Al Franken Comedian, radio talk show host, and now it seems after all this time, United States Senator. The Minnesota Supreme Court today declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of his U.S. Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman. The decision appears to finally clear the way for the Senate to seat Franken, concluding a protracted legal battle over the outcome of an incredibly tight race. Should Franken join the Senate, the Democrats would also…

Al Franken declared victory late Monday in his race against Norm Coleman for a U.S. Senate seat from Minnesota. The Minnesota Canvassing Board certified the recount today, with Franken winning by 225 votes. “After 62 days, after the careful and painstaking hand inspection of nearly 3 million ballots, after hours and hours of hard work by elections officials and volunteers across the state, I am proud and humbled to stand before you as the…

Written by DCist Contributor Fredo Alvarez In a 60-39 cloture vote, the U.S. Senate barely passed the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (S 1105) today as an amendment to the FY 2008 Defense Authorization Bill (HR 1585). The measure would expand protection against hate crimes to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, and would enable the Federal government to provide assistance in the investigation or prosecution of…

And so it was — the U.S. Senate voted today 57-42 in favor of closing debate on legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives, three short of what was needed to prevent a Republican-led filibuster. The measure, which passed the House in April, is now likely dead, and another attempt to correct a 200-year injustice has been thwarted. Of course, the legislation could be re-introduced, but it won’t…

After being removed from committee postings by his Republican colleagues in the Senate and being called upon to resign by the likes of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), embattled Sen. Larry Craig went “on vacation” with his wife Wednesday, according to the Washington Post. The fallout surrounding his guilty plea to lewd conduct in a men’s bathroom in the Minneapolis airport has only intensified since Roll Call first broke the…

This morning the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs approved legislation granting the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives, sending the measure to the full Senate for cosideration. The vote was 9-1, with Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) casting the lone dissenting vote (seriously, can’t Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) have a talk with this guy?). Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Senator George Voinovich (R-Ohio), all considered key…

The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has scheduled a hearing to consider legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives. The hearing, which will be presided over by bill sponsor Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), will take place on Tuesday, May 15 in 342 Dirksen. The hearing — which we’ll try to live-blog, obvs — should be interesting. Among the Republicans on the committee are a…

Swimming pools. Cookouts. Cocktails al fresco. All great signs of summer. But linen pants? While there are a myriad of summer delights to which we aren’t quite ready to bid adieu, DCist compiled a list of some warm weather looks we hope get filed away with the tiki torches… 5. Madras Pants: For reasons unknown, something about patchwork plaid fabric guarantees that the wearer will be “that guy” at the party. Madras pants might be…