Todd Zwillich

After 35 years representing Minnesota constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic Rep. Jim Oberstar will empty his office on Capitol Hill at the end of this month. Oberstar currently serves as the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, a position he has held since 2007. He is one of dozens of incumbents voted out of office earlier this year during midterm elections. What are his thoughts on the eve of his departure?

Yesterday afternoon, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) became only the 23rd Representative to be officially censured in Congressional history. Some members had called for an official reprimand, instead, but the House voted overwhelmingly for censure, 333 to 79. A defiant Rangel took to the floor in response, saying, "Even though it is painful to accept this vote, I am fully aware that this vote reflects, perhaps, the thinking of the members, but the political tide and the constituency of this body.”

His peers in the house have voted to censure New York Congressman Charlie Rangel; is the long drama finally over? 

There is a lot on the agenda today for this lame-duck Congress. Senate hearings begin on the military funding bill that contains a legislative repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," while the House will vote on a motion to censure New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, recently convicted of 11 ethics violations. And later, the House will vote on whether to extend Bush-era tax cuts. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich gives us the low-down on the day's votes.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon's top leaders said the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" law, which prohibits gay and lesbian armed forces members from openly admitting their sexuality, would not pose a problem if scrapped. A survey conducted among troops showed that over 70 percent wouldn't have a problem serving alongside gay troops. The poll results put new pressure on Republican opponents to repeal the law; President Barack Obama is urging the Senate to do so before adjourning in the next few weeks.

It's been in the news for weeks, but today the National Debt Commission has officially released its revised plan to tackle the deficit. Six members from each party are supposed to bring some of its suggestions for painful cuts to Congress with some real legislating, but members of the Senate and House on both sides of the isle have already come out strongly against the recommendations. Joining us now for more details on the is Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich. 

This week, Congress has two extensions on the table. While it looks likely that lawmakers will extend the Bush-era tax cuts for both the wealthy and the middle class, it seems unlikely that they will renew the extension on unemployment payments. What will the fallout be? 

Thanksgiving approaches, a holiday full of yearly traditions for families across the country. As Americans begin to prepare turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberries for their Thanksgiving meals, we decided to take look at how our nation's capital celebrates this holiday. It seems that Washington lobbyists have their own special traditions in November, and the food we enjoy each Thanksgiving arrives infused with political influence. 

Usually when there's a sea change in Congress, the leaders of the losing party re-evaluate — and in many cases re-organize. But the top spots in the Democratic party, like the leadership role of Nancy Pelosi, continue on with the same names. Why? We hear more from The Takeaway's Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich. 

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) was convicted on 11 of 13 counts of rules violation by a House ethics panel. The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, looks ahead to what's next for the embattled Congressman, and what his punishment will likely be.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), once a man who backed the practice of earmarks, and used them for many projects in his state of Kentucky, made a surprise announcement on the issue yesterday. He said that he will support a moritorium on earmarks. Does the Senator's reversal signal the influence of those in the Tea Party, who have called for an end to pork-barrel projects?  

Forget the new backpack, homecoming bonfires and locker room hazing: Being a "freshman" in Congress is more like setting up a small business, in a city you have never lived in and within a bureaucratic system that dictates your every move. The huge group of "Washington outsiders" arriving on Capitol Hill this week will have to get a team together, set up their offices and make contacts — all while trying to avoid the political quagmire against which many of them campaigned. Can the freshmen survive? 

The Bush-era tax cuts will be high on the agenda when the lame duck Congress reconvenes today. The cuts are scheduled to expire next year, but Republicans are pushing for the extension of both the "middle class" breaks, as well as those for couples earning more than $250,000 a year. They cite the huge budget deficit and a shaky economy as reasons to keep the cuts. Similar arguments led to prior historic tax cuts, from two politicians of different eras, parties and temperaments: John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.

Freshmen senators, insider fighting, and a need to publicly shape the next moves for the party after the midterm election: the Republican party has spent the past week regrouping. In the middle of it all, the candidates elected with Tea Party enthusiasm have begun to flex their new political muscles with mixed results. Minnesota GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann, one of the initiators of the Tea Party movement, has dropped her bid for a leadership role in the Republican House Conference. Delaware's Senator Jim DeMint, the undeclared leader of the group, is pushing for an unpopular ban on earmarking — in an attempt, perhaps, to show how much power he can wield. And new arrivals, like Florida's freshman Senator-elect, Marco Rubio, are finding themselves caught between Tea Party ideals and Washington's realities. How is the party tackling its goals, voter expectations and new majority? 

Government spending, according to some conventional wisdom, is out of control. That battle cry rallied many politicians during the mid-term elections, helped elect Tea Party and conservative Republican candidates, while putting Democrats on the defensive over the deficit. But now that elections are over, do politicians have the stomach for real change? Yesterday, the co-chairs of President Obama's non-binding fiscal commission on deficit reduction released a draft plan to curb spending ... but the plan met with general dismay in Washington. Why? 

While most Congressional races had their outcomes called and confirmed on Election Day, a handful have remained stubbornly too close to call. Or, in the case of Alaska's hotly-contested Senate seat, some races depend on absentee ballots yet to be counted. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich walks us through these still-to-be-determined contests and their potential impact on the next Congress.

Although President Obama didn’t exactly eat humble pie after the Republicans won the House in last week’s mid-term elections, it does seem like he’s starting to lean towards making some big compromises with members of the GOP in the coming months.

In the third election in a row where Americans threw out the party in power, Republicans won control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, in part due to large discontent among voters who didn't want to see incumbents return to Washington. Though some races are still in play, the Republicans, with the help of Tea Party candidates, successfully captured 56 seats. The GOP also made great strides in the Senate, though Democrats will continue to hold the upper house of Congress.

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio will become the next speaker of the House. In an emotional speech last night, Boehner said that the election is a rebuke to President Obama, with Americans telling him to "change course."

The Tea Party claimed some major victories during in yesterday's mid-term elections. Marco Rubio won the Senate seat in Florida, Nikki Haley will become governor of South Carolina, and Rand Paul took a decisive victory in the Kentucky Senate race. 

But the Tea Party had losses, as well, both in Nevada, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulling out a narrow win against oppponent Sharron Angle, and Delaware, where Republican Christine O'Donnell lost her Senate bid against Democrat Chris Coons.