By LISA MASCARO, Las Vegas Sun

WASHINGTON -- A national association of concrete-company executives gathered two months before Tuesday's election in an ornate room off the Senate floor to meet with Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

WASHINGTON -- Propelled by voter anxiety over the economic downturn, Democrats are possibly poised to win a filibuster-proof majority of seats in the U.S. Senate, as outside groups pour money into Republican races to reverse the trend.

Some Republican senators thought to be safe for reelection are now fighting for their political lives in unexpectedly narrowed races.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Lorraine Marshall of Las Vegas is one of only 36 African American delegates at the Republican National Convention, and the only one in the Nevada delegation.

But Marshall doesn't feel alone.

DENVER -- On any given day in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a popular man.

Reporters swarm him, surrounding his small frame and holding recorders high to capture his comments. They walk with him until the last possible moment, stopping only when he steps behind the door to his office or onto the Senate floor, places off-limits to journalists.

DENVER -- An open and passionate man, Timothy E. Guertin is a chief executive with a story to tell, and he came to the Democratic National Convention to share it over dinner with potentially influential friends.

WASHINGTON -- Congress continues to wrestle with $4-a-gallon gas this week as the two parties attempt to gain the upper hand on a top voter issue before heading home to campaign during the August recess.

WASHINGTON -- On the brink of what should be a milestone for the Yucca Mountain project, prospects for the nuclear waste dump outside of Las Vegas have never been more in doubt.

The Energy Department is expected to deliver its long-awaited application to license the repository as soon as this week, a step that ordinarily would be among the most significant in its 20-year history.

WASHINGTON -- It may sound unbelievable, but Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid can be a wickedly funny man.

But "The Daily Show" funny?

We shall soon see. Reid will make his debut May 5 on the Comedy Central classic in which comic Jon Stewart anchors a fake newscast.

WASHINGTON -- On a whirlwind tour of Iraq, Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada said he is "much more optimistic" than during his last tour in 2003, but believes it's still "an impossible thing to say" how much longer U.S. troops should remain in the country.

WASHINGTON -- It should have been a good news cycle for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its chairman, Nevada's Sen. John Ensign.