Top Dem looked at axing Clinton

Former Democratic National Committee head Donna Brazile writes in a new book that she seriously contemplated replacing Hillary Clinton as the party's 2016 presidential nominee with then-Vice President Joe Biden in the aftermath of Clinton's fainting spell, in part because Clinton's campaign was "anemic" and had taken on "the odor of failure."

Report: Donna Brazile considered replacing Clinton with Biden as nominee

Donna Brazile, the former interim Democratic National Committee chair, wrote in her new memoir that she considered pushing for the removal of Hillary Clinton from the 2016 ticket and replacing her with then-Vice President Joe Biden, according to a report published Saturday. The Washington Post, which obtained an advanced copy of her memoir , reported that Brazile wrote that Clinton's campaign was "anemic" and had taken on "the odor of failure."

Trump’s vote fraud panel will be investigated

The Government Accountability Office has accepted a request by a group of U.S. senators to investigate the activities of President Donald Trump's commission on voter fraud. Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota wrote to the watchdog agency last week to request the probe, citing a lack of transparency surrounding the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity .

Key Senate panel eyes new bills to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller

The Republican-led Senate judiciary committee now plans to take the first steps on legislation that would make it harder for President Donald Trump to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the latest sign that Trump could face a backlash from Capitol Hill if he sought to dismiss the special counsel. At the same time, the Senate panel is weighing whether to compel the appearance of Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, along with two senior FBI officials, all of whom have yet to agree to be interviewed despite the demands of committee leaders.

Bernie Sanders, the Man With Single-Payer Clout

Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders bashed special interest groups when introducing the so-called Medicare for All Act of 2017. The seismic shift in support for Sen. Bernie Sanders ' plan to transform the U.S. health care system into a single-payer program indicates the reach the Vermont independent has within the Democratic Party.

Palmetto Politics: Nancy Pelosi wants South Carolina’s pro-slavery statues gone from the Capitol

A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, second from left, is on display in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington. A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, second from left, is on display in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington.

After all that, Amazon’s Whole Foods deal may be delayed

A raft of regulatory questions may delay the $13.7-billion mega-merger between Amazon and the supermarket chain as Democratic lawmakers and government officials raise antitrust concerns. Whole Foods told its investors in June that the deal was expected to close late this year, but the companies reportedly warned that it could take until May of 2018.

Letting Obamacare fail ‘cynical, sinister,’ Booker says

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker slammed President Donald Trump for declaring he would let Obamacare fail Tuesday, saying "that's not just cynical, it's actually sinister." In an interview on "CNN Tonight," Booker told CNN's Don Lemon that during the 2016 election, Trump promised voters that only he could fix health care in America, but he outsourced responsibility to the Republican leadership.

DOJ official who recommended Comey’s firing threatened to resign: report

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to quit after the White House cast his recommendation as the sole reason FBI Director James Comey was fired, according to The Washington Post . Jeff Sessions Fired US attorney: No one believes Trump's explanation for firing Comey Cory Booker: 'Problematic' that Trump, Sessions had say in Comey firing DOJ official who recommended Comey's firing threatened to resign: report MORE The Trump administration has provided several explanations for Comey's firing since Tuesday.

Editorial: Civil rights retreat

When the U.S. Senate was considering whether then-Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama should lead the Justice Department, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was one of the most vocal members to stand in opposition to him. Booker's chief concern: Sessions' abysmal record concerning basic civil rights, and in particular where those rights concern minorities.

After Amtrak derailments, Booker and Menendez seek to block Trump’s transit cuts

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker asked leaders of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing transportation to ensure federal funding for Amtrak and the Gateway Tunnel project. Their letter to U.S. Sens. Susan Collins , the subcommittee chairwoman, and Jack Reed , the ranking Democrat, came after Amtrak acknowledged responsibility for two recent derailments that tied up NJ Transit train traffic for days.

Cory Booker joins forces with Bernie Sanders

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Cory Booker , criticized by supporters of Bernie Sanders for opposing efforts to allow imports of prescription drugs, has joined forces with the Vermont senator and former Democratic presidential candidate on the issue. Booker and Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, agreed on drug importation legislation that both could support.

Senate confirms Jeff Sessions to be next attorney general

The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as the next attorney general, surviving a vocal push by Democrats to derail his nomination. The 52-47 vote was mostly along party lines, though one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, joined the Republicans to back their Alabama colleague.

Will Trump era make Cory Booker a Democratic star?

WASHINGTON -- There was a speech before a group of Democratic state legislators, an appearance on a Sunday talk show, and then a break with tradition by testifying against Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions. After a presidential campaign where he often spoke for Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker is emerging as a leading voice of dissent in the Democratic Party as the Donald Trump era begins.

NAACP head calls Sessions ‘unfit’ for attorney general

The head of one of the largest African-American civil rights organization told Congress on Wednesday that Sen. Jeff Sessions is "unfit to serve" as attorney general as a 1986 letter from the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., surfaced strongly expressing opposition to the Alabama senator. Cornell Brooks, the head of the NAACP, said the organization "firmly believes" that Sessions is unfit to serve as attorney general in the incoming Trump administration.

Cory Booker seizes big moment with historic move against another senator

Sen. Cory Booker will make history Wednesday when he becomes the first sitting senator to testify against another sitting senator for a Cabinet post as he fights Jeff Sessions' nomination to become President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general. The decision has thrust Booker, a New Jersey Democrat and fixture on lists of potential 2020 presidential candidates, into the limelight.

Cory Booker: Time Running Out for Sentencing Reform

"There are [inmates] in America who are living examples of how we are violating our principles," Sen. Cory Booker said Thursday. Despite White House attention on the issue and a bill that has bipartisan support in a polarized Congress, Sen. Corey Booker said Thursday "we are not at an historic moment" for criminal justice reform in America - and it might not get very far under the incoming Trump administration.

Mandatory sleep apnea testing in works for train engineers

Federal Railroad Administration officials will require railroads to test employees for sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, which may have contributed to the crash of an NJ Transit train in Hoboken on Sept. 29. "There should be and there will be a rule," said Sarah Feinberg, FRA administrator, in an interview after a roundtable meeting with U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., Monday.