhelming,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri.

Instagram's chief executive Adam Mosseri is expected to testify before Congress for the first time the week of Dec. 6.

Califf, a longtime Duke University researcher who now works for Verily and Google Health, gets the nod for an agency stretched by the pandemic.

Break up Big Tech.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who chaired the hearing, said being distinct from Facebook isn't enough to cut it for the three tech giants. "That bar is in the gutter," he told the company officials.

Lawmakers also heard from executives at Snapchat and YouTube.

Lawmakers met with executives from YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat to know what protocols they have done to protect underage users on their platforms.

Senators have put executives of YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat on the defensive.

The senator leading a probe of Facebook’s Instagram and its impact on young people is asking Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify in the Senate.

Blumenthal said it is "urgent and necessary" for Zuckerberg or Instagram chief Adam Mosseri to testify in order "to set the record straight."

Here are three bipartisan steps Congress could take right now to reduce the harm social media platforms cause. Will they act?

The market, advertisers and Congress likely won’t challenge Facebook, but other things might.

Nearly all Americans agree that the rampant spread of misinformation is a problem.

The former Facebook product manager who has accused the social network giant of threatening children’s safety — and the integrity of democracy — is urging Congress to take action to rein in a largely unregulated company.

Leaked documents from a Facebook whistleblower could help some tech legislation get over the finish line, lawmakers said.

A former Facebook data scientist testified before Congress that the social network’s products harm children and fuel polarization in the U.S. while executives reject changes that could hurt company profits.

Frances Haugen unmasked herself Sunday as the source behind leaked documents at the core of a revealing Wall Street Journal series about Facebook.

The internet pounced on a senator's clumsy ask that Facebook end "finsta," but there was more to take away from a recent hearing about how Congress understands Big Tech.

Members of the U.S. Senate used Facebook's own internal documents leaked by a whistleblower to go after the company.

Head of "safety" at the social media company told senators that internal research on mental health impact was misinterpreted.

A Senate committee hearing will address whether Facebook is following the example of Big Tobacco.

Senators have fired a barrage of criticism at a Facebook executive over the social-networking giant’s handling of internal research on how its Instagram photo-sharing platform can harm teens.

Sikorsky Aircraft gave a send-off Friday to its first Connecticut-built CH-53K heavy lift helicopter to the U.S. Marine Corps in a ceremony suitable for the massive high-tech aircraft. Nearly 100 executives and employees of the Lockheed Martin Corp. helicopter manufacturer and others celebrated in an aircraft hangar at Sikorsky’s Stratford headquarters, with the helicopter — 99 feet long and ...

Sen. Susan Collins says she would oppose Democrats' legislative response to Texas' new abortion law that bans the procedure at about six weeks of pregnancy.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal took aim at the White House and State Department on Monday, saying he is “furious” over struggles to secure planes to evacuate a group of Americans and Afghan allies from Afghanistan.

Ex-U.S. attorney reportedly testifies he quit before Trump could fire him for not backing election fraud claims

Senators have met privately with a former U.S. attorney in Atlanta who resigned in January as then-President Donald Trump pressured officials to overturn his election defeat.

Rosen's testimony, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., showed how "close the country came to total catastrophe."

Photos GettyOne day in late June, President Joe Biden and a group of 10 senators from both parties emerged from the Oval Office and declared they’d reached an agreement on a bipartisan, multi-billion dollar infrastructure deal—the foundation of a signature win for a president obsessed with bipartisanship.Despite that group of senators working furiously to finalize a deal, four weeks later, no deal has materialized. There’s no bill, or even concrete details, for colleagues to consider. And those

For years, Senate Democrats supported efforts to preserve the legislative filibuster. Now some of those same Senate Democrats are considering eliminating it.

"People are being poisoned every day" as study finds more than 50% of beauty products in the U.S. contain dangerous chemicals.

More than half the cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada are awash with a toxic industrial compound associated with serious health conditions, including cancer and reduced birth weight, according to a new study.

More than half the cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada likely contain high levels of a toxic industrial compound linked to serious health conditions, including cancer and reduced birth weight, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame tested more than 230 commonly used cosmetics and found that 56% of foundations and eye products, 48% of lip products and 47% of mascaras contained high levels of fluorine — an indicator of PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals” that are used in nonstick frying pans, rugs and countless other consumer products. Twenty-nine products with high fluorine concentrations were tested further and found to contain between four and 13 specific PFAS chemicals, the study found.

The proposal does not include tax increases, a key part of President Biden's push.

The proposal does not include tax increases, a key part of President Biden's push.

There appears to be no violation of international law in possible weapons transfer from Iran to Venezuela

One Democrat doubts this will get buy-in from the White House or from enough Republicans to clear the Senate.

