Todd Zwillich

The immigration debate heated up last week when some Republican senators suggested revisiting the 14th amendment, which guarantees U.S. citizenship to any person born in territory of the United States. Todd asks Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) if Congress should hold hearings on the contentious issue.

It's been 11 years and the nation's black farmers have still not received the nearly $1.25 billion settlement they were promised by the Agriculture Department. The Senate was expected to approve the measure before the start of recess last Thursday, but Republicans put the brakes on the vote after citing concerns that Democrats had not outlined a plan to pay for the settlement.

Todd Zwillich, Washington correspondent for The Takeaway, talks about the wrap-up before the Senate recess, and previews today's Kagan vote.

The Senate handed President Barack Obama a victory yesterday as they passed a test vote on a $26 billion spending bill. The bill combines $16 billion in Medicaid funding and $10 billion in layoff prevention. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, has the details.

Republicans have been pushing to have hearings to change the 14th Amendment. The way it stands now, if you're born in the U.S., you're an American citizen. We asked you, the listeners, what you thought about changing the 14th amendment, and we hear what you have to say. We're also joined by The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, who believes that Republicans are just nibbling around the edges of the whole immigration issue.

The Senate still has a few things to do before it goes on August recess. From the "spill bill" to Elena Kagan, Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich has the latest from Capitol Hill.

Republicans are implementing different strategies in different states to challenge key parts of health care reform, specifically the part says, if you don't have insurance, you must buy it by 2014. In Missouri, there will be a ballot in the primaries today, and in Virginia, a judge has allowed the state's attorney general to file suit in court. 

Todd speaks with congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill) about immigration reform immigration policy at the state and federal level. Gutierrez says it's time for President Obama to turn attention on the issue into creating comprehensive reform.    

In a 40-page statement of charges, a House investigative panel formally charged Rep. Charles Rangel with 13 ethics violations. Among the charges was the improper solicitation of donations for a New York building bearing Rangel's name. The charges against the lifetime New York Democrat come weeks before midterm elections.

Today, 20-term congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) faces the House Committee on Official Conduct, also known as the Ethics Committee. We don't yet know what the actual ethics charges against Rangel will be, because that won't be revealed until after the hearings start. Today isn't Rangel's trial, but more like an arraignment before the ethics committee. But he still could be out of Congress by the weekend.

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) may face the biggest fight of his long political career when he faces a public ethics hearing on Capitol Hill later this afternoon. At the heart of the hearing are allegations that Rangel underreported his rental income on a villa in the Dominican Republic, held multiple rent-stabilized apartments in New York City, and misused congressional stationery to solicit private donations for a City College center that bore his name.

The Senate will vote today on the DISCLOSE Act, a bill already approved by the House, that would require corporations to disclose their spending on federal political campaigns and to reveal their identities in any political ads they fund. The bill is being seen as the Democrats' answer to the Supreme Courts's ruling on the Citizens United case, which allowed big corporations, domestic and foreign, to spend unlimited amounts of money on American elections.

Todd talks with Sen. Robert Menendez about the possible involvement of BP when Scotland released of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, last year.

Almost two years after the financial meltdown that triggered a recession, Congress has passed a sweeping a financial reform law. The Senate approved the bill with a 60-39 vote yesterday, largely along party lines. The bill now awaits President Obama's signature. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, reports on how regulators now have their work cut out for them.

BP has been under fire since April for its responsibility in the Gulf of Mexico's disastrous oil gusher. Ironically, the same week the oil is finally contained, BP faces more trouble — this time involving the release of the so-called Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi.

Today, after months of wrangling, the Senate is set to pass a bill that will completely change how the government regulates Wall Street and the banking sector. The legislation marks the first major overhaul of financial regulations since the 1930s.

But although there seemed to be general agreement that the financial sector was in dire need of an update, only three Republicans look ready to vote in favor of the bill. Is this major Democratic victory a sign that bipartisanship is dead in Washington? And how will Wall Street respond?

Airline fees are high enough, but do you really know how much you are paying for your plane ticket? Consider the amount you charge on your credit card when you purchase your tickets, plus the extra fees you pay to check your luggage or get that extra leg room or window seat. Those kinds of costs alone raked in an addition $8 billion in 2008 and 2009 for airlines, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Now airlines are facing mounting scrutiny from the Obama administration and Congress. And soon new guidelines may be put in place by the GAO.

Remember President George W. Bush's tax cuts back in 2001 and 2003, which were met with much hatred by Democrats? Well, those tax cuts are about to expire. However, this is not necessarily good news for Democrats. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, sees Democrats somewhere in between a rock and a hard place. They can't easily allow taxes to go back up when the economy is still struggling; at the same time, they can't watch the deficit continue to rise if the cuts stay. To make things more complicated, these tax cut decisions need to be made during an election year.

Just months ago, Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) rode to office in a pickup truck powered by Tea Party support for his promise to be the 41st vote against health care reform. Now he's siding with Democrats on financial reform, the president's next big legislative priority. He has extracted concessions for his position, but that's not the reason he's crossing party lines. He's part of a rare breed these days: moderate Northeast Republicans. "41" is no longer the most important number for Scott Brown; it's "2012," when he faces re-election.

On Capitol Hill this week, Democratic lawmakers will make a last-ditch attempt to get the financial regulations bill passed before heading into mid-term elections. Democratic Senators are also struggling to extend unemployment benefits to the nation's jobless, but have yet to secure enough votes to avoid a Republican filibuster. And while the Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, it is likely Republicans will delay Tuesday's vote until next week.

Outside the beltway, this week marks the start of earnings season. Investors and economics will be watching closely to see if the economy is on the road to recovery or headed for a double-dip recession.