WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• La. Dems sound off against Jindal tax plan

  March 27, 2013 10:41 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Democrats critical of Gov. Bobby Jindal's tax swap plan sounded off at the state Capitol today. Representative James Armes (D-La. 30) said Jindal's plan to eliminate the state income tax and increase the state sales tax would take from the poor and give to the rich,... more »

• Reid: Background checks will be in Senate gun bill

  March 22, 2013 10:29 AM

  WASHINGTON - Democrats say they will include expanded background checks for firearms purchasers in the gun-control measure the Senate debates next month. The announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signals that Democrats will press forcefully in their drive to close background check loopholes. Polls show the public overwhelmingly supports... more »

• Senate panel OKs Dems gun background check bill

  March 12, 2013 10:38 AM

  WASHINGTON - A divided Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday narrowly approved a Democratic bill expanding required federal background checks for nearly all gun purchases, but put off immediate consideration of an assault weapons ban. The panel approved the measure by 10-8, supported by all Democrats and opposed by every Republican.... more »

• Obama to promote his agenda to House Democrats

  February 7, 2013 2:50 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is promoting his second-term agenda to House Democrats, eager to keep them unified as a bulwark against a Republican majority on issues ranging from the economy to immigration to guns. Obama is meeting with Democratic lawmakers Thursday during their retreat in Lansdowne, Va., one day... more »

• Obama tries to unify Senate Democrats

  February 6, 2013 7:24 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is working to sell Senate Democrats on his strategy for tackling immigration, gun control and a host of fiscal dilemmas. The president meets with senators Wednesday at a closed-door retreat in Annapolis, Md. Obama's prospects for enacting his ambitious second-term agenda depend partly on Senate... more »

• House will vote on Senate-passed 'cliff' bill

  January 1, 2013 8:17 PM

  WASHINGTON - Republicans are dropping their demands for additional spending cuts and will hold a House vote on whether to give final congressional approval to the Senate-approved compromise averting "fiscal cliff" tax increases and spending cuts. The House vote was expected Tuesday evening. A decision by the Republican-run House to... more »

• Christmas shoppers still spend despite looming Fiscal Cliff deadline Play Video

  December 22, 2012 5:36 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Holiday shoppers were out today despite current talks from Washington on potential tax increases. Kelli Bagwell said she is aware of how close the nation is to teetering to the fiscal cliff, but she is not going to let it ruin her holiday season. "I'm getting... more »

• No vote in DC on taxes, fiscal cliff

  December 20, 2012 11:04 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Unable to round up enough support, House Republicans abruptly put off a vote Thursday night on legislation allowing tax rates to rise for households earning $1 million and up, complicating attempts to avoid a year-end fiscal cliff that threatens to send the economy into recession. In a... more »

• First cracks in GOP resolve on tax rates

  November 28, 2012 10:20 AM

  WASHINGTON - The first cracks are developing among Republicans over whether to accept a quick deal with President Barack Obama on allowing the top two income tax rates to expire. Conservative Oklahoma GOP Rep. Tom Cole has told GOP colleagues that it's better to make sure that tax cuts for... more »

• Congress returns, effort to avert tax hikes and spending cuts resumes

  November 26, 2012 5:05 PM

  WASHINGTON - Efforts to avoid the "fiscal cliff" have resumed in Washington following the long holiday weekend. Congress and President Barack Obama have until the end of the year to avoid tax increases and automatic spending cuts. White House and congressional aides say Obama spoke separately over the weekend with... more »

• House speaker says he'll consider tax increase

  November 7, 2012 6:02 PM

  WASHINGTON - House Speaker John Boehner is offering to pursue a deal with a victorious President Barack Obama that will include higher taxes "under the right conditions" to help reduce the nation's staggering debt and put its finances in order. Boehner tells reporters a day after the president's clear re-election... more »

• Biden: Dems ready to compromise on 'fiscal cliff'

  November 7, 2012 4:29 PM

  WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden says he and President Barack Obama are anxious to move forward on a bipartisan solution to the looming "fiscal cliff" that could force tax increases and across-the-board spending cuts next year. Biden told reporters Wednesday the real question is what Republicans in Congress will... more »

