Reuters - The U.S. Senate voted on Friday to limit debate on a bill aimed at shoring up both the housing market and mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, paving the way for a final vote expected on Saturday.

Reuters - Legislation to rein in excessive energy speculation failed a key procedural vote on Friday to move forward in the Senate, and now lawmakers will set aside the bill to consider other legislation.

AP - Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, fresh from an Iraq trip with Democrat Barack Obama, said the presidential candidates should focus on the war's future and stop arguing over the success of last year's troop surge.

AP - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has found a refuge in the nation's preoccupation with record energy prices.

AFP - Republican White House hopeful John McCain said Friday that his Democratic rival Barack Obama is further to the left than the only Socialist US senator.

AFP - A US Senate investigative panel accused two prominent banks in Liechtenstein and Switzerland on Wednesday of helping wealthy Americans hide billions of dollars and evade taxes.

AP - Dean Barkley — lawyer, political kingmaker, and bus driver — has spent 62 days in the U.S. Senate, which he calls "the most prestigious club on earth."

AFP - The US Senate has given a major boost to a program to combat AIDS and malaria around the world, voting to triple funding for a cause championed by President George W. Bush.