Past Articles by Ailsa Chang
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Secret Surveillance Credited With Preventing Terror Acts The National Security Agency director made the rounds again on Capitol Hill to defend two surveillance programs leaked to the press. Gen. Keith Alexander appeared before the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday, along with other members of the intelligence community and FBI. The government says its Internet monitoring program and the collection of phone logs have stopped more than 50 terrorist attacks. |
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NSA Head Tells Senate His Agency Didn't Do Anything Wrong NSA Director Keith Alexander told a Senate panel that his agency's program did indeed protect American's privacy while gathering data on terrorist activity. Alexander told lawmakers he wants to declassify more details to reassure everyone the programs are legal and effective. |
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NSA Head Tells Senate His Agency Didn't Do Anything Wrong NSA Director Keith Alexander told a Senate panel that his agency's program did indeed protect American's privacy while gathering data on terrorist activity. Alexander told lawmakers he wants to declassify more details to reassure everyone the programs are legal and effective. |
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What Did Congress Really Know About NSA Tracking? The White House maintains it had sufficiently briefed Congress on the Internet and phone data monitoring programs leaked last week, but many lawmakers vehemently disagree. |
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What Did Congress Really Know About NSA Tracking? The White House maintains it had sufficiently briefed Congress on the Internet and phone data monitoring programs leaked last week, but many lawmakers vehemently disagree. |
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Tea Party Firebrand Bachmann Won't Seek Fifth Term Tea Party favorite and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann announced that she would not run for re-election to her Minnesota House seat. Bachmann was facing a tough fight, having barely beaten an unknown Democrat in a district that Republican nominee Mitt Romney carried by 15 points. |
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Tea Party Firebrand Bachmann Won't Seek Fifth Term Tea Party favorite and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann announced that she would not run for re-election to her Minnesota House seat. Bachmann was facing a tough fight, having barely beaten an unknown Democrat in a district that Republican nominee Mitt Romney carried by 15 points. |
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Sen. Reid Threatens Nuclear Option To Confirm Nominees Senate Republicans have continued blocking a number of President Obama's appointees to run his executive agencies. Majority Leader Harry Reid again has threatened a rules change to permit appointment confirmations with a simple majority vote. |
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Sen. Reid Threatens Nuclear Option To Confirm Nominees Senate Republicans have continued blocking a number of President Obama's appointees to run his executive agencies. Majority Leader Harry Reid again has threatened a rules change to permit appointment confirmations with a simple majority vote. |
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Focus On Women, Families Propels New York's Sen. Gillibrand Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand is introducing legislation with other lawmakers Thursday that would change the way the military prosecutes sexual assault cases. It's the latest high-publicity move for a senator who was almost unknown four years ago when she was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's seat. |
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Focus On Women, Families Propels New York's Sen. Gillibrand Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand is introducing legislation with other lawmakers Thursday that would change the way the military prosecutes sexual assault cases. It's the latest high-publicity move for a senator who was almost unknown four years ago when she was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's seat. |
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Congress Considers How To Deflate Nation's Helium Reserve The Senate is considering legislation to prevent a global helium shortage from worsening in October. That's when the Federal Helium Program is set to terminate. |
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Congress Considers Patch To Keep Helium Supply Afloat The Senate is considering legislation to prevent a global helium shortage from worsening in October. That's when the Federal Helium Program is set to terminate. |
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Congress Considers Patch To Keep Helium Supply Afloat The Senate is considering legislation to prevent a global helium shortage from worsening in October. That's when the Federal Helium Program is set to terminate. |
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Congress Considers Patch To Keep Helium Supply Afloat The Senate is considering legislation to prevent a global helium shortage from worsening in October. That's when the Federal Helium Program is set to terminate. |
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Congress Considers Patch To Keep Helium Supply Afloat The Senate is considering legislation to prevent a global helium shortage from worsening in October. That's when the Federal Helium Program is set to terminate. |
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McConnell Tries To Show He's Still At Home In Kentucky The Senate minority leader is up for re-election next year, and polling in his state shows his popularity is suffering. Some voters complain that Mitch McConnell is out of touch with the people of the Bluegrass State, and others say it's time for some new blood. Still, he will be hard to beat. |
