United States Capitol

Throughout the U.S. Capitol are reminders of the days when tobacco was king. Tobacco-leaf designs decorate walls. Brass spittoons adorn the Senate chamber. A portrait of a former House speaker shows him clutching a cigar. And until Wednesday, ashtrays could be found indoors just steps away from the House chamber. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) on Wednesday snuffed out smoking in the speaker's lobby, previously one of Washington's most famous smoke-filled rooms.

Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan and 45 fellow protesters were arrested at the Capitol for disorderly conduct in demanding the impeachment of President Bush. Sheehan was taken into custody in Rep. John Conyers Jr.'s office, where she had spent an hour imploring him to launch impeachment proceedings against Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Conyers (D-Mich.) is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, where any impeachment effort would have to begin.

Capitol Police said Thursday that they were looking at their early-warning system as part of the investigation into a nerve-gas scare that forced the evacuation of a Senate office building. Investigators have not determined whether the system malfunctioned during Wednesday evening's scare, police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said.

Tony Beard knows the perils of statehouse security. During his four decades with the office of the Senate sergeant at arms, he's seen many threats to the gold-topped Capitol and its occupants, from the big rig that plunged into its neoclassical columns in a fiery crash to a rifle-toting man bent on confronting former Gov. Jerry Brown. Beard has helped wage a quiet fight during much of his tenure to protect California's century-old seat of government. Now he's finally seeing the result.

U.S. Capitol Police sought an arrest warrant Monday for Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney after sources said she tangled with a uniformed officer last week. A spokesman for U.S. Atty. Kenneth L. Wainstein said he was reviewing the case. "We are working with Capitol Hill police to fully understand and appreciate the incident," said Channing Phillips, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Washington. McKinney framed the matter in terms of race.

It started with the seemingly smallest of incidents -- a misunderstanding last week at a security checkpoint in the Longworth House Office Building, where guards regularly check the identification and belongings of those who enter. But by Tuesday, the encounter between Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney (D-Ga.) and a U.S.

A federal grand jury will soon begin hearing evidence about Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney's run-in with a Capitol Police officer, a lawyer familiar with the case said late Wednesday.

A grand jury declined Friday to indict Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) in connection with a confrontation in which she admitted hitting a Capitol police officer. The grand jury had been considering the case since shortly after the March 29 incident, which has led to much discussion on Capitol Hill about race and the conduct of lawmakers and the officers who protect them. McKinney is black and the officer white. "We respect the decision of the grand jury in this difficult matter," said U.S. Atty.

An armed man ran through the U.S. Capitol after crashing his vehicle on the Capitol grounds Monday in the worst breach of security since a gunman killed two police officers in 1998. Acting Capitol Police Chief Christopher McGaffin identified the intruder as Carlos Greene, 20, of Silver Spring, Md. He said Greene, tackled after a foot chase through the Capitol, was armed with a loaded handgun and had crack cocaine in his possession.

A Maryland man accused of running through the U.S. Capitol with a loaded handgun will undergo psychiatric treatment before his arraignment Friday, authorities said. Federal prosecutors said Carlos Greene, 20, should be considered a flight risk because he was on parole for assaulting a police officer. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola ordered Greene held.