WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican Senator Rand Paul was stopped at an airport on Monday for setting off an alarm and refusing a patdown, prompting his father, presidential candidate Ron Paul, to accuse security officials of being part of an “out of control” police state.

In a harshly worded attack on the Transportation Security Administration, which handles security screenings at U.S. airports, Ron Paul, known for his strident libertarian views, said the TSA “gropes and grabs our kids and our seniors and does nothing to keep us safe.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Facing record-low approval ratings from Americans weary of congressional gridlock and elections in November, lawmakers want to show voters that really, they do get along after all.

Scores of Republican and Democratic lawmakers plan to cross the aisle and mingle with their opponents during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress next Tuesday, officials said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House Republicans, struggling to articulate a unified message after a year of fights among themselves and with Democrats, hope to use their annual retreat to craft an agenda that resonates with voters in November’s elections.

That will be House Speaker John Boehner’s main mission when he and his fellow Republicans gather on Thursday in Baltimore for three days of brainstorming behind closed doors.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House Speaker John Boehner, hoping to spare fellow Republicans a second embarrassing defeat over payroll tax cuts, is prepared to navigate around rebellious Tea Party-aligned lawmakers to get a deal, according to congressional aides.

Republicans in the House of Representatives got a public drubbing from critics within and outside the party in December for initially refusing to approve a Senate plan to extend the tax break for 160 million Americans through February.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top Senate Republicans are weighing whether to file a lawsuit to challenge President Barack Obama’s controversial use of recess appointments, but such a suit looks legally shaky and could ultimately backfire with voters.

Senators will likely make a decision on a possible lawsuit after they return to Washington on January 23, a senior Republican aide told Reuters.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner caved in to growing criticism from within and outside his Republican Party, agreeing on Thursday to a short-term deal to extend a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans.

In a dramatic reversal that appeared to end a standoff with Democrats, Boehner told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he would set a vote in the House on a Senate-passed two-month extension of the tax cut and jobless benefits – key supports for a fitful U.S. economic recovery.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Thursday caved in to a growing chorus of criticism from both within and outside his Republican party and agreed to a short-term deal to extend a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans.

In a major reversal that appeared to end a standoff with Democrats, Boehner told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he would set a vote in the House on a Senate-passed two-month extension of the payroll tax cut.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a bid to end a worsening standoff over extending a tax break for Americans, President Barack Obama called on Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday to pass a short-term extension and return to talks on a year-long deal in the New Year.

While Boehner showed no immediate signs of backing down on his demand that Congress tackle the long-term deal to extend a payroll tax cut before it expires at year’s end, calls for compromise in his own party grew. With 2012 elections looming, some Republicans fear they will be blamed for letting the tax bill rise on January 1 for 160 million Americans.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama demanded on Tuesday that Republicans in the House of Representatives pass a short-term extension of a payroll tax cut, showing an unwillingness to back down in a fight that could result in higher taxes for 160 million Americans.

The Republican-led House earlier rejected a short-term deal passed by Democrats and fellow Republicans in the Senate over the weekend and called for fresh negotiations on the expiring tax break that saves the average American worker $1,000 a year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In Congress’ tense drama over how to extend payroll tax cuts for 160 million Americans, it may be the most intriguing subplot: whether Republican House Speaker John Boehner is losing his grip on members of his own party.

Boehner and many Republicans scoff at the idea.

But the House’s rejection on Tuesday of a bipartisan Senate plan to extend the tax cuts for two months has raised questions about Boehner’s efforts to lead compromise-resistant House Republicans who have helped ratchet up the tension in Congress.