Carl Hulse

Party leaders are working to connect Washington profiteering and the influence of billionaires and corporate America to affordability, in what they hope will be a potent closing message.

The longest-serving Republican speaker of the House admitted in 2016 to abusing teenage boys decades earlier. He was 84.

Republicans lined up a series of doomed votes in their final hours, hoping to portray Democrats as obstructionists. But some conceded that their party was more likely to be punished.

The outlook for the legislation, which seeks to stabilize the unsettled collegiate sports landscape, is uncertain in the House. It was one of the last congressional actions before the midterms.

After nearly two years of allowing President Trump to set their agenda, G.O.P. senators are grasping for some quick action on cost-of-living measures they can show voters before November.

Revelations about the conduct of former Representative Mary Peltola may not faze voters who have long elected abrasive and sometimes violent figures to represent them.

Lawmakers are applying their experiences on the playing field to the debate over a measure that would impose big changes to college athletics.

Critics argue the legislation would limit the rights of college athletes while maintaining the power and financial gains of schools and coaches.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican and former leader, had been absent for more than 13 weeks after a health incident, fueling questions about his ability to continue serving.

In Colorado and across the country, higher costs, tariffs and cheap beef imports are affecting voters who will help determine which party controls the House next year.

The former Democratic-turned-independent senator and his daughter are backing independent bids for the House and the Senate to try to weaken the two-party grip on the Capitol.

With an unpopular war and high prices agitating voters, members of both parties see parallels to an election cycle when Democrats romped. But a lot has changed.

In a phone call, the Democratic leader told the new Michigan contender who has opposed him to just win.

The Louisiana senator said that, despite reservations, he would back President Trump’s pick for attorney general, giving Republicans enough votes for a majority.

Democrats are demanding that the Kentucky Republican resign. Others who were sidelined for far longer faced no such calls, but times are changing.

Changing one’s affiliation is rare in the Senate, but it can have big consequences. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania says he is staying put as a Democrat.

President Trump’s threat followed a day of fruitless negotiations with two Republican holdouts, Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis.

The South Carolinian relished serving as a “bridge” between the institution he revered and the president, but now that bridge is gone.

A new statement said the senator was not “medically cleared” to leave a rehabilitation facility and would miss a Kentucky political event.

Crossing what was once seen as a political red line, Democrats voted against the usually bipartisan measure, registering dissent about the war in Iran.