U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appears before the House Judiciary Committee May 15. Holder told the committee that a serious national security leak required the secret gathering of telephone records at The Associated Press. (Scott Applewhite/AP)
4:46 pm ET -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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- Why Benghazi talking points make US government seem like Dunder Mifflin (+video)
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- President Obama wants to 'go Bulworth'? What's that? (+video)
- Federal deficit falling fast: Is that a good thing ... or a bad thing?
- Five ways the IRS scandal will change Washington (+video)
- Russia spy case: Was US diplomat set up? (+video)
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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
How the tables have turned: The Internal Revenue Service is the one under the microscope now, as revelations emerged Friday 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?
The bill would allow the federal government to pay interest on the nation’s debts, even if the US does not raise the debt ceiling. But some say the effect would be different from what is envisioned.
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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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Benghazi whistleblower: Has diplomat Gregory Hicks suffered for speaking out? (+video)
Gregory Hicks told a House panel that superiors opposed his meeting with House investigators and his questioning of claims that the Benghazi attacks were 'spontaneous.' He was reassigned to a desk job.
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Immigration reform bill: Top 8 changes GOP senators want
More than 300 amendments were submitted for possible inclusion in a sweeping immigration reform package – at least 100 of them from two Republicans, Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Here are eight notable changes GOP lawmakers want to see in bill, as the Senate Judiciary Committee takes up amendments between now and Memorial Day.
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Mark Sanford comeback: four reasons for his improbable win (+video)
Mark Sanford credits his unlikely victory to being 'an imperfect man saved by God's grace,' but he was also a skilled campaigner, in a deep red district, who made the race about Nancy Pelosi.
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Bill: Hillary 2016 speculation is a lame topic right now. Oh, really? (+video)
Bill on Hillary 2016: Conjecture over whether Mrs. Clinton will run for president next time is 'worst expenditure of our time.' That's what he told attendees at a fiscal summit, anyway. Who's he kidding?
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Michelle Obama back on book tour. How successful are first lady authors?
Michelle Obama, like every other first lady author in the 20th and 21st centuries, sells books – lots of them. Every first lady since Lady Bird Johnson has written a White House memoir.
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Glenn Beck and stagecraft wizardry: Why his NRA talk trumped all
The conservative talk show host deployed no fewer than five props during his keynote address to the NRA over the weekend. (So there, Sarah Palin.) And not one of them was a chalkboard.
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Chris Christie weight-loss procedure: Why now? (+video)
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has undergone weight-loss surgery, the New York Post reports. Is this about 2016 and the politics of appearance?
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Al Gore now 'Romney-rich': Enough to make him happy?
Al Gore being 'Romney rich' has opened him up to jabs from the political left and right. It's not clear, though, whether his new wealth compensates for the loss of the presidency.
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Immigration reform: 3 reasons it's got its best chance yet
Immigration reform has been snarled in partisan gridlock for years. But after losing 7 in 10 Hispanic votes in 2012, not all Republicans – in Congress and on talk radio – are mounting an all-out war on reform legislation.
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Sarah Palin's chaw: Why did she wave chewing tobacco during NRA speech? (+video)
Sarah Palin used a tin of chewing tobacco as a visual aid at last weekend's NRA convention in Houston. This follows her sipping from a Big Gulp during her CPAC speech in March.
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Immigration reform: When is family reunification also 'chain migration'?
Immigration reform legislation promises expedited reunification for millions of families awaiting visas, but critics caution that the overhaul could also produce uncontrolled 'chain migration.'
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Why no sign of 'sequester' cuts in perky April jobs report?
Economic doom and gloom were supposed to follow the 'sequester' cuts in federal spending, but there's no evidence in the April jobs report that the labor market has been hurt. Just wait, warn some economists.
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Newest 'Most Wanted Terrorist': Should Assata Shakur make the list?
Fugitive Assata Shakur is the first woman named to FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list. A member of a black militant group, she was convicted of the 1973 murder of a New Jersey trooper. But some say the 'terrorist' label doesn't stick.
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Marco Rubio, immigration reform, and 2016: the big risk
Sen. Marco Rubio, a likely GOP contender for president in 2016, risks alienating conservatives by taking a lead role in pushing for comprehensive immigration reform. But he probably didn't have a choice.
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NRA 'Stand and Fight' convention: Political big guns will be there (+video)
The NRA's annual convention begins Friday, and the theme this year is 'Stand and Fight.' In the line-up to speak to the 70,000 attendees: a host of likely 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls.
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