• Louisiana voters ready for election Play Video

  November 5, 2012 10:20 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Republicans and Democrats might not be burning the midnight oil in Louisiana, but they are working to make sure people know: vote Tuesday. Monday night, Democrats were making calls on behalf of Barack Obama. Republicans said they were having volunteers make calls from their homes for Mitt... more »

• Obama makes a pitch to veterans, military families

  September 27, 2012 3:19 PM

  VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - President Barack Obama has appealed to veterans and military families in defense-focused southeast Virginia, casting himself as a president who is ending foreign entanglements and aiding returning soldiers with educational opportunities. Obama chided rival Mitt Romney for saying, in secretly taped remarks months ago, that nearly... more »

• Democratic platform focuses on fixing the economy

  September 4, 2012 11:57 AM

  WASHINGTON - Democrats unveiled a party platform at their national convention Monday that echoes President Barack Obama's call for higher taxes on wealthier Americans while backing same-sex marriage and abortion rights. Delegates will vote Tuesday to adopt the platform that reflects the president's argument that his work is unfinished and... more »

• Democrats, Republicans face off over tax proposals in the Senate

  July 10, 2012 1:39 PM

  WASHINGTON - The tax fight isn't just playing out on the campaign trail today -- it's also taking center stage in the Senate, where leaders of both parties are belittling each other's tax-cutting plans. Democrats today are trying to advance legislation that would lower taxes for companies that hire new... more »

• Senate Democrats reject House GOP budget plan

  May 16, 2012 3:43 PM

  WASHINGTON - Democrats controlling the Senate have rejected for the second consecutive year a budget plan passed by House Republicans. The vote came after a daylong debate Wednesday in which Democrats blasted Republicans for refusing to consider tax increases as part of a solution to trillion-dollar deficits. Republicans in turn... more »

• Oops, Campaign Confusion

  March 13, 2012 7:38 PM

  A Republican congressional candidate in Iowa says he'll double-check his schedule from now on, after addressing a group of Democrats by mistake. Dan Dolan got to the Albia County Courthouse early for a Republican convention and when he saw a large group of people, he mistakenly asked to address them.... more »

• Democrats on defense in 2012 governors' races

  February 26, 2012 4:41 PM

  WASHINGTON - Democrats are playing defense in governors' races in 2012, protecting eight seats - including conservative states like North Carolina and Montana - while Republicans are safeguarding just four. But one of those is in Wisconsin, where a recall effort against incumbent Scott Walker has emerged as a... more »

• State primary registration deadline

  February 21, 2012 12:39 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Tomorrow is the deadline to register to vote or to change parties in the Louisiana presidential preference primary next month. Registered Democrats and Republicans will vote on March 24th for who they want to get their party's presidential nomination. Only those registered in a party... more »

• La. Democrats look to rebuild grassroots base

  December 1, 2011 12:34 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. - After a string of losses and the inability to field a slate of statewide candidates this fall, Louisiana's Democratic Party is retrenching. Party leaders say they are focused on rebuilding grass-roots support, re-establishing local leadership committees and attracting candidates with an eye to the 2012... more »

• Obama threatens to veto 'cut, cap and balance'

  July 18, 2011 1:22 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration says President Barack Obama would veto the "cut, cap and balance" plan proposed by tea party-backed House Republicans if it lands on his desk. In a statement, the Office of Management and Budget says that setting arbitrary spending levels and a balanced budget amendment... more »

• Dems outpace GOP in Fundraising

  June 20, 2011 7:46 PM

  The Democratic National Committee says it raised $10.5 million in May compared to the $6.2 million Republicans raised in the same month. Part of the Democrats money is for a joint fund with President Obama's re-election campaign. The Obama campaign has set a goal of raising $60 million through the... more »

• Democrats wrestle with how to end Weiner scandal

  June 14, 2011 3:26 AM

  WASHINGTON- With Rep. Anthony Weiner resisting calls to quit and President Barack Obama saying he'd resign if he were in Weiner's shoes, House Democrats are wrestling with what to do next. Democrats are to meet today for the first time since the New York congressman admitted to sexually charged online... more »

• Who Needs the Senate?

