Is there a poet in the House? Congress’s unofficial bard has added to his body of work, composing verses that were inserted into the Congressional Record this week in tribute to some legendary astronauts . Albert Carey Caswell , a longtime member of the Capitol guide service, has been contributing dozens of poems to the official record of Congress for years. He debuted his latest this week, an ode to the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor : John Glenn, Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins. Read full article > >

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Congressional poet rhymes for a reason

Thousands of demonstrators swarmed Wisconsin’s Capitol last winter, opposing cuts to collective bargaining rights and workers’ benefits. A handful are still there.

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Wisconsin Protesters, in Smaller Numbers, Remain

For Larry Frankel, veteran D.C. cabbie, driving a taxi is like fishing. You have to know the spots. When Congress is in session, he prowls Capitol Hill at lunchtime; during the evenings, he cruises out-of-the-way restaurants; and in the wee hours, around closing time, he lurks in front of the most popular bars. Read full article > >

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Does it pay to drive a cab in D.C.? A look at the fair wage debate in the nation’s capital

The federal watchdog who first raised concerns over the federal loan program used for the now-defunct solar company Solyndra is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill Wednesday–his first appearance since the story broke. Gregory H. Friedman is slated to tell lawmakers that the Energy Department ‘s efforts to quickly distribute $35.2 billion in economic stimulus funding “was more challenging than many had originally envisioned.” Read full article > >

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Energy Department couldn’t manage stimulus money, watchdog says

The $16 muffin that became a reviled symbol of government waste didn’t cost $16 after all. That’s the new conclusion of Justice Department auditors, who last month had criticized the department for spending $16.80 apiece for the notorious pastries at a conference at the Capitol Hilton in Washington. Read full article > >

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Justice Dept.: Muffins weren’t $16 after all

For all the attention being devoted to the congressional “supercommittee,” the panel’s deficit-cutting is actually designed to be a team effort. Under the law that created the new panel, every standing House and Senate committee was tasked with passing along recommendations for what spending to cut within their own jurisdictions. That includes the panel that helps run half of the Capitol — the House Administration Committee . And not surprisingly, Republicans and Democrats don’t see eye to eye on what Congress should slash from its own budget. Read full article > >

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On the supercommittee agenda: Cutting Congress’s budget

As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, the backroom wrangling of Democratic votes to support President Obama’s jobs bill passed for Washington intrigue. Then the Capitol got a reminder of what real scheming looks like when Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. announced a foiled plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador . After that, the talk in Washington turned to FBI informants, conspiracy, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps and Mexican drug cartels. Read full article > >

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Iran terror plot reminds Washington of the old days of cloak and dagger

Six people were arrested in the Senate’s Hart office building on Tuesday, after protesters affiliated with the “Occupy D.C.” movement began chanting loudly and unfurling banners calling for the end of overseas wars and for increased taxes on the rich. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol complex, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) softened his tone on the protest movements in both Washington and New York. On Friday, he had referred to them as “growing mobs.” But he steered away from that description Tuesday. Read full article > >

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Six protesters affiliated with the ‘Occupy D.C.’ movement arrested in a Capitol Hill building

On Capitol Hill, they are the apocalypse caucus. Twenty lawmakers, from both parties, who calculate that the best way to fix government is to act as if you wouldn’t mind if it burned down. In April, the House needed to pass two budgets to prevent a government shutdown. They voted no and no. In August, the House needed to pass a debt-ceiling agreement to prevent a national default. No again. Read full article > >

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Apocalypse on Capitol Hill: Lawmakers who love to vote no

The satirical media organization falsely reported that there was a hostage situation inside the Capitol building.

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Media Decoder: Capitol Police Investigate The Onion’s Twitter Posts

On Capitol Hill, Thursday was a rare day in which the House could do something important by doing absolutely nothing at all. The task: stave off a government shutdown by passing a budget extension that would get the federal government through the weekend. It wouldn’t require a vote. It wouldn’t even take the whole 435-member House. Read full article > >

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House passes budget extension to avert government shutdown — by doing nothing

Complaints of harassment and hostile work environments are on the rise on Capitol Hill, where offices aren’t required to keep personnel records, provide mandatory anti-discrimination training or protect whistleblowers despite forcing other government agencies and private employers to do so, according to a new report. Read full article > >

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Harassment complaints on the rise on Capitol Hill

A D.C. Council effort to break up what some members call a near monopoly of the local gasoline market has stalled as a result of aggressive lobbying on behalf of Eyob “Joe” Mamo — whose company owns, operates or supplies 164 stations in the Washington area. As the primary owner in Capitol Petroleum Group, Mamo has built a regional powerhouse in the fuel market, netting $778 million in revenue last year. And in May, as area gas prices soared past $4 a gallon, council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) sponsored antitrust legislation to break Mamo’s grip in the District by banning wholesalers from also owning retail service stations. Read full article > >

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D.C. gas mogul Joe Mamo finds increasing support of business model from council

What began as an investigation into an early morning car fire in Prince George’s County has been handed over to D.C. police, who are investigating the case as a homicide that took place in the District. The body of 34-year-old Antwain Henderson, of Capitol Heights, was found in a burning car in the county’s Landover area shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 31. Read full article > >

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District police investigate Prince George’s car fire as homicide

In some ways, Shanksville still seems like a place where nothing ever really happens. Hidden among Pennsylvania’s coal mines and cornfields, the town includes one general store, one school and two churches. There is a rocking chair and an American flag on every porch — but there is no gas station and no bank. And yet this town played a starring and often inspiring role in the 9/11 attacks. On Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed at about 575 mph into a patch of grassland just two miles outside Shanksville. The other three planes hijacked by al-Qaeda that day hit their high-profile targets, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but the passengers and crew on Flight 93 revolted midair. A plane thought to have been heading for the White House or the Capitol instead crashed into a far more unlikely spot, catapulting Shanksville into history entirely by chance. The 40 passengers and crew members died, as did the four hijackers. Read full article > >

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Shanksville 10 years later: The same, but changed