Senate | featured news

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a $106 billion spending bill that includes about $80 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, sending the bill to the White House for President Obama's signature.

Nevada Sen. John Ensign's ex-lover says she did "everything possible" to keep their affair private, but a spokesman for the Republican lawmaker refuted the claim Thursday, saying the woman's husband approached a major television news channel before Ensign's public confession.

An e-mail featuring a picture of two cartoon eyeballs set against a black background and meant to depict President Obama landed a Republican Tennessee state Senate aide in hot water, but not on the unemployment line.

Republican senator from Nevada acknowledges having an affair with a campaign staffer. "I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions," he said.

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has bonded with female senators about her childhood love of Nancy Drew mysteries and shared war stories with the Senate's former prosecutors about her days in the gritty Manhattan district attorney's office.

Almost 30 key lawmakers helping draft landmark health-care legislation have financial holdings in the industry, totaling nearly $11 million worth of personal investments in a sector that could be dramatically reshaped by this summer's debate.

Cigarettes marketed as "light," "low" tar or "mild" will be banned within a year as part of a historic bill the Senate passed ...

Republican Norm Coleman must pay Democrat Al Franken $94,783 to cover court costs for his appeal of Minnesota Senate election results.

The Alabama senator leading the Republican Party's vetting of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor said the American tradition of impartial courts is "under attack" and the pivotal question in her nomination should be whether she allows personal views to color her decisions as a judge.

AP - Top executives from General Motors and Chrysler face tough questions from lawmakers about sweeping plans to close hundreds of car dealerships as the auto companies undergo government-led bankruptcies.