  April 1, 2011 7:39 PM

  The House passed a Republican bill that declares $61 billion in budget cuts is the law of the land even if the Senate doesn't pass it and President Obama vetoes it. Members acknowledge the bill has no practical effect but it reminds voters that they passed a budget while the... more »

• Wisconsin governor warns of layoff notices

  February 22, 2011 12:50 PM

  MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned Tuesday that state employees could start receiving layoff notices as early as next week if a bill eliminating most collective bargaining rights isn't passed soon. Walker said in a statement to The Associated Press that the layoffs wouldn't take effect immediately.... more »

• House votes to let Pentagon sponsor NASCAR races

  February 18, 2011 1:28 PM

  WASHINGTON - The House has voted to let the Pentagon continue using taxpayer dollars to sponsor NASCAR race teams. By a 281-148 vote, lawmakers rejected an effort by Minnesota Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum that would have ended the practice. McCollum aides said the Army is spending $7 million... more »

• Boehner elected House speaker, succeeding Pelosi

  January 5, 2011 1:00 PM

  WASHINGTON - Rep. John Boehner has been elected speaker of the House, sealing newfound Republican power-sharing in Congress and drawing the curtain on the history-making Nancy Pelosi era at the helm. Cheers broke out among GOP lawmakers on the House floor as Boehner, a veteran lawmaker from Ohio, defeated... more »

• Senate passes package extending Bush tax cuts

  December 15, 2010 12:30 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Senate has passed a sweeping tax package that would save millions of Americans thousands of dollars in higher taxes for the next two years while also reducing their Social Security taxes and extending jobless benefits. The $858 billion package now goes to the House, where many... more »

• St. Martinville lawmaker switches to GOP

  December 14, 2010 11:32 AM

  ST. MARTINVILLE- State Democrats lose another vote in the State House. State Rep. Fred Mills will join the GOP. Mills, a pharmacist from St. Martinville, is in his first term at the state House and is planning to run for a vacant state Senate seat in a special January election... more »

• At Obama's side, Clinton backs tax deal

  December 10, 2010 3:50 PM

  WASHINGTON - Former President Bill Clinton made a surprise appearance at President Barack Obama's side on Friday to back the tax cut compromise Obama negotiated with Republicans. "I don't believe there is a better deal out there," Clinton told reporters in the White House briefing room who'd been summoned at... more »

• Bill blocked to let upper-income tax cuts expire

  December 4, 2010 10:27 AM

  WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans have blocked legislation allowing taxes to rise on upper income taxpayers on Jan. 1. The vote Saturday was 53-36 - seven short of the 60 needed to advance the measure. Without action by Congress, all income tax cuts enacted when George W. Bush was... more »

• Obama optimistic about bipartisan deal on taxes

  December 2, 2010 12:55 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he is optimistic that Democrats and Republicans will come to agreements on several issues in the coming weeks. Obama says the most important issue lawmakers must resolve is making sure taxes don't increase for middle-class families when Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end... more »

• House GOP blocks bill to extend jobless benefits

  November 18, 2010 1:13 PM

  WASHINGTON - Republicans in the House have blocked a bill that would have extended jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed beyond the holiday season. The most recent extension of jobless benefits expires Dec. 1. Two million people will lose benefits averaging $310 a week nationwide by the end... more »

• House Democrats keep Nancy Pelosi as their leader

  November 17, 2010 1:29 PM

  WASHINGTON - House Democrats have re-elected Nancy Pelosi as their leader in the next Congress. The closed-door vote Wednesday will let the California congresswoman shift from House speaker to minority leader in January, despite concerns by some Democrats that the party needs new leadership after suffering huge midterm election... more »

• Poll: Most say US still unprepared for disasters

  August 26, 2010 11:31 AM

  A new polls shows most people in the United States believe the government is unprepared for a natural disaster as large, or larger than Hurricane Katrina. The 5th anniversary of the storm is this coming weekend. The survey was conducted by Pew Research Center and says 6 in 10, about... more »

