The Senate voted Thursday to extend new federal protections to people who are victims of violent crime because of their gender or sexual orientation, bringing the measure close to reality after years of fierce debate.

President Bush accused congressional Democrats on Thursday of playing politics with the health of children, and he warned again that he would veto a children’s insurance bill if it emerged from Congress in its present form.

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales encountered anger and skepticism from senators on Thursday as he insisted that he had nothing to hide in the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys, an episode that has cast a shadow on the Justice Department and brought calls for his resignation.