One Democrat doubts this will get buy-in from the White House or from enough Republicans to clear the Senate.

A federal law governing how college athletes can earn money off their fame seems like a certainty.

President Joe Biden faced fierce blowback from fellow Democrats and refugee advocates for considering keeping his predecessor’s record-low cap of 15,000 for admitting refugees this budget year.

The first Senate hearing for President Joe Biden’s judicial nominations featured two African American nominees for appeals court openings.

The Supreme Court appears likely to put a stop to California’s practice of collecting the names and addresses of top donors to charities.

More action, less talk and something for the history books.

The pictures always make it look so presidential.

Consumer Reports says it was able to easily trick a Tesla into driving in the car's Autopilot mode without a person in the driver’s seat.

President Joe Biden plans to lift his predecessor’s historically low cap on refugees by next month.

Facing swift blowback from allies and aid groups, the White House says President Joe Biden plans to lift his predecessor’s historically low cap on refugees by next month.

Ten liberal senators are urging President Joe Biden to back India and South Africa’s appeal to the World Trade Organization to temporarily relax intellectual property rules so coronavirus vaccines can be manufactured by nations that are struggling to inoculate their populations.

Three men's college basketball players say they heard “a lot of talk” from NCAA President Mark Emmert during a video call to discuss their concerns.

NCAA basketball administrators apologized to the womens basketball players and coaches after inequities between the mens and womens tournament went viral on social media. “How does that even work?” Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft said. Permitting college athletes to earn money off their name, image and likeness once seemed like a radical idea, but that will soon be a reality. The NCAA is already looking for help from federal lawmakers to set national standards for NIL compensation for college athletes. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

They are not even united themselves, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Tuesday that he opposes the House legislation on background checks. The gun debate also highlights a larger difficulty for Senate Democrats as they try to move forward on gun legislation and other policy priorities of the Biden White House. Schumer has not said when he will bring the House legislation up for a vote. Democrats say they feel the environment around gun legislation has evolved, especially since that last major push in 2013. Many in the GOP base are still strongly opposed to gun control of any kind.

WASHINGTON – Democrats say they are pushing toward a vote on expanded gun control measures as the nation reels from its second mass shooting in a week. They are not even united themselves, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Tuesday that he opposes the House legislation on background checks. It is unclear whether any of the bills up for consideration — most of them involving more restrictive background checks — would have made a difference in that case. Republicans have argued that background checks would not stop most mass shootings and would prevent some lawful gun owners from purchasing firearms. A second bill would extend a review period for background checks from three to 10 days.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – Fresh off passage of the COVID-19 relief bill, President Joe Biden is assembling the next big White House priority, a sweeping $3 trillion package of investments on infrastructure and domestic needs. Biden's outreach to Senate Democrats comes as the White House is under fire for its handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. An infrastructure package would include roughly $1 trillion for roads, bridges, rail lines, electrical vehicle charging stations and the cellular network, among other items. With the House and Senate under Democratic control, the proposals are expected to draw support from all corners of Congress. A White House official said the president has been very clear about his agenda, even though the details are only just starting to surface.

Minority students are significantly underrepresented when it comes to getting nominations from members of Congress to attend the nation's military service academies, according to an analysis released Wednesday, March 17, 2021. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)Minority students are significantly underrepresented when it comes to getting nominations from members of Congress to attend the nation's military service academies, according to an analysis released Wednesday. The study by the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center and the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School included nearly 25 years of admissions nomination data from the Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy involving members of the current Congress. Members of Congress have awarded 6% of their total nominations to Black students and 8% to Hispanic students, according to the report. To be considered for admission, all service academy applicants must receive a nomination from a member of Congress, the president, the vice president, a secretary of a military service, or an academy superintendent.

The House recently passed legislation that would require background checks for gun purchases, a signature Democratic issue for decades. The two bills that passed the House last week would expand background checks on gun purchases, the first significant movement on gun control since Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. That leaves gun-control advocates hoping that the politics of gun control have shifted enough that more Republicans may be open to legislation that advocates argue is widely popular with the American public. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a moderate, have worked together for years to find compromise on background checks. John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, pointed in particular to Democratic wins in the 2018 midterms while running openly for gun control as evidence the politics are changing.

The House passed two bills Thursday to require background checks on all firearms sales and transfers and to allow an expanded 10-day review for gun purchases. While enhanced background checks are generally popular with the American public, even with some conservatives, Congress has so far not been able to find compromise on the issue. “These solutions will save lives.”President Joe Biden has called for Congress to strengthen gun laws, including requiring the background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons. AdThe second bill, which passed 219-210, would extend the review period for background checks from three to 10 days. While the House bills have Republican cosponsors and won a handful of GOP votes, most Republicans voted against them.

