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A small gyrocopter that flew through miles of the nation’s most restricted airspace before landing at the U.S. Capitol was “indistinguishable” on radar from non-aircraft such as a flock of birds, a kite or a balloon, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a House committee that the slow-moving gyrocopter appeared as an “irregular symbol” on radar monitored by air traffic controllers. Huerta and other officials said the small, unidentified object did not pose an apparent threat before landing on the Capitol’s West Lawn April 15. Forensic analysis conducted later identified a slow-moving...

Something happened on Capitol Hill Monday that some people are calling “historic,” which others view as cunning political subterfuge. The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations held their first ever National Muslim Advocacy Day in our nation’s capitol, where they lobbied a number of members of Congress on behalf of Muslims around the country. With nearly 300 delegates from 20 different states, the advocates represented a number of different Muslim organizations here in America. After receiving tips on effective lobbying from political experts, the Muslim advocates fanned out and visited some 200 different Congressional offices to make their case. But counterterrorism...

... Statues of ... historical figures stand in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall, where each state has two representatives cast in bronze or marble ... [Father Junipero] Serra could be the first and only actual saint in Statuary Hall -- Pope Francis recently announced plans to canonize him -- yet he's also a polarizing figure. Is it time to send Serra to the sidelines (or more accurately, move his statue to the California Capitol grounds)? ... Take our pointedly unreliable poll, leave a comment or do both! ...

WASHINGTON (WJLA) -- A small helicopter has landed on the Capitol's West Front in D.C. and the pilot was taken into custody. The Capitol building and the White House are currently under lockdown. More details to come...

Capitol building, Visitor's Center placed on lockdownU.S. Capitol Police have detained a man who flew over and landed a gyrocopter on Capitol grounds, causing the building and visitor center to be locked down Wednesday afternoon. The pilot landed around 1:30 p.m. was taken into custody after he landed on the West Front grounds. Police have described the aircraft as a gyrocopter, which is similar to a helicopter in appearance, but uses a different type of propulsion and lift. The USCP Hazardous Devices Section (bomb squad) is continuing to investigate the gyrocopter. The following temporary street closures are in effect, affecting...

A Moroccan man pleaded guilty on Friday to attempting to bomb the U.S. Capitol building in Washington in February, 2012, and could face up to 30 years in prison. Amine El Khalifi, 29, an illegal immigrant living in Alexandria, Va., struck an agreement with prosecutors under which he pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in Virginia. He was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property owned and used by the United States, intending to detonate a bomb and to shoot people. "I plead guilty," he said, standing before Judge James Cacher for the U.S. District...

... U.S. Capitol Police say Thornton had a backpack and a suitcase, which triggered a lockdown so the bags could be searched. Police say Thornton also was carrying some type of protest sign.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -- Police say the U.S. Capitol is on lockdown as a precaution after shots were fired in what appears to be an attempted suicide.</p> <p>Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider says the suspected shooter was "neutralized" after a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It's unclear whether the man is dead. No one else is believed to be hurt.</p>

The FBI has arrested an Ohio man for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on the U.S. Capitol, where he hoped to set off a series of bombs aimed at lawmakers, whom he allegedly considered enemies. Christopher Lee Cornell, of Cincinnati...

'Mass Panic': Car chase from White House to Capitol ends in gunfire

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AP) Shots heard at Capitol, building under lockdown WASHINGTON Police say the U.S. Capitol has been put on a security lockdown amid reports of possible shots fired outside the building. People standing outside the Supreme Court across the street from Congress were hurried into the court building by authorities. In a notice distributed by email, the U.S. Capitol Police advised everyone to "close, lock and stay away from external doors and windows.The notice said gunshots have been reported on Capitol Hill. There are unconfirmed reports of an officer injured.

BREAKING ... The U.S. Capitol is in lockdown, amid reports of shots being fired.

Luke Russert ‏@LukeRussert 3m Gun shots in front of Capitol. Cops scrambling. Not a joke

More than half a century after she refused to give up her seat on an Alabama city bus, Rosa Parks has an immovable place in the U.S. Capitol — the first black woman to be honored with a statue there. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders from both parties said at an unveiling Wednesday that the depiction was fitting: Parks is shown seated, hands clasped in front of her, eyes fixed forward.

Authorities have arrested a man allegedly on his way to the U.S. Capitol for what he thought would be a suicide attack on one of the nation's most symbolic landmarks, Fox News has learned exclusively. The man, in his 30s and of Moroccan descent, was nabbed following a lengthy investigation by the FBI, initiated after he expressed interest in conducting an attack. It's unclear how the FBI learned of his aspirations. The man thought undercover FBI agents assisting him in his plot were associates of Al Qaeda. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/17/feds-arrest-man-heading-to-us-capitol-for-suicide-mission/#ixzz1mfOJC9V5

Authorities have arrested a man on his way to the U.S. Capitol for what he thought would be a suicide attack on one of the nation's most symbolic landmarks, Fox News has learned exclusively. The man, in his 30s and of Moroccan descent, was nabbed following a lengthy investigation by the FBI, initiated after he expressed interest in conducting an attack. It's unclear how the FBI learned of his aspirations. The man thought undercover FBI agents assisting him in his plot were associates of Al Qaeda. When he was arrested Friday in Washington, he was carrying with him a vest...

Obama—But Not Jesus By Terence P. Jeffrey December 19, 2011 (CNSNews.com) - The 63-foot Sierra White Fir that was lighted on Dec. 6 as the official U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree includes a prominently displayed ornament paying homage to President Barack Obama, but includes no ornament readily visible to a person standing near the tree's base that uses the word “Christmas,” or includes an image of the Nativity, or bears the name or image of Jesus Christ. On the north side of the tree--at a height of about 4 feet and easily visible to people standing near it---there is an ornament...

A 26-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested and charged today in connection with a plot to attack the Pentagon and the Capitol, the Justice Department announced.  Rezwan Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen, is accused of planning to use a remote-controlled aircraft filled with explosives to attack the buildings. He was also charged with attempting to provide support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization — specifically al-Qaida, the organization behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I know what you're thinking, PC police: "That's unfair, you Islamophobe!  Just because his name is Rezwan doesn't mean he's a Muslim, or that his planned attacks were...

Republican Rep. Dan Lungren is using the power of his new leadership post to throw out a composting initiative started under former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's watch. Lungren, named chairman of the Committee on House Administration after Republicans gained control of the House last November, announced this week that he has asked the House Chief Administrative Officer to halt the waste disposal program, citing increased costs and unrealized energy savings. The program, part of the past Democratic leadership's "Green the Capitol" push, put compostable trays and utensils in House dining facilities in an effort to reduce landfill-bound waste. But the...