Ailsa Chang

Weeks from Inauguration Day, there's a growing rift between how President Obama, some senators and some in the intelligence community view Russia, and how Trump tweets about Russia and its leader.

As 2016 drew to a close, Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to retaliate for new U.S. sanctions. He hopes to turn a new page in the U.S.-Russia relationship with President-elect Donald Trump.

Carrie Fisher's well known for her acting and comedy. NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Weekend Edition books editor Barrie Hardymon about why we should remember Fisher as not just a Hollywood star.

The tunnels and offices of Capitol Hill bustle with lawmakers, lobbyists, reporters — and dogs. NPR's Ailsa Chang takes her dog Mickey to meet some congressional canines.

A legal debate is heating up around a provision called the Emoluments Clause. Experts are examining whether Trump can legally continue dealing with companies controlled by foreign governments.

Ivanka Trump's husband, Jared Kushner, might not be able to fill a position in the White House because of a federal anti-nepotism statute.

Still reeling from a disappointing election, congressional Democrats are trying to figure out a path forward. But there's disagreement about what that path looks like. House Democrats postponed their leadership elections amid discontent about the direction of their caucus. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are roiling about how best to connect with working class voters.

The current Republican Party leadership have all been re-elected by unanimous voice vote for the 115th Congress. Speaker Paul Ryan was also re-nominated to lead the GOP in the new Congress.

Voters across the country cast ballots in congressional races. Republican incumbents survived strong challenges, among them Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

Also Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest refused to defend or criticize FBI Director James Comey for announcing fresh scrutiny of possible Clinton emails just days before the November election.

Control of the Senate will come down to just a handful of races, and Nevada is the only seat Republicans have a real chance of flipping. Three-term Republican Sen. Joe Heck is running almost even with Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto. The race could come down to Hispanic voters, and Heck has tried to distance himself from Trump.

Michelle Obama delivered a speech on the sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump in a campaign stop for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.

Former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh's double-digit lead in a Senate race has shrunk after weathering criticism for making a home in Washington, D.C., instead of Indiana during his years after the Senate.

After weeks at a standstill, Congress wrapped up all the work it was supposed to do in September in just one day, from a veto override, to reaching a deal to keep government open through December 9th.

The Senate voted Wednesday to override President Obama's veto of a bill that allows the victims of Sept. 11 to sue Saudi Arabia for any role it may have played in the terror attacks. This is the first time Congress has successfully acted to overrule the president's veto.

After weeks of negotiations, agreement over aid to Flint, Mich. will keep the government running through mid-December, narrowly avoiding a Sept. 30 deadline.

The legislation allows families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks to sue the Saudi Arabian government. The override is the first of Obama's presidency.

Congress has one job to do this month before its October recess: make a deal to keep the government funded past Sept. 30. But that hasn't happened yet.

Congress has just one thing to do this month before its October recess: keep the federal government funded. With just one week left before the deadline, there's still no deal in sight.

First Lady Michelle Obama used her enormous popularity to campaign for Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday, wooing millennial voters at a campus in northern Virginia.