In the Loop: Senate


Posted at 01:27 PM ET, 04/08/2013

Senate finance aides pressed for time on Asia trip
By Al Kamen
Australia environment, labor groups unable to get a meeting.

By Al Kamen  |  01:27 PM ET, 04/08/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Trans-Paciific Partnership, Senate Finance Committee, Australia, New Zealand, Australia, labor, enironmentalist, free trade, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the loop

Posted at 12:33 PM ET, 03/26/2013

Senate staff on 13-day Asia trade trip
By Al Kamen
A grueling schedule of meetings is on tap in trip to Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand.

By Al Kamen  |  12:33 PM ET, 03/26/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  codel, staffdel, Senate Finance Committee, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Hanoi, Australia, Mordor, Vietnam, Trans-Pacific Partnership, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 03/13/2013

CIA’s Brennan identifies with hostages
By Al Kamen
In Senate testimony, Brennan denies knowledge of the tussle over secret drone documents.

By Al Kamen  |  08:00 AM ET, 03/13/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  John Brennan, CIA, drone strikes, Senate, Intelligence, Jay Rockefeller, hostages, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 04:02 PM ET, 03/06/2013

Filibusters ain’t what they used to be
By Al Kamen
Sen. Rand Paul’s worthy effort, even with help from pals, may fall many hours short of the record-breakers of yore.

By Al Kamen  |  04:02 PM ET, 03/06/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  filibuster, Rand Paul, Huey Long, Strom Thurmond, Senate, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Alfonse D'Amato, Robert Byrd, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 12:11 PM ET, 02/01/2013

Will Kerry’s arrival make for longer cabinet meetings?
By Al Kamen
The new secretary of state appears to match Joe Biden’s gift for opining at length.

By Al Kamen  |  12:11 PM ET, 02/01/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  John Kerry, Daniel Webster, Senate, speech, Obama, meetings, cabinet, Biden, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 01/18/2013

Kerry, if confirmed as secretary of state, will have scores of top jobs to fill

By Al Kamen
Nearly 200 State Department jobs could be up for grabs.

By Al Kamen  |  07:00 AM ET, 01/18/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  John Kerry, Obama, Senate, Hillary Clinton, State Department, David Wade, Bill Danvers, Frank Lowenstein, Tom Nides, Bill Burns, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop, washingtonintransition

Posted at 12:17 PM ET, 11/28/2012

Al Franken sometimes can’t resist
By Al Kamen
IN THE LOOP| The former SNL comedian works to shed that image, but sometimes. . .

By Al Kamen  |  12:17 PM ET, 11/28/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Al Franken, Saturday Night Live, Martin Heinrich, Patrick Murphy, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop, Senate

Posted at 11:45 AM ET, 11/06/2012

Josh Mandel taking heat from the in-laws
By Al Kamen
Some of Mandel’s cousins object to his views on gay marriage.

By Al Kamen  |  11:45 AM ET, 11/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Josh Mandel, Sherrod Brown, Cleveland Jewish News, Senate, Ohio, gays, gay marriage, gays in military, Cleveland, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 04:27 PM ET, 09/20/2012

Senate fails to confirm pending judges before recess
By Al Kamen
The gridlocked Senate was unable to confirm 17 trial court judges before leaving for recess.

By Al Kamen  |  04:27 PM ET, 09/20/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Judges, judicial vacancies, Senate Judicary Committee, confirmation, judgeships, Obama, Bush, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 05:23 PM ET, 09/18/2012

Senate may confirm new missile defense chief
By Al Kamen
There are hints of a move on the Hill to confirm a new MDA director by the end of the week.

By Al Kamen  |  05:23 PM ET, 09/18/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Senate, Jim Syring, James Syring, Missile Defense Agency, MDA, Parick O'Reilly, Pentagon, inspector general, report, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 08/07/2012

Senate ‘pro formas’ to be held down the street
By Al Kamen
The Senate Chamber is getting a facelift, so the “pro forma” sessions will be in the Hart Senate office building.

By Al Kamen  |  08:00 AM ET, 08/07/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Harry Reid, Senate, Senate recess, Senate pro forma, Senate chamber, pro forma sessions, Senate Judiciary Committee, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the loop

Posted at 12:12 PM ET, 08/01/2012

Judicial wannabes’ chances — slim to none
By Al Kamen
The climate these days is stacked against Obama judicial nominees getting confirmed.

