Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Volunteers place crosses on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol on April 11. Activists were holding a 24-hour vigil featuring a gathering of Newtown clergy and 3,300 grave markers to "remind Congress action is needed on gun violence prevention." The number 3,300 represents the supposed number of people who have died as a result of gun violence since the tragedy in Newtown, Conn.
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Michael Reynolds / EPA
Members of Congress applaud as Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois walks up the east steps of the Senate on Jan. 3 with assistance from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia, left, and Vice President Joe Biden.
Michael Reynolds / EPA
Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, left, waves with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia as Kirk returns to the Senate. Vice President Joe Biden and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, right, look on.
By Tracy Connor, NBC News: In the year since he had a major stroke, Sen. Mark Kirk has taken his recovery one step at a time. On Thursday, the Illinois Republican took 45 more – climbing the stairs to the Senate’s front door while colleagues cheered him on. “Yeah, Mark!” the crowd shouted as Kirk, 53, mounted the steps, slowly and stiffly, with Vice President Biden grasping his right arm. Full Story
Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images
Vice President Joe Biden, right, and Sen. Joe Manchin help Sen. Mark Kirk to climb up the stairs upon his return to the Senate. A stroke devastated the left side of Kirk's body and left him so close to death he saw angels – with New York accents – at his hospital bed.
Video: Sen. Kirk welcomed back to Capitol with cheers
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Susan Walsh / AP
Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, the second-longest-serving senator in history, lies in state in the Capitol rotunda in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
Vice President Joseph Biden, left, and Speaker of the House John Boehner put their hands over their hearts as the flag-draped casket of Sen. Inouye arrives at the Capitol rotunda.
The AP reports: Sen. Daniel Inouye, the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history, was remembered Thursday as a man who gallantly defended his country on the battlefield and gracefully sought to better it during the 50-plus years he represented his beloved state of Hawaii.
Colleagues and aides lined the Capitol rotunda five deep to say farewell. The rare ceremony demonstrated the respect and good will he generated over the years. Only 31 people have lain in the Capitol rotunda; the last was former President Gerald R. Ford nearly six years ago. The last senator who died in office and was accorded the honor was Democrat Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, in 1978. Full Story
Evan Vucci / AP
The casket of Sen. Inouye is carried into the Capitol.
Susan Walsh / AP
Sen. Daniel Inouye lies in state in the Capitol rotunda.
Joshua Roberts / Reuters
A flag flies at half staff at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Dec. 17. Friday's school shooting in Connecticut prompted a renewed effort by lawmakers to re-evaluate gun rights, as a top Democrat vowed Sunday to introduce new legislation on the first day of the new Congress next year. Read Story.
Republican Representative from Arkansas Tim Griffin, right, followed by reporters and other freshman Republicans, walks to a press conference where he threw his support to Speaker Boehner's budget bill outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Thursday, July 28. The House is expected to vote today on Boehner's budget plan.
Here's the latest news on the protests at the Wisconsin Capitol, and a story about the person on the ledge.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
Police try to talk a protestor of the ledge of the capitol building February 28, 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin. Protestors were asked to leave the building last night but many refused. Police have refused to unlock the entrances today because they are trying to prevent protestors from sleeping overnight in the building. Demonstrators have occupied building with a round-the-clock protest for the past 14 days protesting Governor Scott Walker's attempt to push through a bill that would restrict collective bargaining for most government workers in the state.
Darren Hauck / Reuters
Law enforcement officers try to talk with a protestor who was on a ledge of the state Capitol building during a protest against proposed budget cuts at the state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, February 28, 2011. Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker said on Sunday he would not back down in his confrontation with state public sector unions and repeated his threat to lay off state workers if the standoff continued. Tens of thousands of protesters marched against Walker's plan in Wisconsin on Saturday and solidarity rallies for labor rights were held around the country.
Darren Hauck / Reuters
Law enforcement officers forcibly remove a protestor who was on a ledge of the state Capitol building during a protest against proposed budget cuts at the state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, February 28, 2011. Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker said on Sunday he would not back down in his confrontation with state public sector unions and repeated his threat to lay off state workers if the standoff continued. Tens of thousands of protesters marched against Walker's plan in Wisconsin on Saturday and solidarity rallies for labor rights were held around the country. REUTERS/Darren Hauck (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Visitors take pictures of the U.S. Capitol building before U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to deliver his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 25.
Are you going to watch tonight's State of the Union address? Msnbc.com's National affairs writer Tom Curry offers some Keys for watching the State of the Union.
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers observe a moment of silence on the steps of the U.S. Capitol for Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Washington, Jan. 10, 2011. A 22-year-old man has been charged with trying to assassinate Giffords in a shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded 14 in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords is fighting for her life in a Tucson hospital.
Chris Carlson / AP
Marcus Joiner, left to right, Jason Hoffman, Elijah Otero, and Allison Weiss reflect during a national moment of silence at the site of Saturday's shooting in Tucson.
Justin Lane / EPA
Traders observe a moment of silence on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Matt Sullivan / Reuters
People attend a memorial service outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix.
President Obama leads a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the mass shooting in Arizona.
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
The early morning sun begins to rise behind the U.S. Capitol on December 17, 2010 in Washington, DC. Later today the Senate is slated to debate the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia.
Nice to see an image move over the wire this morning that was more than just another committee hearing.
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
A worker hangs holiday decorations at the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Dec. 1. This theme for this year's decorations is "Simple Gifts," which was inspired by our nation's state and county fairs.
Larry Downing / Reuters
Christmas decorations brighten the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Layers of Christmas decorations surround a portrait of former President Bill Clinton at the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Charles Dharapak / AP
A miniature of The Obama family's dog, Bo, sits on a 400-pound white chocolate-covered gingerbread replica of the White House in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images
The Red Room is pictured during a media walk-through of the holiday decorations at the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Charles Dharapak / AP
The official White House Christmas Tree is seen in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
The White House has been meticulously trimmed with seasonal decorations for the holidays. This theme for this year's decorations is "Simple Gifts"
Mrs. Obama settled on a theme of "Simple Gifts" for the holiday season, emphasizing the simple things that bring joy at Christmas. Many White House decorations also are made from basic — and, in some cases, reusable — materials such as wood, newspaper and magazine pages.
Read the FULL STORY to find out more about the seasonal spangle at the White House.
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