May 26, 2011 – Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says he supports House Republicans' budget outline that makes cuts to the federal deficit as well as federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Pawlenty told reporters on Thursday that, if he were president, he would endorse the House lawmakers' plan. He has been dogged in...

May 26, 2011 – WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Rick Santorum plans to kick off his Republican presidential campaign next month in western Pennsylvania coal fields where his immigrant grandfather once worked. Santorum said today on his Facebook page that he will announce his next steps on June 6. He then scheduled a visit to...

May 26, 2011 – Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), known and celebrated for his Libertarian views, delivered a stunning critique of the American Republic on the House floor yesterday. Paul told congress that “the last nail is being driven into the coffin of the American Republic. Yet, Congress remains in total denial as our liberties...

May 26, 2011 – Funny moment at the GOP presser Thursday. The Republicans were running down a long list of committee chairmen, speaking about their economic recovery program. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, finished his remarks and immediately said, "I think Kevin Brady is next," referring to Joint Economic Committee Chairman Kevin...

May 26, 2011 – Former President Bill Clinton provided a stark warning to his fellow Democrats about the consequences of failing to take the lead on issues of debt and deficit. "The Democrats are going to have to be willing to give up maybe some short-term political gain by whipping up fears on some...

May 26, 2011 – Washington (CNN) – Freshman Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who angrily squared off with the top Senate Democrat Wednesday, turned his sights on his own party's leaders Thursday, accusing them of preventing a vote on his amendment to the Patriot Act that would require government investigators to get a court order...

May 26, 2011 – Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) – Not two days ago, Sarah Palin was all but written off as a possible presidential contender by the national media and Republican insiders who considered the field of 2012 candidates to be settled. Now, fittingly, one of the country's most unpredictable political figures is preparing...

May 26, 2011 – (Newser) – The Supreme Court today upheld an Arizona law that proscribes a so-called “business death penalty” for companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. In a 5-3 decision, the court said that states are free to take action against employers on immigration—which augurs well for supporters of Arizona’s more recent...

May 26, 2011 – (Newser) – Democrats are downright gleeful over their upset victory in the Buffalo-area congressional race, but they're also misguided about what happened, writes Karl Rove. The common narrative is that Kathy Hochul clobbered Jane Corwin by linking her to Paul Ryan's Medicare overhaul and that Democrats now have a lethal...

May 26, 2011 – WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Rick Santorum is planning to kick off his presidential campaign next month in western Pennsylvania coal fields where his grandfather once worked. The Republican plans to start his White House campaign on June 6, Santorum announced Thursday on his Facebook page. He then would head to...

May 26, 2011 – In an exclusive interview with Townhall, she gets personal about her life, her past and her passions. ----------------- Anyone who … Get this rare inside look at the life of Ann Coulter ONLY in the June issue of Townhall Magazine. … Get the full piece only in the June 2011 issue of Townhall Magazine. Order today.…

May 26, 2011 – Guest blog post by Nick Freiling The Patriot Act faces expiration tonight if the Senate does not vote to renew it. Harry Reid has opposed Rand Paul’s attempt to amend the bill or prevent it from passing as written. But in 2005, Reid bragged about the Democrat’s “killing” of...

May 26, 2011 – (Newser) – A Wisconsin county judge has struck down the state's controversial law limiting public unions’ collective bargaining rights, ruling that Republicans broke the state's open meeting law when passing it. In her ruling, Judge Maryann Sumi wrote that she wasn’t ruling against the law because it was "controversial or...

May 26, 2011 – With the clock ticking toward a midnight deadline, the Senate on Thursday morning took a step closer to renewing expiring parts of the post-9/11 Patriot Act. Legislation extending three key provisions of the counter-terrorism surveillance law cleared the Senate on a bipartisan 79-18 vote. Fourteen Democrats joined four Republicans in...

May 26, 2011 – President Barack Obama, having had a few run-ins with tea partyers who challenge his own policies, alluded to similarly historic dustups between the United States and England in his speech to the British Parliament at London’s Westminster Hall Wednesday. Acknowledging the upstart colonies’ Boston Tea Party rebellion against Britain lo...

May 26, 2011 – The tale of the Gingriches' Tiffany account just took an interesting twist. At the same time that Tiffany & Co. was extending an interest-free line of credit to Newt Gingrich’s wife, Callista, the big-name jeweler was spending major money trying to influence the congressional committee where she worked, the Spy...

May 26, 2011 – A day after watching Democrats use Republicans' Medicare plan to score an upset victory in a special congressional election in New York, the GOP regrouped, retooled its message and saw most of its troops rally behind the plan in a key test Senate vote. Democrats said the vote, which came...

May 26, 2011 – A Wisconsin circuit court judge on Thursday struck down the state’s controversial law restricting collective bargaining for most unions representing the state’s public workers. The legislation was a major priority of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, with deliberations over it prompting protests at the state capitol in the spring. Read more:

May 26, 2011 – House Ways and Means Committee Chairman David Camp says the GOP should stick with Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan as congressional Democrats have not offered an alternative. Camp also told Fox News' Neal Cavuto on Wednesday that he wants an "up-or-down vote" on the proposal. "Look, we have a plan...

May 26, 2011 – Senate Republicans are scrambling to regain the political edge in the budget debate, with internal divisions surfacing over policy and tactics in the wake of a House special election loss in New York. The tensions spilled out at a closed-door lunch this week in the ornate Lyndon B. Johnson room...

May 26, 2011 – Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is worried about the falling value of the U.S. dollar and doesn't want the debt ceiling raised, he told CNBC Wednesday. But he also doesn't want to default on payments to U.S. bond holders. Rather than raise the debt ceiling, he wants to see cuts...

May 26, 2011 – An Obama administration proposal for bolstering the nation’s defenses against a cyber attack would give the Homeland Security Department too much power over private industry, a U.S. lawmaker said today. "The president’s plan gives the Department of Homeland Security unfettered authority to regulate private industry," Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican...

May 26, 2011 – The federal government will not need to shut down and could find ways to pay its obligations even if the debt ceiling is reached before a law is passed to raise it, congressional researchers told lawmakers at a recent briefing. The Congressional Research Service briefing and two reports provided...

May 26, 2011 – You've probably heard of shrimp on the barbie, but what about shrimp on a treadmill? The National Science Foundation has, and it spent $500,000 of taxpayer money researching it. It's not entirely clear what this research hoped to establish. But it's one of a number of projects cited...

May 26, 2011 – May was a good month for the Iowa GOP caucuses. Mitt Romney finally announced that he would make his first 2012 campaign visit to the state. Tim Pawlenty launched his presidential campaign in Des Moines. But even better, at least from the perspective of nail-biting Iowa Republicans worried about their...