Topic: Barack Obama
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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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Briefing
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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3 priorities for Pakistan's new government
After 14 years, Nawaz Sharif is back at the helm in Pakistan. The nuclear-armed country faces a welter of problems, from terrorism to tensions with Afghanistan, India, and the United States. To move Pakistan forward, Mr. Sharif must focus on three priorities.
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Five ways to improve Obama's pre-k plan
President Obama’s Preschool for All plan is well intentioned but includes features that are not justified by research and won’t help it pass in Congress. The plan must make the following five adjustments.
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5 myths about amnesty for illegal immigrants in Senate bill
Under a bipartisan Senate immigration bill, immigrants who have come to the United States illegally are given a "path to citizenship." On close inspection, each of the following five claims about the requirements for illegal immigrants to earn amnesty are not what they seem.
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In Texas, Obama lauds 'New Tech' high school. Model for the future? (+video)
Kicking off his 'Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour' in Texas, Obama met with students at Manor New Tech High School, where he stressed the importance of STEM careers for the US economy.
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GOP senators boycott vote on McCarthy for EPA
Frustrated by what they call a lack of transparency from the EPA, all eight Republican senators on the Environment and Public Works committee boycotted a scheduled vote on Obama nominee Gina McCarthy to head the EPA.
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Latin America Monitor Move over Beyoncé: Another American explores Cuba, 'people to people'
Like Beyoncé and Jay-Z, the Monitor's Linda Feldmann travels Cuba on a 'people to people' tour. Since 2011, such trips have had the sanction of the Treasury Department – a legal way for Americans to see the long-forbidden island.
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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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Decoder Wire 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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Terrorism & Security US and Russia team up to make fresh diplomatic push on Syria
US Secretary of State Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov say they hope to convene an international conference on Syria later in May. The US has also stepped up humanitarian aid.
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Emotional Benghazi testimony revives disputes
On Wednesday, a House panel heard from Gregory Hicks who was stationed in Tripoli at the time of the 2012 Benghazi attack which left Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others dead. The hearing demonstrated a partisan divide between the two parties over how to interpret the attack and the U.S. government's response.
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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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With gun violence down, is America arming against an imagined threat? (+video)
A Pew study released Tuesday finds that Americans think gun violence has escalated when in reality it's way down from two decades ago. The violence has dropped, meanwhile, even as gun ownership has increased.
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Opinion: Syria – another sign that US needs to recalibrate Middle East policy
As the US backs into Syria and other Mideast crises, China is proactively and strategically engaging in the region. Its actions point out what America has to lose if it continues to hesitate in the Middle East.
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Employers can't be forced to display pro-union posters, court rules
The Obama administration had mandated that businesses put up posters informing workers of their rights to organize in unions. A federal appeals court struck down the rule Tuesday.
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US, South Korea put up a tough front, but it doesn't close door to North (+video)
South Korean President Park, in the US to meet with Obama, has made it clear that she sees her toughness as part of a “trust politik” that would allow for renewed dialogue with the North.
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Immigration reform promises border security. Prove it, Republicans say. (+video)
The Senate immigration reform bill aims to apprehend 90 percent of potential border-crossers in high-risk areas within five years after passage, but Republicans question the plan.
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Latin America Monitor Study abroad in Mexico? Fewer US students make the trek.
One announcement from Obama's Mexico trip was a bilateral forum on higher education. Educational exchanges between the US and Mexico have stagnated or fallen over the past decade.
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At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw – a little
Secretary of State John Kerry sought to ease diplomatic tensions with Russia in preparation for meetings between Putin and Obama later this year. But Syria remains a major sticking point.
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Change Agent Chris Bradshaw ships books to Africa to help make the impossible possible
The African Library Project has sent 1 million books overseas and built 1,000 libraries in nine different countries.
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Former Ed secretary: Only 4 percent of colleges worth the money. Families: Pick value.
Former Education Secretary Bennett argues that most of America's 3,500 colleges aren't worth the investment. As costs rise, more families are taking a harder look at a college's value instead of its reputation.
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Tax VOX Want to understand tax reform? Read this report.
The Joint Tax Committee’s Tax Reform Working Group Report is must-read material for tax geeks, or even normal people who want to keep up with the ongoing debate over tax reform, Gleckman writes.
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Opinion: Obama and South Korea's President Park must agree on North Korea policy
As President Obama meets today with South Korea's President Park Geun-hye, how closely they agree on policy toward North Korea and whether they establish a good working relationship will be key to dealing with an increasingly dangerous new leadership in Pyongyang.
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The joy of running in Boston
A Christian Science perspective: A runner reflects on the right to run with joy in Boston or in any other place.
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Obama administration backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate (+video)
Government lawyers give up their challenge to a temporary injunction in a Bible publisher's lawsuit and will battle the issue in another pending case at the appeals court.
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Syria civil war: This week could be decisive for US involvement
Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Moscow to discuss international pressure on Syria, following Israel’s targeted airstrikes on Damascus over the weekend.
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USA Update Obama's 'try anything' bid to woo GOP moves from dinner to golf course
President Obama hit the golf course Monday with two Republican senators in an effort to build support for his second-term agenda. He has also had several dinners with GOP lawmakers.
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Decoder Wire 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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Decoder Wire 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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