Crooked old Charlie Rangel was censured by his colleagues yesterday, which is pretty embarrassing and whatnot. But say Rangel steps down. Who will replace him? The Daily News hears "speculation" that equally-crooked Governor David Paterson could take over. Great idea!

The House of Representatives has passed a bill mandating lower volumes for TV commercials. Activist government!

It's no secret that Congress stalls its progress leading up to an election day. But what about the few post-election, lame duck weeks? Tonight, Jon Stewart considered that while sarcastically opining on ambitious Democrats and... (legislative) cockblock-obsessed Republicans. Watch inside.

The latest test for new members of Congress and their cred back home is whether they'll sleep in their offices. How many of these dandies will host pajama parties in their taxpayer-funded suites, instead of simply renting property in Washington?

Even though Senate Republicans only banned earmarks in a non-binding caucus pledge, you'd think they could've waited longer than three days to break it, right? And yet here comes $200 million for you, Arizona, thanks to Sen. Jon Kyl!

New Jersey Rep. Steve Rothman has fired his chief of staff, Robert Decheine, who was arrested as part of a sex sting last week. He was allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover cop posing as a 15-year-old girl.

An anonymous cellphone video of Rep. John Conyers checking out Playboy's boobs and articles during a July flight has emerged, only days before weeks after the election! He could've at least waited until his wife reported to jail. Clip below.

The many incoming Republican members of Congress are still enjoying Freshmen orientation: Boring lectures by day, secret Boehner orgies by night. But are these sore, hungover noobs even learning anything? Yes! It's all found in Eric Cantor's Official Freshmen Guide.

After Rep. Charlie Rangel was recommended for formal censure yesterday, he glumly headed down the hall, chastened, alone, and talking to no one. Who would cheer him up? House Tea Party Caucus founder Rep. Michele Bachmann, strangely enough!

Republicans won the House at the mid-term election — and they also won on social media. Democrats can take some solace in the fact that Nancy Pelosi, while ousted as House Speaker, is still the most influential tweeter in Congress.

Only 46% of Americans know that Republicans won control of the House in this year's elections, so maybe it never happened?

Terrible news for America today: House Democrats voted down a bill to defund NPR over Juan Williams' firing, despite unanimous Republican support. For shame! And in minor news, House Republicans blocked an unemployment insurance extension for two million Americans.

From 2008 to 2009, the median household net worth for a member of Congress went up 19 percent. During the same time, the national median plummeted by 15 percent. This is known as a plutocracy.

The House panel that found Rep. Charlie Rangel guilty on 11 of 13 ethics charges is deliberating which symbolic punishment to give him. Will he receive a "censure," the ultimate strongly-worded letter? We'll see. Rangel, meanwhile, is whining as usual.

[A leaf blower clears off the plaza in front of the U.S. Capitol, where new members of Congress are in the middle of freshman orientation. Image via Getty]

Rep. Charlie Rangel has been found guilty of 11 out of 13 ethics charges in his congressional trial.

New Maryland Republican Representative Andy Harris won his seat on a platform of resisting the expansion of "government-run or government-mandated insurance." He also spent Monday demanding to know why he had to wait 28 days for his own government-run insurance.

[For the start of the 111th Congress, former "Real World" cast member and newly-elected U.S. Representative Sean Duffy makes a video for his Facebook page in the U.S. Capitol, leaving someone else to "clean up Washington." Image via Getty]

No one could have predicted, when the group Tea Party Patriots posted the personal cell numbers and email addresses for incoming Republican congressmen online, that the incoming Republican congressmen wouldn't appreciate this. Who wouldn't want hundreds of confusing, unsolicited calls?

Do any Democrats dare challenge the omnipotent Nancy Pelosi for minority leader? Well, one ultra-conservative Blue Dog who's technically a Democrat may, if that counts. He's North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler: Inexperienced backbencher. Legendarily shitty NFL quarterback. Democratic party savior?