Mar 17th, 2010 · Privacy advocates are urging the Obama administration to appoint nominees to a privacy and civil liberties board that has been defunct for more than two years. Congress wants to revive the board as an independent body to protect U.S. citizens against potential transgressions tied to counterterrorism activities.
Mar 17th, 2010 · Congress has extended the COBRA subsidy periods again and again, helping many laid-off workers keep health insurance. Still, sorting through the paperwork to get the government assistance is no easy task. And, the government subsidies expire in March unless the jobs bill passes.
Mar 16th, 2010 · ANALYSIS: Despite all the talk about eliminating earmarks, don't bet on its happening. Earmarks come close to the basic notion of representative government: We want to know what our lawmaker has done for us lately.
Mar 16th, 2010 · House Democratic Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina is working to line up votes in support of health care overhaul. Former Democratic Whip David Bonior says the art of whipping involved appealing to the conscience of his fellow members of Congress, as well as lobbying their family, friends and even religious leaders.
Mar 16th, 2010 · The Supreme ruled in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that the government may not place limits on the political speech of corporations. In that spirit, Murray Hill Inc., a Silver Spring, Md., PR firm, is planning to run for Congress. Eric Hensal, the man behind the firm's tongue-in-cheek run for the Senate, offers his insight.
Mar 16th, 2010 · The FCC wants to speed the Internet to millions of American families who don't currently have access. That's part of a plan the agency will present to Congress Tuesday. Some of the funds could come from an auction of public airwaves. And that could mean a fight with broadcasters currently using the spectrum for free.
Mar 15th, 2010 · During a visit to an Ohio senior center, the president pledged that health care legislation approaching a final vote in Congress would make preventive care cost-free and close a gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Mar 15th, 2010 · Should President Obama's health care proposal make it through Congress, estimates indicate there would not be close to enough doctors to care for the millions of newly insured. That's because America is facing an alarming shortage of primary care physicians. Many doctors turn to specialty practices to pay off massive loans. Host Michel Martin speaks with medical students Dan Henderson and Travelle Franklin-Ford about the decisions they'll soon face as new doctors and what they think should be done to support students and entice new recruits to the profession.