“He said we need to pass this bill and pass it soon. The Senate bill was expected to largely mirror the House-approved package, with the most glaring divergence the Senate's dropping of language boosting the federal minimum wage to $15 hourly. Schumer said Senate debate would commence as soon as Wednesday and predicted, “We'll have the votes we need to pass the bill." Progressives, though, were still smarting over the virtual certainty that the Senate bill will lack the minimum wage boost, up from $7.25 hourly locked in since 2009. The funding was removed after some Republican lawmakers had criticized it as an example of a wasteful spending item that should not be part of the COVID relief bill.

The inspector general issued 14 recommendations to “restore confidence in FAA’s certification process and ensure the highest level of safety” in future passenger planes. While FAA test pilots knew about changes to the flight system, called MCAS, some key FAA personnel, including engineers, did not. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the report indicated concealment by Boeing and negligence by the FAA. AdThe same inspector general’s office reported last year that Boeing failed to disclose to the FAA changes it made to MCAS. In January, Boeing agreed to a $2.5 billion settlement with the Justice Department to avoid prosecution for defrauding the FAA.

In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., speaks about the motion to call witnesses during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. Coming amid the searing COVID-19 crisis, the Biden White House is trying to rush pandemic relief through Congress. Most of them ultimately voted to acquit, doubting whether Trump was fully responsible or if impeachment is the appropriate response. Within a week Biden was inaugurated, Trump was gone and Pelosi sent the article of impeachment to the Senate days later, launching the proceedings. At the same time, this year's trial carried similar warnings from the prosecutors that Trump must be held accountable because he has shown repeatedly he has no bounds.

(Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool photo via AP)WASHINGTON – The impeachment trial of Donald Trump is more than an effort to convict the former president of inciting an insurrection. It's a chance for a public accounting and remembrance of the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol in 200 years. Trump is long gone, ensconced at his Mar-a-Lago club, and Democrat Joe Biden is the new president in the White House. "A public trial serves a vital purpose," he said. Pelosi led Democrats in impeaching Trump, the only president twice impeached, and the first in history to face trial after leaving office.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)WASHINGTON – House Democrats asked Donald Trump to testify under oath for his Senate impeachment trial, challenging him to respond to their charge that he incited a violent mob to storm the Capitol. Hours after the Democrats' Thursday request was revealed, Trump adviser Jason Miller dismissed the trial as “an unconstitutional proceeding” and said the former president would not testify. Separately, Trump’s lawyers denounced the request as a “public relations stunt.”AdThe impeachment trial starts Feb. 9. He asked that Trump provide testimony about his conduct “either before or during the Senate impeachment trial,” and under cross-examination, as early as Monday, Feb. 8, and not later than Thursday, Feb. 11. The Senate could vote to subpoena Trump, or any other witnesses, on a simple majority vote during the trial.

The College Athlete Economic Freedom Act is the third piece of legislation related to name, image and likeness compensation for college athletes introduced in Congress since December and second sponsored by Democrats. Iowa became the latest state to get in the game, with lawmakers introducing a bill Wednesday they hope will go into effect July 1. The bill would give college athletes unfettered access to the free market, allow them to organize and make group licensing deals, and hand oversight to the Federal Trade Commission. ), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, put forth an NIL bill that is narrowly focused like Murphy's, but with numerous restrictions that critics consider too NCAA-friendly. Wicker's bill would provide antitrust protections to the NCAA, shielding the association from legal challenges to its NIL rules, and allow the association to limit the types of financial agreements for athletes.

The new rules for filing sensitive documents are one of the clearest ways the hack has affected the court system. AdThe Administrative Office of U.S. Courts confirmed the court system breach on Jan. 6, joining a victims' list that includes the State Department, the National Institutes of Health, tech companies and an unknown number of Fortune 500 companies. Targets could include not just court staff, but also “soft targets” such as law firms that upload files to the case management system, known as CM/ECF. Criminal, civil and bankruptcy filings are believed to have been compromised, but not the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system, which handles national security surveillance warrants, according to the court employees. Senators are pressing court officials and the Justice Department for a clear assessment of the damage to the legal system.

Thousands had gathered that day as Congress voted to formally certify President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in November. Hawley and Cruz led objections in the Senate to Biden’s victory, despite the widespread recognition that the effort would fail. And both senators used their objections for political fundraising,” the Democratic senators said in their letter. Cruz helped force a vote on Biden's victory in Arizona, while Hawley helped force one on Biden's victory in Pennsylvania. “This latest effort is a flagrant abuse of the Senate ethics process and a flagrant attempt to exact partisan revenge."