Congress holds the first hearing today into the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservative groups for unwarranted scrutiny. Over a series of hearings, the House Ways and Means Committee will question current and former officials about the screening of applications for tax-exempt status.

This week, three major scandals have picked up steam in Washington: the I.R.S. unfairly targeting conservative groups, the Department of Justice's subpoena of journalists' phone numbers and last year's attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich shares the latest on the series of firestorms in Washington.

Today marks the 37th time the House has attempted to repeal the health care law. Is there any possibility of the law finally being overturned, and if not, why do Republican leaders persist in attempting to do so? The Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich explains.

We now know the I.R.S.'s special scrutiny of small-government groups applying for tax-exempt status went far beyond keyword hunts for organizations with “Tea Party” or “Patriot” in their names. It also included searches for applicants seeking to “make America a better place to live” or “criticize how the country is being run,” according to a draft audit by the inspector general.

On Monday, New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee introduced a bill that would allow the US to provide weapons to the Syrian opposition.  He spoke to Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich about the proposed legislation.

In a move that pits the Obama administration firmly against women's reproductive health advocates, the Justice Department filed a notice to appeal a judge's decision to allow girls under 15 years old to have over-the-counter access to the morning after pill. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich has been following the legal and political battle.

Congress now wants to know why the FBI did not pursue further investigation of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the Boston bombing suspect killed last week. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich walks us through how Congress is digesting the Boston attacks, and what that might mean for security policy.

Whether you know it or not, you have a legal obligation to claim any out-of-state purchases made online on your state tax return. A bill being voted on today would change that, and make it so that all online purchases are subject to state and local taxes. 

The United States Senate on Wednesday voted down the proposed restrictions to curb gun violence in the aftermath of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich looks at the final political showdown and considers whether the NRA has won the gun debate-- and why.

The explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line left three dead and many more injured. Two days after the tragedy, there are still many unanswered questions. Todd Zwillich and Callie Crossley update us on the situation in Washington and in Boston. Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for our partner The New York Times, explains the mechanics of the Boston bombs.

In a groundbreaking move, a compromise has been reached on gun legislation between Senators Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia and Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania. It sets the stage for the Senate to take up a debate on gun legislation today. Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent, explains.

Congress is being tested today, and it looks as though lawmakers have studied up on actually taking votes in the House and Senate. With procedural wrangling out of the way, will there actually be up or down votes on gun control legislation and immigration reform?

Two dreamy topics are working their way through Congress right now: gun control and immigration. Any sort of movement on gun control seems unlikely, but that's not exactly the case for immigration reform.

Getting a bill signed into law seems like quite a victory, but for major legislation, getting the president's signature doesn't automatically set the entire law in motion. The process is actually much more complicated.

While gays and lesbians fight for the right to marry, increasingly, straight women are delaying marriage or avoiding it altogether. Your stories illustrated many changing views of marriage.

This week, the Rafer Guzman of the Movie Date podcast looks at two new releases: "The Host," starring Saoirse Ronan and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy, and now he's courting it overseas. The real estate mogul has been engaged in a years-long battle with the residents of the Scottish city of Aberdeen, but now the project has hit another snag.

If you have an American Express account and you tried to check your balance or see your statement yesterday, you may have been confronted with a blank screen, or some strange, ancient typeface. It wasn't just you.

For almost a year, Eliot Higgins has been carefully watching and analyzing hundreds of videos posted online every day in an effort to determine how arms are getting into Syria. Even though he has no formal training in tracking arms, he's considered something of an expert.

In a frightening escalation of sabre rattling between the United States and North Korea, two nuclear-capable B-2s made a non-stop trip from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to South Korea — the first time the U.S. military has publicly announced such a mission.