Ailsa Chang

Congress returns Tuesday after a seven week recess and will face an end of September deadline to fund the government and prevent a shutdown. Lawmakers will also have to decide how to fund efforts to combat the spread of Zika. And all of this must be done in an election year where some Congress members face tough re-election battles of their own.

It's getting awkward in New Hampshire's U.S. Senate race. To compete for independent voters, both sides are juggling uncomfortable relationships with the top of their tickets.

It's been a rough week for Donald Trump's campaign — but his opponent, Hillary Clinton has had her stumbles as well. Ailsa Chang gets a rundown from NPR's Ron Elving.

Hillary Clinton has tapped Virginia SenatorTim Kaine to be her running mate, completing the democratic presidential ticket.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions backed Donald Trump early on. The two have at least one thing in common: both have been accused as being insensitive on issues of race.

Sessions was the first sitting senator to endorse Trump's candidacy. He's campaigned with Trump and serves as an important ally for the candidate that the GOP leadership still hasn't fully embraced.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says Hillary Clinton appears to have received preferential treatment in the investigation into her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state. FBI Director James Comey recommended Tuesday that no charges be brought against Clinton.

Congress is back after its July 4 break, and after a full-throated protest by Democrats over gun control. They are under pressure to provide funding to fight Zika before they leave for the summer.

The measures were introduced following a 15-hour talk-a-thon in which Democrats demanded new controls on gun sales following the shootings in Orlando, Fla.

Just over a week after the deadly nightclub rampage in Florida, the Senate has voted down measures to expand background checks and limit purchases by those on terrorism watch lists.

The outcome of Monday's gun legislation votes may surprise no one, but some Senate Democrats are convinced their talk-a-thon has prompted colleagues on the other side to brainstorm workable solutions.

The mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., has reignited calls on Capitol Hill for tighter gun laws.

Bernie Sanders pledged to work with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump. But later on Thursday at his last rally of the primary season, he carried on as if determined to become the next president.

It's getting awkward in the Senate, where members go out of their way to avoid directly chastising each other. The low-simmering annoyance with Sanders for staying in the contest is palpable.

The Massachusetts senator has become one of the most aggressive anti-Trump voices in her party. But inside the Senate hallways, she doesn't behave like a woman who wants to be heard.

The Obama administration requested $1.9 billion in emergency funding to prepare against the Zika virus. Congressional Republicans say the administration doesn't need all that money now and insist the White House is asking for a blank check.

Even for an election year, 2016 is turning out to be a particularly unproductive year for Congress. House GOP leaders are struggling to pass a budget — a modest goal at best — while other legislative items are getting punted until after the election.

NPR's congressional correspondent Ailsa Chang explains what happened Monday at the Capitol complex, where a man with a weapon entered the Visitor Center and was shot by Capitol police.

The Senate majority leader refuses to hold a hearing on the Supreme Court nominee. After Obama named Garland, McConnell has maintained his position that the pick should be made by the next president.

Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland makes his first rounds on the Hill Thursday to meet with senators in person. But the only appointments on the schedule are with two Democrats. He has no meetings with Republicans yet.