By John Aloysius Farrell

Washington - Judge John G. Roberts Jr. was confirmed with a strong bipartisan show of support in the Senate on Thursday and took the oath of office as chief justice of the United States.

The Senate voted 78-22 to confirm the 50-year-old Roberts, with half the chamber’s Democrats - including Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado - joining a unanimous Republican majority in endorsing the nomination. >> MORE

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., has challenged the Democratic governor of New Mexico to a debate over illegal immigration policy following an exchange of heated letters between the two challenging each other’s record on the issue. >> MORE

By John Aloysius Farrell

Washington � U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay stepped down temporarily as House majority leader Wednesday after being indicted for allegedly conspiring to use illegal corporate campaign contributions to elect Texas Republicans and help secure the GOP majority in Congress.

DeLay � a combative former pest exterminator from the Houston suburb of Sugar Land whose skills at corralling votes earned him the nickname “The Hammer� � was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate Texas campaign laws. >> MORE

By Anne C. Mulkern and Mike Soraghan

Washington - The Colorado lawmaker who lost his position as chairman of the U.S. House ethics committee after it admonished Tom DeLay last year said Wednesday that he sympathized with the former majority leader after his indictment.

“Tom DeLay and I have never been close, but I wouldn’t wish him any ill will,” said Rep. Joel Hefley, a Colorado Springs Republican. “I don’t take any pride in his ill fortune here at all.” >> MORE

By Mark Harden

Legislation aimed at helping 83-year-old widow Betty Dick in her long-running fight to stay in her summer home within Rocky Mountain National Park was approved Wednesday by a congressional committee. >> MORE

By Mike Soraghan

Washington - The developer proposing a tribal casino in downtown Pueblo says he wants to bypass the normal government-approval process and have Congress OK the plan. >> MORE

By Felisa Cardona

An 83-year-old widow fighting to keep her summer home in Rocky Mountain National Park would be allowed to live there the rest of her life under a new agreement.

Betty Dick said she is cautiously optimistic that a bill negotiated by Sens. Ken Salazar and Wayne Allard and Rep. Mark Udall will be approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today. >> MORE

By Mike Soraghan

Washington - Tom Taylor is spending $3 million of his company’s money to avoid building houses on a mouse.

Taylor, director of operations for La Plata Investments, says that’s what the Endangered Species Act will force his 22-employee company to spend to preserve and improve habitat for the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse in communities it is developing north of Colorado Springs.

It’s one reason Taylor is glad to see some congressional lawmakers moving to overhaul the law - a cornerstone of the nation’s system of environmental regulation - after 32 years. >> MORE

By Mike Soraghan

Washington - Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have Republicans in Congress again calling for relaxing environmental restrictions on energy development on public lands in the West.

They say those restrictions get in the way of oil and gas companies providing energy to the public. So House Resources Committee chairman Richard Pombo on Monday proposed legislation eliminating many rules that energy companies have complained about. >> MORE

By Chris Frates

U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar announced Sunday that he will vote for the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court chief-justice nominee John Roberts because Salazar believes Roberts will protect the rights of women and minorities.

“I don’t think he would vote to overturn Roe vs. Wade,” said the Colorado Democrat, referring to the 1973 ruling that gave women the right to have an abortion. >> MORE

“In the West,” said U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, “you take people at their word.”

The word that Salazar, D-Colo., thinks he got from Supreme Court nominee John Roberts is that Roberts won’t try to reverse the legal landmark that made abortion a woman’s private choice. >> MORE

By Thomas Burr / Special to The Denver Post

Washington - Tens of thousands packed the Ellipse south of the White House and spilled onto streets surrounding the presidential mansion Saturday in the largest anti-war rally since the start of the Iraq war.

Protesters jeered President Bush - some called for his impeachment - and a diverse- but-united crowd chanted “no more war” in a demonstration that participants hoped would further boost the growing anti- war movement. >> MORE

“If you had asked me, years ago, I would have said that the combination of war, record deficits and the largest public debt in the country’s history would constitute a sufficient perfect storm to break us out of this spending addiction - and I would have been wrong.” - Arizona Sen. John McCain

For a while this month, it looked like Hurricane Katrina might be that sufficiently perfect storm. >> MORE

By Anne C. Mulkern

Washington - Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar will announce Sunday in Denver how he plans to vote on the confirmation of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice of the United States.

Salazar, after meeting privately with Roberts for the second time Friday, said that he has not made up his mind how to vote. >> MORE

By Steven Saint / Special to The Denver Post

Colorado Springs - President Bush was scheduled to tour the nerve center of the U.S. Northern Command this morning after arriving at Peterson Air Force Base on Friday evening.

He plans to monitor Hurricane Rita from the base’s joint operating center and meet with staff on a stated mission to better understand how the military can assist state and local governments in times of crisis. >> MORE