Senate Republicans voted to invoke the 'Nuclear Option', which means only a simple majority is needed to clear parliamentary hurdles to confirm a Supreme Court Justice.  Prior to the rule change, 60 votes were needed to override a filibuster. 

Congress has approved the first step toward dismantling President Barack Obama's health care law. 

A Democratic senator who mourned the loss of 20 children in his home state of Connecticut four years ago waged a nearly 15-hour filibuster into the early hours of Thursday, demanding votes on gun control measures just days after a mass shooting at a Florida nightclub.

Legislation to renew an expired program of benefits for the long-term unemployed faces a test in the Senate on Wednesday. If it receives 60 votes, as expected, passage could come a day later.