• Fallout for "Professional Left" remark

  August 10, 2010 7:30 PM

  The White House defends Press Secretary Robert Gibbs for criticizing what he calls the "Professional Left." GIbbs said some liberals critical of the administration need to be drug-tested and wouldn't be satisfied until the Pentagon was eliminated. Gibbs' comments were published in The Hill newspaper and drew angry retorts from... more »

• Andy Griffith's new role: pitching health care law

  July 30, 2010 1:03 PM

  Actor Andy Griffith has a new role: pitching President Barack Obama's health care law to seniors in a cable television ad paid for by Medicare. The TV star - whose role as sheriff of Mayberry made him an enduring symbol of small-town American values - tells seniors that "good... more »

• Coal Companies eye Targeting Dems

  July 28, 2010 8:21 PM

  A coal company asked its counterparts to ante up a pool of money for a political offensive against Democrats in Kentucky and West Virginia. International Coal Group wants other mining concerns to take advantage of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that loosened restrictions on corporate contributions to political causes. ICG... more »

• Senate Republicans block campaign finance bill

  July 27, 2010 3:03 PM

  Senate Republicans have blocked legislation imposing restrictions on political activity by special interest groups. The vote was 57-41, three short of the 60 the bill needed to advance. Democratic supporters backed by the White House said the legislation was needed to force shadowy interest groups that run millions... more »

• Parties make mid-term predictions

  July 18, 2010 9:36 AM

  Democratic lawmakers leading their party's election efforts are predicting Democrats will retain control of Congress this fall. GOP leaders are looking to a strong Republican showing amid voter anger over one-party government. Republican Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas says he thinks the GOP will have a net gain... more »

• Political parties want to tighten U.S. sanctions

  June 22, 2010 10:57 AM

  Democrats and Republicans are pushing the Obama administration to give money to the legislation that would tighten U.S. sanctions on Iran. Today lawmakers asked the administration to support the bill for exports of gasoline and other petroleum products. The House and Senate reached an agreement Monday on legislation.... more »

• Amid deficit worries, Dems trim unemployment bill

  June 16, 2010 7:24 AM

  Faced with a losing showdown vote Wednesday, Senate Democrats trying to extend unemployment benefits and help for doctors facing Medicare payment cuts are scaling back a catchall tax and spending bill. Anxiety over record budget deficits is fueling the moves, which include rolling back last year's $25 a week increase... more »

• RNC staffer fired over sex club expenses

  March 30, 2010 1:09 PM

  The Republican National Committee has fired a staffer who helped organize a $1,946 visit last month to a sex-themed Hollywood club, and the GOP says it will recoup the money from a donor who also participated. The episode is the latest in a string of questionable spending by the... more »

• President tells GOP to "Go for it"

  March 25, 2010 1:27 PM

  President Barack Obama has a message for Republicans who say they'll try to repeal his health care overhaul: "Go for it." Obama says those who try to overturn the sweeping changes will have to face voters who see immediate benefits from the law. Speaking at the University of... more »

• Expert weighs in on lawsuit against health care reform

  March 23, 2010 10:19 PM

  Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell joined 12 other states in a federal lawsuit against the health care reform plan, filed minutes after President Obama signed it into law Tuesday. Virginia filed a separate lawsuit. Health law instructor Paul Race at Southern University doubts the lawsuit has legs. But those... more »

• Reid says he has the votes

  March 20, 2010 3:10 PM

  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he has "the commitment of a significant majority" of Senate democrats, enough to help send health care legislation to the White House. House leaders expect to pass the Senate's version of the legislation on Sunday. House Democrats want to make changes in... more »

• Senate will debate health care bill

  November 21, 2009 8:00 PM

  The Senate will debate health care legislation. Thanks in part to Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, who's vote helped give Democrats a 60 vote majority, the controversial health care reform bill cleared an important hurdle and intense Republican opposition. The bill now goes to the Senate floor, where it... more »

• House dems pass health care reform

  November 7, 2009 11:27 PM

  In a vote that ran along party lines...the US House of Representatives has passed its version of a health care bill. The bill would extend health care coverage to tens of millions of americans. The final tally was 220 votes to 215 with only one republican...Louisiana representative Ahn... more »