By Al Kamen  |  12:12 PM ET, 08/01/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Obama judges, judicial appointments, Bill Clinton, George Bush, Al Gore, Pat Leahy, Senate Judicarry Committee, judicial vacancies, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 01:31 PM ET, 07/31/2012

House approves streamlined Senate confirmation process
By Al Kamen
The House is expected to pass a measure to improve the clogged presidential appointee confirmation process by eliminating 169 jobs from requiring Senate approval.

By Al Kamen  |  01:31 PM ET, 07/31/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Presidential appointments, Senate confirmation, confirmation process, Max Stier, Partnership for Public Service, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Charles Schumer, Lamar Alexander, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop, Barack Obama

Posted at 04:46 PM ET, 06/14/2012

Mari Carmen Aponte confirmed as ambassador to El Salvador
By Al Kamen
Senate voted Thursday to break a GOP filibuster and confirm Obama nominee Mari Carmen Aponte as ambassador to El Salvador.

By Al Kamen  |  04:46 PM ET, 06/14/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Mari Carmen Aponte, el salvador, aponte, Marco Rubio, recess appointment Senate, filibuster, In the Loop, Al Kamen, Emily Heil

Posted at 05:27 PM ET, 05/08/2012

Even senators get airport pat-downs
By Al Kamen
The chair of the Senate intelligence committee was patted down in by airport security in Dubai.

By Al Kamen  |  05:27 PM ET, 05/08/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  CIA, Al Qaeda, airlne bomb, TSA, airports, screening, John Tyner, pat downs, Dianne Feinstein, Senate, intelligence committee, Dubai, Afghanistan, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 01:04 PM ET, 05/07/2012

Senate confirms three more judges
By Al Kamen
The Senate confirms three more judges under a March deal between Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell.

By Al Kamen  |  01:04 PM ET, 05/07/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Judges, Senate, Judicial: Confirmations, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Thurmond rule, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 03:06 PM ET, 04/30/2012

Senate stalls even GOP nominees
By Al Kamen
The completely dysfunctional Senate is holding up Republican nominees as well.

By Al Kamen  |  03:06 PM ET, 04/30/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Senate, National Mediation Board, Federal Labor Relations Board, Obama, confirmations, Senate, Delta Airlines, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 01:28 PM ET, 04/27/2012

Senate confirms top Pentagon and Justice nominees
By Al Kamen
The Senate confirmed former Obama National Security Council chief of staff Mark Lippert as assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs along with several other top picks.

By Al Kamen  |  01:28 PM ET, 04/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Senate, Obama, nominees, confirmed, Ecuador, Defense Department, ambassadors, Agriculture Department, Bob Woodward, Obama's Wars, Adam Namm, Mark Lippert, Jim Jones, Michael E. Horowitz, Clinton, Bush, Kathryn Keneally, Michael Scuse, Deborah S. Delisle, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil, Hugo Chavez

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 04/26/2012

Obama, Japan’s prime minister to meet
By Al Kamen
Next week’s meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda should prove more productive than the last time a prime minister from Japan was in town.

By Al Kamen  |  08:00 AM ET, 04/26/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Japan prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, Obama, Senate Armed Service Committee, Yukio Hatoyama, Okinawa, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 06:11 PM ET, 04/02/2012

Some Obama nominees missed the confirmation train
By Al Kamen
Most of the White House’s nominees were confirmed last week before the Senate recess. Some were left waiting for a vote.

By Al Kamen  |  06:11 PM ET, 04/02/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Obama, Senate, nominees, confirmation, Mari Carmen Aponte, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 11:09 AM ET, 03/15/2012

Brett McGurk to be next Iraq envoy?
By Al Kamen
A foreign policy adviser for Bush and Obama, Brett McGurk is said to be the leading candidate for ambassador to Iraq.

By Al Kamen  |  11:09 AM ET, 03/15/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Iraq, Baghdad, ambassador, Brett McGurk, McGurk, Jim Jeffrey, Coalition Provisional Authority, President Bush, President Obama, National Security Council, White House, Nouri al-Maliki, Turkey, Senate, confirmation