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McConnell Tries To Show He's Still At Home In Kentucky The Senate minority leader is up for re-election next year, and polling in his state shows his popularity is suffering. Some voters complain that Mitch McConnell is out of touch with the people of the Bluegrass State, and others say it's time for some new blood. Still, he will be hard to beat. |
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Bloomberg Aims His Money At Gun Control Opponents New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems determined to become the formidable adversary the NRA has never had. The billionaire mayor is spending from his personal fortune to help defeat lawmakers who voted against gun control proposals last week. His first target: Democrat Mark Pryor of Arkansas. |
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Bloomberg Aims His Money At Gun Control Opponents New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems determined to become the formidable adversary the NRA has never had. The billionaire mayor is spending from his personal fortune to help defeat lawmakers who voted against gun control proposals last week. His first target: Democrat Mark Pryor of Arkansas. |
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People On Terrorism Watch List Not Blocked From Buying Guns Under current laws, if a background check shows your name is on the national terror watch list, you can still purchase a gun. Government data show that people on terrorism watch lists were able to buy guns or explosives after a background check more than 1,300 times between 2004 and 2010. |
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People On Terrorism Watch List Not Blocked From Buying Guns Under current laws, if a background check shows your name is on the national terror watch list, you can still purchase a gun. Government data show that people on terrorism watch lists were able to buy guns or explosives after a background check more than 1,300 times between 2004 and 2010. |
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Gun-Rights Groups Claim Victory On Rapid Series Of Votes Senate Republicans and a small group of Democrats have teamed up to reject every major gun control proposal President Obama pushed since last December's shootings in Newtown, Ct. The proposals include expanded background checks, a ban on assault weapons and a limit on ammunition magazines. |
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Background Check Battle: More Prosecution Or More Checks? Some gun rights supporters point out that only a tiny fraction of people caught trying to buy a gun illegally are ever prosecuted. They say the government should focus on enforcing current law, not expanding background checks. But gun control supporters say that argument misses the point. |
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Background Check Battle: More Prosecution Or More Checks? Some gun rights supporters point out that only a tiny fraction of people caught trying to buy a gun illegally are ever prosecuted. They say the government should focus on enforcing current law, not expanding background checks. But gun control supporters say that argument misses the point. |
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Vote Forces Senate To Talk About Gun Control The Senate is officially moving toward debate on gun control legislation. To do that, Democratic leaders on Thursday first had to defeat a Republican filibuster. They did so with the help of 16 Republicans. The procedural vote was a victory for gun-control supporters, but more battles lie ahead. |
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Senate Readies To Debate Gun Control Measure The Senate is expected to hold its first floor vote on a gun bill since the Newtown school shootings on Thursday. It's an attempt to move forward on legislation expanding the use of criminal background checks for gun buyers. Some Republicans had threatened a filibuster to stop the measure, but support for that tactic appears to have diminished. |
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Bipartisan Group Of Senators Agrees To Background Check Plan More than three months after the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., the U.S. Senate is poised to bring a gun bill to the floor on Thursday. It's far weaker than what gun control advocates had hoped for, but nonetheless faces a Republican filibuster because gun rights groups say it goes too far. |
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Back From Recess, Congress Preps For Gun Legislation Fight Senate staffers say a bipartisan agreement has yet to be reached on universal background checks, and that snarl may end up delaying a vote on gun legislation for another week. Lobbyists on both sides of the debate are using the extra time to keep the pressure on. |
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Back From Recess, Congress Preps For Gun Legislation Fight Senate staffers say a bipartisan agreement has yet to be reached on universal background checks, and that snarl may end up delaying a vote on gun legislation for another week. Lobbyists on both sides of the debate are using the extra time to keep the pressure on. |
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High Court Rules U.S. Government Can Be Sued Over Actions Of Prison Guards The court OK'd a suit against the federal government over alleged sexual assault by prison guards. The decision broadens the reading of the Federal Tort Claims Act. |
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High Court Rules U.S. Government Can Be Sued Over Actions Of Prison Guards The court OK'd a suit against the federal government over alleged sexual assault by prison guards. The decision broadens the reading of the Federal Tort Claims Act. |
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From Leadership Posts, Women Said To Be Changing Senate Tone The 20 women in the U.S. Senate this year is the largest number in history. Female senators also now claim an unprecedented number of leadership positions. And several female senators interviewed say that is causing a change on Capitol Hill in the tone and process of legislating. |
