Sen. Al Franken expressed new concerns Thursday about how closely mobile phone companies track smart phone usage. He believes that companies may be tracking things such as the number of text messages a user receives and what phone numbers they dial.

Democratic U.S. Senator Al Franken, who sits on the Education Committee, says he'll work with the Obama administration to develop a Financial Aid Shopping Sheet to help students compare the cost of attending various colleges.

Sen. Al Franken says he is co-sponsoring a low-income energy assistance bill to help families pay their utility costs. Franken says funding has dropped despite high demand, adding he expects the measure to pass since both Republicans and Democrats get cold.

U.S. Senator Al Franken says his proposal would cut energy consumption and create jobs in the building trades. He says similar programs are helping local governments save money with more energy-efficient buildings. Plus, Franken says, it would help Minnesota which he called "the Silicon Valley of windows."

The legislation is meant to help homeowners refinance their mortgages to keep their homes and save money. Sen. Al Franken says "the federal government should be making it easier to refinance, not creating additional hurdles." The Minnesota Democrat plans to introduce the legislation on Monday.

Sen. Al Franken wants Facebook to be more upfront about its facial recognition technology and how it plans to use it. Franken grilled a company executive at a Capitol Hill hearing. Facebook has an estimated 60 billion pictures of people, the world's largest photo database.

Franken seemed to defy fate by winning a U.S. Senate seat – yet would reach political stardom anyway.

The U.S. Senate is nearing a vote on whether to extend the current payroll tax into next year. Sen. Al Franken says not renewing would create $1,000 in additional taxes for the average Minnesota family. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann says the tax cuts have punched a hole in the federal budget and threaten programs like Social Security.