The Hill By Alexander Bolton The sequester is here to stay — at least for a while. Lawmakers and aides say they do not expect Congress to turn off budget sequestration before April and that negotiations to freeze the automatic spending cuts could… more »

Forbes Avik Roy, Contributor Many politicians (and many voters) duck the hard choices when it comes to Medicare reform. But what’s remarkable about the past year is that, in some ways, momentum appears to be building for real improvements to the… more »

By Barbara Barrett Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of profiles of the major candidates for U.S. Senate from North Carolina. On Monday, Libertarian Michael Beitler was profiled. Also coming: A… more »

By Erika Bolstad McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Richard Burr could get a boost from U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s write-in bid in Alaska, where she lost the GOP primary in August. Some Republicans are making a move to oust her from her… more »