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From Leadership Posts, Women Said To Be Changing Senate Tone The 20 women in the U.S. Senate this year is the largest number in history. Female senators also now claim an unprecedented number of leadership positions. And several female senators interviewed say that is causing a change on Capitol Hill in the tone and process of legislating. |
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Talk Of Zombies Aside, Gun Bills Face Political Reality Legislation passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee inspired a few extreme examples for and against it. But the battle might just get tougher on the Senate floor, particularly for the proposed assault weapons ban. |
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Talk Of Zombies Aside, Gun Bills Face Political Reality Legislation passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee inspired a few extreme examples for and against it. But the battle might just get tougher on the Senate floor, particularly for the proposed assault weapons ban. |
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Obama Works The Hill For A 'Grand Bargain' President Obama is in the middle of a charm offensive on Capitol Hill, hoping to win over converts to his way of thinking on a variety of topics. This week, he's making the rounds to get closer to a plan to reduce the deficit. That plan — if it ever comes to fruition — has been dubbed "the Grand Bargain." |
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Senate Committee Passes First Of 4 Gun Control Bills The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill that would increase penalties for people who buy guns for those barred from purchasing firearms. It will be another week before members take up the next three gun bills. |
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Senate Panel Considers 4 Gun Control Measures Four bills that would restrict the right to own and sell some guns will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. It's the most progress gun legislation has made in nearly two decades, in the aftermath of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. |
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Senate Panel To Consider 4 Gun Control Measures The bills that would restrict the right to own and sell some guns will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. It's the most progress gun legislation has made in nearly two decades, in the aftermath of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. |
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Four Things To Know About The Next Big Budget Battle The continuing resolution allows Congress to carry over the previous fiscal year's budget into the next one. And if Congress doesn't pass one by March 27, the government will run out of money and likely shut down. |
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Four Things To Know About The Next Big Budget Battle The continuing resolution allows Congress to carry over the previous fiscal year's budget into the next one. And if Congress doesn't pass one by March 27, the government will run out of money and likely shut down. |
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Four Things To Know About The Next Big Budget Battle The continuing resolution allows Congress to carry over the previous fiscal year's budget into the next one. And if Congress doesn't pass one by March 27, the government will run out of money and likely shut down. |
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House Passes Expansion Of Violence Against Women Act The House finally took up an extension to the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday. There were a number of roadblocks to what many saw as an uncontroversial bill. |
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Artist Behind Rosa Parks Statue: She Was 'Superwoman Dressed In Clark Kent's Clothes' President Obama and the top congressional leaders gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday morning for the dedication of a new statue honoring civil rights activist Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up a seat on a public bus sparked a boycott and a movement. |
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Treasury Nominee's Citigroup Experience Raises Questions For Some Jack Lew is known as a smart, unassuming budget wonk who has spent most of his career in government policy-making jobs. Lew, President Obama's nominee to be Treasury secretary, is expected to face questions about his management years at Citigroup before the government bailed out the banking giant. |
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Treasury Nominee's Citigroup Experience Raises Questions For Some Jack Lew is known as a smart, unassuming budget wonk who has spent most of his career in government policy-making jobs. Lew, President Obama's nominee to be Treasury secretary, is expected to face questions about his management years at Citigroup before the government bailed out the banking giant. |
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Treasury Nominee's Citigroup Experience Raises Questions For Some Jack Lew is known as a smart, unassuming budget wonk who has spent most of his career in government policy-making jobs. Lew, President Obama's nominee to be Treasury secretary, is expected to face questions about his management years at Citigroup before the government bailed out the banking giant. |
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Justice Department Moves To Block Beer Merger Officials at the Justice Department have filed a lawsuit to block Anheuser-Busch InBev from buying Grupo Modelo which sells Corona. The government says preventing the acquisition is the only way to keep beer prices down. |
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Sick Workers' Dilemma: Stay Home Or Go To Work? The earliest flu outbreak in years continues to claim victims. Businesses are taking a hit, too. They're faced with an unsolvable problem: If they tell too many sick employees to stay home, the work doesn't get done; those who do come to the office can spread germs. |
