First Lady Michelle Obama walks on the streets during her vacation with her daughter Sasha to the historic center of the southern Spanish town of Marbella in 2010. (Jon Nazca/REUTERS)
10:26 am ET -Michelle Obama vacation plans this summer reportedly may include a lengthy stay with Sasha and Malia on tony Martha's Vineyard. That's in addition to accompanying her husband overseas.
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That's one explanation for Day 3 of provocation from North Korea, which again fired short-range missiles or rockets into the ocean. So far, the medium-range North Korea missiles that caused a flap in April are nowhere to be seen.
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Why IRS investigation is already Obama's Watergate – and Benghazi, too (+video)
Since Watergate, every two-term president has had a second-term scandal. First-term mistakes and hyperpartisanship make probes – like those into Benghazi and the IRS – almost inevitable.
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The good news – and the bad news – for Obama in scandal-tinged polls
President Obama's approval rating has not slipped in public opinion polls despite a trio of political scandals. But most Americans don't think much of the way the administration has handled the issues, and they believe further investigation is justified.
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Did the Associated Press blow an Al Qaeda informant's cover?
Some officials say the Associated Press scoop on a thwarted terrorist plot by an Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen harmed the effort to neutralize a master bomb-builder. Does that excuse the Obama administration's aggressive crackdown on national security leaks?
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'Obamagate' danger for the GOP: political overreach
Republicans are jumping all over what they see as major scandals in the Obama administration, including Benghazi, the IRS, and checking journalists’ phone records. But some in the GOP are warning against the perception of overreach for partisan purposes.
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Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes
Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
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Bob Woodward compares Benghazi with Watergate. Is he right? (+video)
The similarities: line-by-line edits of what to tell the public, says Bob Woodward, the media's authority on all things Watergate. Regarding the White House Benghazi edits, they show pressure 'in the system not to tell the truth' about what happened, he said Friday.
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House Republicans repeal Obamacare again. Why do they keep doing it?
House Republicans repealed Obamacare for the fourth time Thursday, and like their other efforts, it will go nowhere in the Senate. Yet for the party's base, it's hardly a pointless vote.
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Why Benghazi talking points make US government seem like Dunder Mifflin (+video)
Let's put aside for a moment who did what to the talking points on Benghazi last September and focus just on the editing process, which could have come from an episode of 'The Office,' it seems.
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Why furor over IRS tea-party scandal won't subside, despite ouster
The removal of the acting IRS chief and Thursday's appointment of a new one will do little to quiet the storm over the tax agency's targeting of politically conservative nonprofit groups. What steps might?
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President Obama wants to 'go Bulworth'? What's that? (+video)
Hint: It's a reference to the 1998 political movie 'Bulworth,' from Warren Beatty. Here's why Obama would be well-advised to resist the urge to model his behavior after the title character.
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Federal deficit falling fast: Is that a good thing ... or a bad thing?
New estimates show the US federal budget deficit falling faster than forecast. To some, that's a sign that fiscal policy is becoming too austere, valuing quick cuts over more-needed reforms.
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Five ways the IRS scandal will change Washington (+video)
Whatever comes of the investigations into the IRS's targeting of conservative groups, the scandal promises to have broad repercussions in Washington, potentially through the 2014 midterms.
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Russia spy case: Was US diplomat set up? (+video)
From the ill-fitting wigs to wads of cash and a 'recruitment letter,' the whole affair seemed more like a spy scene from a Judd Apatow comedy than a brooding John le Carré novel.
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Why federal budget deficit is falling faster than CBO expected
The federal budget deficit will shrink this year to $642 billion, the nonpartisan CBO said in a new estimate Tuesday. Just three months ago, it was forecasting a deficit of $845 billion.
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IRS report shows why tea party scandal was almost inevitable (+video)
When all the shouting about the IRS targeting of tea party groups dies down, Congress or the IRS will realize that the relevant tax law is devilishly hard to enforce fairly.
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Obama's 'juice' squeezed by scandals?
The burst of controversy out of the IRS and Justice Department, in addition to lingering GOP pressure over Benghazi, has sidelined attention to President Obama's agenda.
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IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal
The Internal Revenue Service is under the microscope now, as revelations have emerged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
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Are IRS, Benghazi flaps affecting Obama's standing with US public? (+video)
Republicans might have good reason to believe that President Obama will be affected more by the IRS scandal than by new revelations about the terror attack in Benghazi, Libya.
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IRS tea party scandal: How bad for Obama? (+video)
President Obama himself has slammed the reported IRS actions regarding tea party and other conservative groups. But inevitably, Republicans will attempt to link the White House to this activity.
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IRS tea party scandal unlikely to fade as Congress plans investigations
The IRS has apologized for targeting tea party groups. But that hasn’t satisfied critics pushing for congressional investigations, and they're still waiting for President Obama to speak out.
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Has Benghazi become the Obama administration’s Watergate? (+video)
New reports show that the State Department 'extensively edited' talking points about the terrorist attack on the US diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya. Most Americans disapprove of the way President Obama has handled it, presenting the administration with a major political problem.
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Why does Prince Harry make Washington swoon? (+video)
Prince Harry, making a visit to the US, interrupted a congressional hearing without attending it. Even Michelle Obama sounded a tad breathless announcing his appearance at a White House Mother’s Day tea.
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House prioritizes bills to pay if US hits debt ceiling. Is default averted?
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Minority report: 3 big trends in the Census Bureau's voting data
New census report shows rising numbers of minority voters, turning out at higher rates, just as the white vote is declining. For Republicans, demographics may be destiny, unless the GOP finds ways to adapt.
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