Zoe Lofgren News

The Republican-controlled House passed legislation Tuesday that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, offering social conservatives a symbolic gift even as the bill has zero chance of becoming law.

About 8 million immigrants living unlawfully in the United States would initially gain legal status under sweeping legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, adding the bill would push federal deficits lower in each of the next two decades.

The face of the Democratic opposition to a bill that would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks will be California Rep. Zoe Lofgren.

Partisan debate about pregnancy and rape re-emerged last week with a bill that would ban abortion 20 weeks after fertilization, when some researchers say fetuses are capable of feeling pain.

The House Judiciary Committee gathered Wednesday to pass another anti-abortion bill, and the nameplates on the majority side told the story: In all, the nameplates of 23 misters lined both rows on the GOP side; there isn't one Republican woman on the panel.

We recognize that the issue of abortion is a lightning rod for strong opinions in this country, especially in the halls of Congress.

A couple of days ago I wrote about the "outrage" generated by innocent remarks Rep. Trent Franks made regarding a woman getting pregnant as a result of rape.

By Jacqueline DelPilar - A bill banning abortion after 20 weeks is likely to come up for debate on the House floor next week after being approved Wednesday by the Judiciary Committee.

On Capitol Hill, Rep. Trent Franks explained why he supports a national 20-week abortion ban without exceptions for rape an incest by claiming that pregnancies resulting from rape are very rare , a very similar claim to how former Rep. Todd Akin defended his extreme anti-abortion views.

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U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn will replace Representative Trent Franks to manage debate on a bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy after he questioned whether many pregnancies are caused by rape, said House Republican leadership aides.

An Arizona Republican Trent Franks is under the impression that the rate of pregnancy resulting from rape is virtually non existent.

Despite calls from Republican leaders for members of their party to stop talking about rape in the context of the abortion issue, Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., waded directly into that territory Wednesday and is standing by his comment that the number of pregnancies resulting from rape is "very low."

Democrats on the committee, including Rep. Zoe Lofgren , responded by pointing to similar comments made by then-Rep. Todd Akin in his 2012 Senate campaign.

In response to U.S. House of Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Trent Franks introducing the Wireless Tax Fairness Act , which would place a five year moratorium on any new and discriminating taxes and fees imposed on wireless consumers' monthly bills, CTIA-The Wireless AssociationA President and CEO Steve Largent said: "On behalf of the more than 300 ... (more)

This week's revelations of government spying by the NSA have fostered some new and unusual alliances in Congress.

President Barack Obama on Friday defended his administration's mass collection of telephone and Internet records, saying it's thoroughly overseen by Congress and judges and strikes the right balance between security and privacy.

Legislation backed by the wireless industry that would allow consumers to "unlock" their cellphones doesn't go far enough to remove the threat of criminal penalties, Rep. Zoe Lofgren said Thursday.

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Congress looks poised to create a new legal shield for mobile phone unlocking, making it clear that people who switch wireless carriers won't face civil suits or criminal penalties under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.