Newly elected Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a leader in the Republican fight against President Barack Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, was silent as several party colleagues continued the battle today on the Senate floor. Cruz’s reticence, though, had...
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Photograph by J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
At the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Ted Cruz, right, confers with Sen. James Inhofe, the ranking member, left, during a short recess in the confirmation hearing of Chuck Hagel, a former two-term senator and President Obama's choice to lead the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill on Jan. 31, 2013.
Ted Cruz Left Speechless in Sparring Over Hagel
Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, questions regulators during a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington on Feb. 14, 2013.
Elizabeth Warren Decries ‘Too-Big-For-Trial’ Approach to Banks
If there was any thought that Elizabeth Warren, who portrayed herself as an anti-Wall Street cop during her 2012 Senate campaign, would soften her attacks on banks once in office, she quickly dismissed such notions today. Warren used her first hearing as a member...
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Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), speaks during a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington on Feb. 14, 2013.
54 Senators On Record Backing Cordray for CFPB Post
President Barack Obama already knew that Senate Democrats supported his choice of Richard Cordray to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. So why did 52 Democrats and two like-minded independents put their signatures to a letter today telling him what he...
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Photograph by J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
Sen. Frank Lautenberg walks to the Senate floor from a Democratic caucus meeting on Capitol Hill on Feb. 14, 2013. Lautenberg, 89, has decided not to seek re-election on order to clear the way for Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker to assume the spot.
Lautenberg Goes — Maybe Not Gently — But He Goes
Octogenarian Frank Lautenberg – close to being a nonagenarian — seemed to delight in sending mixed signals on whether he would run for Senate re-election next year in New Jersey. So much so that the front page of yesterday’s New York Times...
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Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Eric Holder, U.S. attorney general, listens to a question during a news conference in Washington on Feb. 5, 2013.
Top Holder Aide to Leave Justice for Axelrod Firm
A top aide to Attorney Eric Holder will depart next month to join the public relations firm co-founded by one of President Barack Obama’s closest advisors, political strategist David Axelrod. Tracy Schmaler, head of the Justice Department’s public affairs operation, will...
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Photograph by Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney confers with advisers on board his campaign plane on Oct. 1, 2012.
Romney-Inspired Tax-Hike Idea Put on Back Burner
Written with Kathleen Hunter A tax-increase proposal inspired by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s portfolio won’t be included in a plan by Senate Democrats to avert automatic spending cuts as of March 1, a Democratic aide said. The proposal would impose limits...
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Photograph by Jonathan Olley/Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection
Actor James Gandolfini as Leon Panetta in "Zero Dark Thirty."
Panetta Sees Himself More Like Pacino Than Gandolfini
Just exactly a month ago, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta steered clear of critiquing “Zero Dark Thirty” when asked about the film by reporters flying with him to Lisbon. Today, though, he offered a casting quibble. “The guy who plays me isn’t quite, quite...
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Photograph by Charles Dharapak/Pool via Bloomberg
President Barack Obama, center, arrives to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 12, 2013.
Trillion-Dollar Math Quiz: Does Obama Pass?
President Bill Clinton sang the praises of “arithmetic” in his 2012 convention speech. President Barack Obama relied on “math” in his debates with Mitt Romney to argue for his deficit reduction package. But Obama has used some contradictory numbers himself....
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Photograph by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
Hershey Co.'s chocolate kisses.
Lobbyists to Congress on Valentine’s Day: Will You Be Mine?
A portion of the money that sweethearts spend on Valentine’s Day will help companies that sell candy, flowers and cards spread their own love around Capitol Hill. Bloomberg Government analyst Peter Brusoe examined the lobbying costs of companies expected to...
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Photograph by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
A U.S. Postal Service employee loads his van as he prepares to leave the loading dock to deliver mail from the Los Feliz Post Office on Feb. 6, 2013 in Los Angeles.
Postal Unions Donate to Congress in Fight over Saturday Mail
Postal union political action committees have given more than $9 million to current members of Congress, Bloomberg News reported. All but five of Congress’s 255 Democrats and independents received campaign donations from postal worker union groups in the past six years....
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Contributors
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Al Hunt
is a columnist for Bloomberg View and host of the weekly show "Political Capital with Al Hunt" on Bloomberg TV. -
Mark Silva
is deputy managing editor for government news in Washington and editor of Political Capital. He has covered the White House and national politics. -
Emma Fidel
is political editor for Bloomberg.com in Washington. She previously covered financial regulation as a Bloomberg intern. -
Don Frederick
edits political and government coverage for Bloomberg News. He previously worked for more than a decade at the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. -
Gregory Giroux
analyzes elections, financing of congressional and presidential elections, political advertising and demographics in Bloomberg's Washington Bureau. -
Julie Bykowicz
covers the influence of money and lobbying in Washington, and covered the state legislature and city crime for the Baltimore Sun for 10 years. -
Jonathan Salant
covers campaign finance and lobbying in Washington. He was president of the National Press Club and started in Washington in 1987. -
Richard Rubin
covers federal tax policy. He worked at Congressional Quarterly and The Charlotte Observer before joining Bloomberg News in 2010. -
Julie Hirschfeld Davis
is a senior political reporter for the Washington Bureau. She covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News and previously covered the White House for the Baltimore Sun. -
Lisa Lerer
covers the White House and covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News. She covered Congress, lobbying and the 2008 campaign for Politico. -
John McCormick
is a national political reporter looking forward to the 2016 presidential campaign, which will be the fifth he's covered. He's also reported for The Des Moines Register and Chicago Tribune. -
Julianna Goldman
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Hans Nichols
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Margaret Talev
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and covered the White House for McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered California and Florida politics. -
Cary O'Reilly
is Editor at Large at Bloomberg First Word and is Washington Daybook columnist for Bloomberg Government and Bloomberg News.
