U.S. senators may get a chance to hear about SB 1070 from an Arizonan — but not from the person the subcommittee chair originally sought.

The head of a U.S. Senate subcommittee wants Gov. Jan Brewer to tell him and his colleagues why she thinks Arizona needs its own law aimed at illegal immigration.

WASHINGTON — Advocacy groups say President Barack Obama has assured them that he remains committed to a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. But what can be accomplished on the issue this year remains unclear.

Several U.S. Supreme Court justices, quoted as steadfastly opposing cameras recording attorneys’ arguments before them, stubbornly hold to beliefs that are as outmoded as the horse and buggy.

WASHINGTON — A prominent Senate Democrat asked Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to put off her state's controversial immigration law to give Congress a chance to act. Scant time passed before Brewer's answer came back: No.

During the weeks preceding the formal unveiling of the ludicrously named Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2103, S. 744, the Gang of Eight authors dominated the headlines with their empty promises.

Yes, the Senate Democrats’ attempt to pass a resolution of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was a political stunt and “gotcha” politics, and the Senate did have better things to do with its time.

WASHINGTON — Side by side, leading Democratic and Republican senators pledged Monday to propel far-reaching immigration legislation through the Senate by summer providing a possible path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people now in the U.S. illegally.

WASHINGTON — The system Congress and the Obama administration want U.S. employers to use to help curb illegal immigration is failing to catch more than half of the unauthorized workers it checks, a research company has found.

WASHINGTON - Government-backed investors from the Middle East and China have pumped billions of dollars into U.S. companies this year without stirring the kind of national security concerns that have scuttled previous deals.

WASHINGTON - A defiant President Bush warned Democrats Tuesday to accept his offer to have top aides speak about the firings of federal prosecutors only privately and not under oath, or risk a constitutional showdown from which he would not back down.

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats won their first major vote against the Iraq war. Now they need to get some Republicans on board.

WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary John Snow resigned Tuesday and President Bush nominated Goldman Sachs chief executive officer Henry M. Paulson Jr. as his replacement - another chapter in the shake-up to revive Bush's troubled presidency.

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' liaison with the White House will refuse to answer questions at upcoming Senate hearings about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, citing her Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, her lawyer says.

WASHINGTON - Samuel Alito coasted toward probable confirmation as the 110th Supreme Court justice Thursday, with the only question after 18 hours of grueling Senate interrogation being how many Democrats would support him.

WASHINGTON - Homeowners threatened with foreclosure would in some instances get a 30-day reprieve under an initiative the Bush administration announced Tuesday. Critics attacked the proposal as far short of what is needed to resolve a serious financial crisis that is threatening millions of families with the loss of their homes.

WASHINGTON - If President Bush gets his way, the venerable $255 Social Security death benefit will fade into history. And 16- and 17-year-old high school dropouts will lose their monthly survivor payments.

The position taken by letter writer Ken Campbell on Feb. 14, regarding “assisted suicide” is too dangerous to ignore.

BOSTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, amid a growing clamor for his resignation, acknowledged Friday confusion about of his role in firing eight U.S. attorneys but said he doesn't "recall being involved in deliberations" over which prosecutors were to be ousted.

HARTFORD, Conn. - Top Democrats on Capitol Hill abandoned Sen. Joe Lieberman one by one Wednesday and threw their support to Ned Lamont, the anti-war challenger who defeated him in the primary.

WASHINGTON – Immigration officials announced that they deported nearly 400,000 undocumented immigrants in fiscal 2011, setting a record for a third consecutive year under the Obama administration.

Joe Guzzardi, guest commentary

WASHINGTON — The nation faces a crushing burden of debt and is on course for an economic disaster without dramatic action to wrestle the budget deficit under control, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said Tuesday in the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON — Determined to show a commitment to stopping the flow of illegal immigrants, the Senate convened a special session Thursday and passed a $600 million bill to put more agents and equipment along the Mexican border.