A visibly irritated Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-Nev.), came to the floor of the U. S. Senate earlier this afternoon, and in a short speech announced that efforts to seek a compromise with Senate Republicans on the Defense Authorization Bill had failed, and that he was going to ask for a cloture vote.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced Wednesday that GOP Senators will block any legislation from coming to the Senate floor until two key economic issues are addressed: funding the government -- the “continuing resolution” which must pass to prevent a government shutdown -- and the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts.

Harold Ford Jr., the former Tennessee congressman and potential U.S. Senate challenger to New York's Kirsten Gillibrand, got a cool reception Wednesday from gay rights advocates who are skeptical of [...]