Ailsa Chang

Congress is to take up the Iran nuclear deal and the national budget. Concerns, however, over Planned Parenthood funding may prevent Congress from coming to a consensus any time soon.

The groups' targets? Democrats undecided on whether to accept or reject the deal when they vote this fall. The campaigns include tens of millions of dollars spent on TV ads in nearly two dozen states.

An effort to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding failed in the Senate on Monday, but the fight isn't over. That was only the opening volley in a larger funding battle to play out in September.

Secretaries Kerry, Munoz and Lew defend the Iran nuclear deal on Capitol Hill Thursday before a panel that includes several skeptical lawmakers, including two Republican presidential candidates.

Senators heard emotional testimony Tuesday from the father of a San Francisco woman allegedly killed by a man who entered the U.S. illegally and had been deported five times. Her case...

Lawmakers in Congress have 60 days to review the nuclear deal with Iran. NPR looks at the agreement's prospects on Capitol Hill.

Long before Cruz was the Texas senator commandeering the Senate floor, he was a teenager reciting conservative, free-market ideology.

The Senate cleared a big hurdle Tuesday in an elaborate plan crafted by Republican leaders to get President Obama what he wants on trade, despite significant opposition from Democrats.

As the Supreme Court edges closer to issuing an opinion that could deal a blow to the federal health exchange operating in more than 30 states, Democrats have sounded a warning to their colleagues on the other side: Be careful what you wish for.

If GOP lawmakers get the court ...

The new rules rely on phone companies to collect the data. The altered approach was approved by the Senate on Tuesday, matching a version the House passed to update the Patriot Act.

After a rare Sunday Senate session, three provisions within the Patriot Act expired at midnight — including a program that allowed the government to collect the phone records of millions of Americans.

Sanders officially kicked off his campaign this week to much fanfare in his home state of Vermont. But if he hopes to prove he's more than a fringe candidate, he needs to do well in New Hampshire.

Sen. Bernie Sanders kicked off his campaign in Burlington. He lags behind Hillary Clinton in the polls, but his supporters say this is the guy who comes from behind and surprises you.

The Senate is trying to wrap up its business before leaving Washington, D.C., for a week-long recess. That includes considering a bill to give President Obama expanded authority on trade.

Rand Paul voiced his opposition to the Patriot Act, which authorizes bulk collection of Americans' phone records by the government. Paul says collecting the records is an assault on civil liberties.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to extend the provision of the Patriot Act that authorizes the NSA's bulk collection of phone records before it expires. Others want the program reined in.

This post was updated at 1 p.m. ET

Senate leaders were all smiles Wednesday after they broke a 24-hour impasse and announced they had reached a deal on how to move forward on a fast-track trade negotiating bill. That legislation would give the president expedited authority to enter into a ...

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats kept trade legislation from moving forward, dealing a blow to President Obama's agenda. Republicans and the White House now grapple with what comes next.

The U.S. Senate blocked a measure that would give President Obama fast-track trade authority to complete a massive Pacific trade deal. Most of Obama's opponents on trade come from his own party.

Don't look at me! In Minnesota, lawmakers are banned from making eye contact during debate. The idea is it leads to more civility. But does it? And what can animal science teach us about it?