S.A. Miller
Articles by S.A. Miller
New bill targets ‘distracted flying’
Sen. Robert Menendez, spurred by revelations that two Northwest Airlines pilots were tapping away on laptop computers when they overshot an airport by 150 miles, announced Thursday that he will introduce "distracted flying" legislation to prohibit the use of nonessential portable electronics in the cockpit. Published October 29, 2009
GOP lawmakers call for probe of donor perks
Congressional Republicans called for an investigation into perks President Obama handed out to top Democratic donors following a report in The Washington Times that the party's money men got VIP access to the White House, private briefings from administration advisers, and invitations to important speeches and town-hall meetings. Published October 28, 2009
Work flow slows as House awaits health bill
The House on Tuesday took up a resolution to honor the 2,560th birthday of Confucius -- and that's pretty much all the floor business Democratic leaders scheduled for the day, as noncontroversial bills fill up the empty hours for lawmakers awaiting health care legislation. Published October 28, 2009
Democrats play defense in 2009 elections
The Iraq war and President Bush have faded from voters' thoughts in the year since President Obama won the White House, leaving this year's Democratic candidates to justify $787 billion in stimulus spending despite lingering high unemployment and pushing a health care overhaul amid widespread voter skepticism. Published October 27, 2009
Low black-voter turnout threatens Dems in Va., N.J. races
Voter doldrums - especially among blacks far less energized than they were for Barack Obama's historic presidential bid last year - pose problems for Democrats struggling in the governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey. Published October 23, 2009
Legal fund aids defense of woman in ACORN sting
A defense fund for the woman sued by ACORN for posing as a prostitute to expose abuses at the community activist group is drawing support for a lengthy and expensive legal battle, the woman's lawyer said Monday. Published October 20, 2009
Seniors reap aid, still wary of health reform
President Obama's push for a $250 bonus for Social Security recipients is but the latest in a series of paydays and promises the administration has showered on seniors. Published October 19, 2009
Tea partiers, GOP regulars scuffle in N.Y. House race
Republican officials turned to a conservative icon and invoked an anti-tax pledge Thursday to salvage the slumping campaign of a New York congressional candidate competing with a more conservative third-party challenger, part of an ongoing battle between the fiscally hawkish "tea party" movement and the Republican establishment. Published October 16, 2009
Insurers, others attack health reform
The insurance industry came off the bench too late in the game to block Senate Finance Committee approval Tuesday of a health care overhaul bill. Published October 14, 2009
Maverick geologist lauds greenhouse gas
Fueled by doomsday climate-change predictions, Democratic lawmakers want to slap strict limits on carbon-dioxide emissions, the Obama administration has designated the gas a pollutant and President Obama boasted to the United Nations that "we know what needs to be done" in curtailing CO2 pollution. But geologist H. Leighton Steward says they got it all wrong. Published October 13, 2009
Key Democrats align with military on Afghan buildup
The Democratic chairmen of several key committees overseeing war policy say they back the military's request for a troop buildup in Afghanistan. Published October 9, 2009
Obama puts union strings on federal jobs
Delivering on President Obama's promise to boost the labor movement, the administration has announced a $35 million federal construction project in New Hampshire that requires union representation for the workers and forces nonunion employees to pay dues and contribute to a union pension fund. Published October 7, 2009
Rangel rakes in cash from island rum scrum
The outcome of a legislative tussle over rum taxes between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands remains in doubt, but there is already one clear winner -- the House's top tax writer, Rep. Charles B. Rangel. Published October 6, 2009
Trial lawyers lobby sinks $6.2M in debt
The trial lawyers lobby has been awash in debt and bleeding members - just as it embarks on a national campaign to block any clampdown on medical malpractice lawsuits as part of President Obama's health care overhaul. Published September 28, 2009
ACORN sues Breitbart, loses IRS gig
ACORN on Wednesday sued the duo who shot hidden-camera videos that are damaging the organization's reputation and the Web site that aired them. Published September 24, 2009
Justice Dept.’s grants to ACORN probed
The Justice Department's independent inspector general, facing calls for more federal scrutiny of ACORN, opened an investigation of the department's grants to the embattled liberal community activist group. Published September 22, 2009
Health reformers targeting ‘enemies’
The plan for a series of grass-roots demonstrations Tuesday to promote President Obama's health care agenda calls for tightly scripted events and an "escalation" of efforts against "enemies" of reform. Published September 19, 2009
Health reformers plan ‘escalation’ against ‘enemies’
The field plan for a series of grassroots demonstrations Tuesday to push President Obama's health care agenda show the events will be tightly scripted with plans for "escalation," but organizers insist there is no comparison to rowdy town hall meetings and "tea party" protests challenging White House policies that they say conservatives staged. Published September 19, 2009
ACORN loses its funding, allies in House
House Democrats on Thursday unexpectedly abandoned their longtime ally ACORN, joining Republicans in an overwhelming vote to end all federal funding for the embattled liberal activist group. Published September 18, 2009
House joins Senate in cutting ACORN funding
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Thursday to end all federal funding for the liberal community activist group ACORN, the latest blow to the embattled organization. Published September 17, 2009
