u s congress

President Obama's proposal for universal free tuition at community colleges makes both educational and economic sense

If the same stalemate and inaction born of partisan obstructionism of the last six years continues for the next two, Mr. Obama will not be the only loser. Public disillusionment with government will take another heavy hit, with both parties now bearing the burden.

President Obama should do whatever he can to reduce the inmate population at the military prison in Cuba before he leaves office

Susan Reimer on Phyllis Schlafly's theory that campus rape is the result of too many women students

Films that take liberties with historical facts, like "Selma," mislead viewers who have not lived through the events, says Jules Witcover.

This week 14 years ago, George W. Bush spent his first full week as president-elect after the U.S. Congress certifies his win over Vice President Al Gore, the FCC approved the merger of AOL and Time Warner, Wikipedia appeared online for the first time and the following songs were the most popular in America, according to Billboard's Hot 100 chart archive.

Will neo-cons rule a new GOP Congress?

Rep. Andy Harris, angry over a newspaper quote in which an aide to the House Republican leadership described House conservatives as "fringe guys," laid into newly reelected Speaker John Boehner during a caucus meeting on Wednesday, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the private meeting.

Proposed pipeline carries much risk but little reward for the United States

The state of the union's public schools is not good. That's no surprise given the nation's dysfunctional politics. But there's one big twist when it comes to K-12 public schools: Liberals and conservatives are less fighting each other than acting as unwitting co-conspirators in obstructing effective reform.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a "Trojan horse in a global race to the bottom," says Robert Reich.

Several Maryland legislators who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 are now part of the effort to repeal it, reflecting their shift toward support of same-sex marriages.

Republicans have reached a point of ideological-institutional confluence. Specifically, in our protracted modern era of partisan polarization and divided government, it makes sense that the more conservative party dominates Congress rather than the presidency.

As long as this country remains at war in the Middle East — even if Mr. Obama holds to his determination that there will be no more American "boots on the ground" there — the president will continue to struggle to break out of military entanglements that were none of his making.

The new director of the Baltimore VA office took over in the middle of a crisis, but the career bureaucrat said he is optimistic that the office will meet its goals in 2015

As Congress opens its session on Tuesday, several Maryland interests — including chicken farmers, environmentalists and federal employees — will be watching for signs of how the new political landscape on Capitol Hill will affect issues they say are critical to the state's economy.

Cardin a poor choice for business committee

As Maryland companies were interested in Cuban prospects when President Jimmy Carter eased some restrictions in the late 1970s, they are again watching to see how new developments unfold.

With Republicans in control, liberals can sit back, relax and criticize.

The omnibus appropriations bill approved by Congress and signed last month by the president finally closed the book on federal budgeting for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, more than two months late and only after another threat of a government shutdown. Lost in most of the media coverage of this massive legislation is a very significant victory for millions of veterans that will prevent this very type of political gridlock from threatening veterans' benefits during any future budget battles or

The Treaty of Paris Center, a small room in a basement on Main Street in Annapolis, tells the story of America between the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783 and the writing of the Constitution in 1787.

Hogan, a Republican, has credited Christie's support through the Republican Governors Association as key to his upset win in November. On election night, Hogan answered a call from Christie while on stage, and Christie offer to fly down from New Jersey to join him.

Six Harford County high school seniors have been selected to serve as student pages for the 2015 Maryland General Assembly session in Annapolis.

The U.S. is finally making strides toward preventing domestic assaults and trying more cases.

Falling gasoline prices gives the U.S. a golden opportunity to address failing transportation infrastructure

States that want to become magnets for new businesses, or strengthen their position as such, must focus on eliminating harmful taxes that stifle economic growth such as income taxes and estate taxes. Maryland — with a 5.75 percent state income tax, large local income tax add-ons, a state estate tax and an incoming Republican governor — has an unprecedented opportunity to join the ranks of pro-growth states by passing a law to cut taxes equal to increased revenues from passage of a

Republicans have not shown a particular affinity for facts in their economics or public policies.

Having been overrun by the Republican offense just weeks ago in the congressional elections, Mr. Obama has come back and picked up a lot of yardage since.

When the new Congress begins its work next month Sen. Ben Cardin will become the top Democrat on the Senate committee with oversight of small business policy, giving the Maryland lawmaker a new platform to influence a key sector of the economy.

Congress needs to close the loopholes in the Patriot Act that give the NSA virtually unlimited power to spy on Americans' private lives

It is past time for the government and the private sector to begin a more robust sharing of cyber-attack information. We need enabling, common sense legislation from Congress, the appropriate executive orders from the president and engagement in an environment of mutual trust between the government and the private sector before we really do face a "Cyber Pearl Harbor."

Gov.-elect Larry Hogan will soon take office facing a number of daunting challenges. That said, he should add another important item to the list of immediate priorities: bringing lasting legislative and congressional redistricting reform to the state.

In a rare case of editorial initiative, the New York Times editorial board has flatly called for an investigation of former Vice President Dick Cheney and other prominent George W. Bush administration figures involved in authorship of the so-called torture memos, which authorized use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" against suspected terrorists captured in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The editorial was more wish that prediction.

Conservatives should take the high road and liberals should join them, writes Jonah Goldberg.

Ebola aid and help for Maryland VA patients are made possible by recently-approved spending bill thanks to Mikulski

Insurance and real estate firms are scrambling to prepare for the expiration of a federal terrorism insurance program at the end of the month that supporters say is critical for construction projects and large buildings, such as utilities and sports stadiums.

Regulate the banks