Recently in National News Category

By Mike Munzenrider

Weathering the fallout of a 2009 admission of an extra-marital affair, Sen. John Ensign announced Thursday that he would resign his Senate seat effective May 3.

The Republican Senator from Nevada had previously said that he would not seek reelection in 2012, though looming prosecution by the Senate Ethics Committee forced him to step aside reports the Los Angeles Times.

Ensign admitted to an affair with a campaign staffer after the staffer's husband threatened to go public about the affair. Ensign's parent's later paid the man a $96,000 gift, and Ensign apparently helped him get lobbying work, as noted by NPR.

Ensign's open seat will most likely go to Nevada Rep. Dean Heller, a Republican, though newly elected Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, also a Republican, has said that a decision has not been made reports the Los Angeles Times.

By Mike Munzenrider

Storms killed 17 people in Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma state officials said.

In Alabama, a total of seven people were killed, all of whom were in their homes at the time reports The New York Times. A mother and her children were killed when their double-wide mobile home was thrown 100 yards.

Straight line winds, not tornadoes, were responsible for much of the damage reports the BBC.

The storm moved into South Carolina, North Carolina and West Virginia on Saturday reports The New York Times.

By Mike Munzenrider

Congressional leaders brokered a budget deal late Friday night to keep the government running through the end of the fiscal year.

The deal cuts $37.8 billion from the budget through September, which is more than many Democrats wanted cut, less than what many Republicans wanted reports The Washington Post.

"Today, Americans of different beliefs came together," President Obama said according to The Washington Post. "We protected the investments we need to win the future," he said.

According to a Bloomberg News column, the debate over the government shutdown was just the first skirmish in what will be larger budget battle.

By Mike Munzenrider

BP has asked the U.S. government for permission to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico according to two BP officials.

This comes a year after an explosion at one of BP's rigs that killed 11 people and caused a massive oil spill in the gulf reports The New York Times.

The energy producer wishes to resume drilling at 10 deep sea locations by July, operating under stricter safety guidelines and greater transparency according to The New York Times.

According to Yahoo News, BP has spent $41 billion on cleanup costs and damages, for what it terms the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

By Mike Munzenrider

Geraldine Ferraro, the first female candidate for national office from a major party, died Saturday in Boston. She was 75.

The cause was complications from blood cancer according to her family, reports ABC.

Ferraro, a former Queens congresswoman, was the Democratic candidate for vice president in 1984, running alongside Walter Mondale reports The New York Times.

The former vice presidential candidate last made headlines for racially charged comments she made about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign reports ABC.

By Mike Munzenrider

Vivian Shiller resigned as CEO of NPR on Wednesday following the release of a video showing one of the public radio organization's fundraisers disparaging conservatives.

Shiller's fate was ultimately decided by NPR's board of directors, which decided she should step down reports NPR.

The video, released by conservative activists, shows an NPR fundraiser speaking to activists posing as Muslim philanthropists. He says the Republican party has been "hijacked" by the Tea Party, which he also calls "racist," reports The New York Times.

Shiller also presided over the firing of Juan Williams last fall, and the controversy surrounding her tenure was the main factor in her resignation, reports NPR.

By Mike Munzenrider

The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of a church that conducts hateful protests at military funerals on Wednesday.

In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the ruling affirmed the church's First Amendment right to free speech, reports the The New York Times.

The church in question, the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., picketed the funeral of a Marine killed in Iraq in 2006. They carried signs with slogans like "God Hates You," "You Are Going To Hell," and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers." Following the funeral, the Marine's father sued, reports Reuters.

The case pitted free-speech versus privacy rights, and ultimately, the court sided with freedom of speech, according to Reuters.

The single dissent came from Justice Samuel Alito, reports The New York Times.

By Mike Munzenrider

Crowds converged on the Wisconsin Capital in Madison in what is said to be the largest numbers in the past two weeks.

Nearly 70,000 people protested Saturday against the state's efforts to do away with collective bargaining for state workers, reports The New York Times.

The Los Angeles Times reports there may have been 100,000 protesters, and it was the largest protest in Madison since the Vietnam war.

The protest was peaceful, and there were no arrests, reports New York Times.

By Mike Munzenrider

In order to stall voting on a contentious bill that would strip Wisconsin state workers of collective bargaining rights, state Senate Democrats left the capital city of Madison.

The bill in question has sparked four days of protest in Madison, and when the session to vote on the bill begain, the state's 14 Senate Democrats were no where to be seen, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

The walk out will essentially halt progress on the bill, because in order to act, the Senate requires 20 senators present, and there are only 19 Republican senators, reports the Wisconsin State Journal.

The Associated Press reports that the Senate Democrats have left the state. It's possible that police could be dispatched to retrieve them, but according to the AP, it's unclear that they'd be able to cross state lines.

By Mike Munzenrider

The budget proposal the Obama administration will reveal Monday will try to reduce the deficit by $1.1 trillion over the next ten years.

Two-thirds of the reductions will come from spending cuts, while the rest will be through tax increases, according to The New York Times.

Spending cuts would affect so-called "liberal priorities," as well as Pentagon spending, reports The Washington Post.