TheRepublic.com - Chuck Grassley News

IRS replaces official who revealed targeting

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:39:11 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service official who led the unit that targeted tea party groups and publicly disclosed the activity has been replaced, making her the third top IRS official moved aside since the episode was revealed two weeks ago.

IRS replaces official in tea party controversy

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:26:59 -0400

WASHINGTON - Moving quickly to stem a raging controversy, the new acting head of the Internal Revenue Service started cleaning house Thursday by replacing the supervisor who oversaw agents involved in targeting tea party groups.

Senate confirms Obama nominee to key appeals court

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:09:52 -0400

WASHINGTON - After five years of trying, President Barack Obama has placed his first nominee on a key appeals court in Washington.

Smooth confirmation hearing for Pritzker

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:56:09 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's nominee for commerce secretary was questioned briefly about her ties to a subprime mortgage lender that failed in 2001 and her role as a beneficiary of family offshore trusts in the Bahamas, but those were minor bumps in an otherwise smooth Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.

Amid immigration reform, calls to change asylums

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:30:37 -0400

SEATTLE - As Congress debates legalizing about 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, immigration advocates are pushing plans they say will open the asylum process for thousands of more people who flee persecution in their home countries.

GOP questions IRS scrutiny of anti-abortion groups

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:19:58 -0400

IOWA CITY, Iowa - When a small anti-abortion group in Iowa sought nonprofit status, the Internal Revenue Service asked its board to promise not to organize protests outside Planned Parenthood and demanded to know how its prayer meetings and protest signs were educational.

Senate panel approves immigration bill

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:38:43 -0400

WASHINGTON - Far-reaching legislation to grant a chance at citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a solid bipartisan vote Tuesday night after supporters somberly sidestepped a controversy over the rights of gay spouses.

IG: ex-US Attorney retaliated in Fast and Furious

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:58:24 -0400

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney in Arizona violated Justice Department policy by providing Fox News with information apparently aimed at undercutting the credibility of a federal agent who helped reveal the botched arms-trafficking probe called Operation Fast and Furious, the Justice Department's inspector general said Monday.

Senate committee approves 3 judicial nominees

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:58:02 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved three of President Barack Obama's judicial nominees, including one for an influential appeals court, for a full Senate vote.

Jane Kelly's experience rare on US appeals court

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:26:35 -0400

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Jane Kelly will become a federal appeals court judge Friday with an unusual background that supporters say makes her a perfect fit for the job and a potential U.S. Supreme Court candidate someday.

Recalling 2008 raid, immigrants call for reform

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:08:12 -0400

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Recalling the devastating consequences suffered by workers and families affected by a 2008 immigration raid at a kosher slaughterhouse in Iowa, immigrants marked the five-year anniversary Friday by calling for reforms to prevent similar, wide-scale deportations in the future.

Former US Attorney Whitaker files for Senate bid

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:58:48 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa Republican Matt Whitaker says he has filed the paperwork to run for U.S. Senate in 2014.

For many Republicans, immigration is risky subject

Thu, 09 May 2013 03:11:52 -0400

FALLS CITY, Nebraska - Rodney Vandenberg was the first to greet Republican Sen. Deb Fischer when she dropped by the Falls City's Chamber of Commerce office last week. He wasted no time bracing her about immigration, an issue that a Senate committee takes up Thursday in the form of sweeping overhaul legislation.

It's a puzzle: Why isn't Iowa electing women?

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:50:05 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa - It was among the first states to legalize gay marriage and served as the 2008 campaign liftoff site for the first black president, but in other arenas Iowa isn't quite so progressive - it's also one of just two states to never elect a woman governor or member of Congress.

King latest Iowa Republican to decline Senate bid

Fri, 03 May 2013 23:49:23 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa Rep. Steve King said Friday he will not run for the U.S. Senate, opening the race to succeed Democrat Tom Harkin to lesser-known Republicans.

US orders new visa reviews for arriving students

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:40:24 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Homeland Security Department ordered border agents to verify that every international student who arrives in the U.S. has a valid student visa, according to an internal memorandum obtained Friday by The Associated Press. The new procedure is the government's first security change directly related to the Boston bombings.

Remains of Boston Marathon bombing suspect claimed

Thu, 02 May 2013 23:49:34 -0400

BOSTON - The body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was the subject of a massive manhunt and died after a gunbattle with police, was claimed on Thursday.

Anti-gun groups focus on Pryor with ads, visit

Thu, 02 May 2013 21:32:10 -0400

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - As one of five Democrats who opposed expanding background checks for firearm sales, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas is facing pressure from gun control groups who are urging him to rethink a position they suggest could haunt him during his re-election bid next year.

GOP senator wants info on student in Boston case

Thu, 02 May 2013 17:26:15 -0400

WASHINGTON - A Republican senator wants more information about how a student from Kazakhstan (kah-zahk-STAHN') charged with helping cover up for one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was allowed to come into the country without a valid visa.

Iowa Republican Bill Northey turns down Senate bid

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:53:16 -0400

DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said Thursday he will not seek the U.S. Senate next year, the latest in a series of no-thank-yous from Iowa Republicans.

Column: Playing politics with crisis is inevitable

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 03:31:26 -0400

WASHINGTON - Hours after the Boston Marathon bombings, President Barack Obama gave the standard presidential line following a tragedy: "On days like this there are no Republicans or Democrats - we are Americans, united in concern for our fellow citizens."