Secret Service director Mark Sullivan appeared before Congress yesterday for the first time since his agency’s Colombian prostitution scandal came to light. Sullivan was testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee and insisted time and time again that the incident was an isolated event and that it was not indicative of larger problems within the Secret Service. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich sat in on the hearing.

President Obama has come out swinging on Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital. As the NATO Summit came to a close on Monday, President Obama defined the presidential election in terms of his economic vision for the country compared to Mitt Romney’s. Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich joins us to answer: Where does the campaign go from here?

Amid harsh pushback from Democrats and women’s groups claiming a “war on women,” and in the face of a White House veto threat, the Republican-led House voted yesterday to approve a GOP measure reauthorizing the expired Violence Against Women Act. Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent, talks about the latest out of Washington.

President Obama's campaign attacked Mitt Romney's record on Bain Capital with an add that paints a picture of Romney as a job killer. In response, Romney team has put out its own ad, hailing Romney as a job creator who can save struggling American cities. Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich reviews the competing ads and assess whether which character description of Romney is more likely to stick with voters.

There’s been a lot of big money moving around this week that could have big consequences for the country — both on the presidential campaign front and in the GOP budget passed Thursday in the House of Representatives — and our Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich has been following it.

President Obama’s public declaration of his support for same-sex marriage in an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts yesterday, could have a polarizing effect this campaign season, invigorating some voters and potentially alienating others. Gay campaign political activists and campaign donors are among those with a strong reaction to the news. The Takeaway spoke to one top Obama bundler, Dana Perelman, who said he was "exhilarated" by the President’s announcement. From the other end of the gay community came a slightly different reaction. R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans called the timing of the president's announcement "callous."

The issue of gay marriage is back in the national spotlight after two high-level members of President Obama’s administration — Vice president Joe Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan — voiced their support for the issue this week. Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, considers the week's happenings and President Obama's vague stance on same-sex marriage. 

It was a moment perfectly staged for an American audience: In a speech that neatly coincided with the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, President Obama addressed the country from Bagram Air Base after secretly traveling to Afghanistan. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich breaks down the President's address.

Catching Bin Laden was the government's foremost security goal since September 11. How much leverage did his death actually give Obama for the upcoming election? And how is Mitt Romney going to fight back? Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich explains Bin Laden's place in the election rhetoric.

In 2010, the GSA held a 300-person conference in Las Vegas that cost taxpayers $823,000. Martha Johnson, the former head of the GSA, described the conference as "a raucous, extravagant, arrogant, self-congratulatory event that ultimately belittled federal workers." Todd Zwillich explains.

Despite his best efforts, Santorum always seemed to be two steps behind the Republican front-runner, Mitt Romney. And yesterday, he announced that he’d no longer try to catch up. Weighing in on Santorum's decision are Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Ron Christie, Takeaway contributor and Republican political strategist, and Karen Martin, organizer of Spartanburg Tea Party, who previously told us she was hoping for "anyone but Romney" but now her perspective has changed.

The pressure is on. The Senate isn’t set to vote on the so-called “Buffett Rule” until next week. But the White House is already setting the stage to make the rule, which would require those making more than a million dollars a year to pay at least 30 percent in federal income tax, a central plank of President Obama’s re-election campaign. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich joins us.

In the few days since Mitt Romney swept the Wisconsin, Virginia and Washington, DC primaries, the GOP appears to be finally coalescing around the former Massachusetts governor. As Mitt Romney counts his delegates and prepares for the final stretch of the primary season, the media's spotlight turns to potential running-mates. So who's he going to pick? Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich explains.

Yesterday Attorney General Eric Holder issued a memo, assuring the Supreme Court that President Obama respects the authority of the court to overturn federal laws they find unconstitutional. This memo came after Republican challengers to the Affordable Care Act accused the President of pressuring the Court during deliberations. We discuss the controversy with Jeffrey Rosen, Professor of Law at George Washington University, and Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent.

Yesterday President Obama criticized his likely general election opponent Mitt Romney by linking Romney to the latest Republican budget plan. As the likelihood of Romney's GOP nomination increases, the attack lines are beginning to be unveiled. For a look ahead at what we can expect in the general election, we're joined by Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent.

Mitt Romney continued on the path to securing the Republican presidential nomination last night, winning all 37 delegates in Maryland, all 16 delegates in the District of Columbia, and at least 30 delegates in Wisconsin. In a speech after the results were tallied, Rick Santorum vowed to keep fighting. Wisconsin Public Radio's capitol reporter Shawn Johnson and The Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich join us to look at the big picture from last night's results as well as a look at President Obama's own campaigning.

Tonight's primary results may ultimately decide the fate of the GOP nomination contest. If Mitt Romney wins Wisconsin, he may effectively seal the deal and his inevitability will likely go unquestioned. But if Rick Santorum can pull out a victory in the Badger State, all eyes will be on the nominating contest in the former Senator's home state of Pennsylvania three weeks later. We're joined by Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich and Republican Strategist and Takeaway Contributor Ron Christie.

Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent and Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway look at the stories coming up in the week ahead, including the Supreme Court hearings about health care legislation, President Obama's meetings in South Korea and the Conference Board Confidence Index and the Michigan Consumer Sentiment reports slated to come out this week.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is leading the pack of GOP hopefuls, but that doesn't mean he's escaped criticism for not being able to unify the Republican party: some say he's not conservative enough, or that he's not likable. Of course, the perceived inability to unify the party isn't unique to Romney.

After a short reprieve, the budget fight is back on in Congress. Today, Congressman Paul Ryan will give a speech introducing his 2013 budget, the Republican answer to the budget Obama proposed last month. In an election year, Ryan's budget is partially a manifesto of what America can expect from many — but not all — Republican legislators.