Topic: Barack Obama
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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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.
All Content
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Opinion: America can't afford the real cost of Guantánamo
The consequences of ignoring Guantánamo, its abuses, and its hunger strikers are foreboding – for the prisoners and for America. President Obama must release prisoners with no case against them, move the rest to US courts to be charged and tried, and finally close the detention facility.
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Why Obama won't talk so much about drug war on Mexico trip (+video)
Presidents Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto have reasons to change the US-Mexico narrative in meetings Thursday, but 'both countries are still very interested' in the drug war.
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Twitter-hacking Syrian Electronic Army: How much state support does it have?
The Twitter hacks by the Syrian Electronic Army – the most recent hit The Guardian – reflect a shift toward disseminating propaganda and attacking Syria’s perceived enemies in the media.
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The Monitor's View: Immigration bill and Obama's trip to Mexico: Why the two are linked
President Obama's trip to Mexico will help better integrate the two economies. And a piece of the Senate immigration-reform bill focuses on integrating the mainly Mexican population of undocumented immigrants. Each country must respect the other's sensitivities on these two integrations.
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Decoder Wire Ted Cruz presidential race 2016: Whose worst nightmare?
Some conservative leaders reportedly are urging Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to run for president in 2016. That could be a nightmare for either Democrats, other Republicans, or even Cruz himself.
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Could Gabriel Gomez pull a 'Scott Brown' and win Massachusetts Senate race?
Massachusetts Democrats are resolved not to repeat the mistakes of 2010, which allowed a GOP moderate with a fresh face and some charisma to prevail in a solid blue state. But GOP candidate Gabriel Gomez, like Scott Brown before him, is generating buzz.
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Boston bombings: 3 more suspects taken into custody, police tweet (+video)
Using their Twitter account, the Boston Police Department announced Wednesday three more suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings have been arrested.
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Decoder Wire Gun control forces take fight to New Hampshire, Sen. Kelly Ayotte
Gun control advocates are taking their message to the states, through ads, town hall meetings, and shaming campaigns. They poked Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) of New Hampshire on Tuesday.
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USA Update Ricin letters: What's the evidence against new suspect, per the FBI affidavit?
James Everett Dutschke, accused of mailing three letters containing ricin, was arrested Saturday at his home. He is being held without bond until a preliminary hearing Thursday.
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The ties that bind: Obama travels to Mexico (+video)
Shared issues of border security, the economy, and immigration will likely dominate the conversation between President Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico this week.
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Opinion: Six ways to boost electric vehicles
Getting more American drivers into electric vehicles carries both environmental and national security benefits. But to get Americans to really buy EVs, the Obama administration needs to learn from the past and plan better today.
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Chapter & Verse NY governor Andrew Cuomo will write memoir for 2014
Andrew Cuomo's memoir will be 'a full and frank look at his public and private life,' according to publisher HarperCollins.
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Editor's Blog Progress report: How the Monitor is doing
The start of a new fiscal year finds The Christian Science Monitor reaching more readers than ever, in its strongest financial position in more than half a century, and continuing to pursue meaningful news around the world.
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Female DNA on bomb? FBI checking suspects (+video)
Female DNA on bomb? The FBI took DNA samples from the wife of suspected Boston bomber Tamerian Tsarnaev Monday.
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$70 million per seat: Is NASA getting ripped off?
$70 million per seat: Now that the Russians have the only vehicle capable of shuttling astronauts to the Space Station, they can charge whatever they want for the ride — and they want $70 million per seat.
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Morning-after pill okay for ages 15 and up, says FDA
The FDA announced that Plan B, usually described as a 'morning-after pill' because it can prevent pregnancy if taken shortly after sexual intercourse, will be available to girls and women without a prescription if they can prove they are at least 15 years old.
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Hunger strike: Obama reiterates vow to close Guantanamo
About 100 of the 166 detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison are participating in a hunger strike. The forced feeding of hunger strikers has drawn renewed human rights attention.
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Ricin case against Everett Dutschke tightens
Ricin was found in the former martial arts studio of Everett Dutschke, charged with sending poison-laced letters to President Barack Obama and other public officials. Ricin was also found on a dust mask and other items he threw in the trash.
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Obama 'red line' on Syrian chemical weapons gets a bit grayer
President Obama has said Syria's use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line.' Evidence is mounting, but Obama's desire for an international response throws prospects for action into doubt.
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Dysfunction in D.C. leads to soaring cynicism among Millennials
Only 1 in 4 Millennials think the US is headed in the right direction, according to a poll released by the Harvard Institute of Politics, and 48 percent think their vote won't make a difference.
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The Monitor's View: Revenge, or fear of it, must not lead Syria to chemical warfare
President Obama and other world leaders must speak directly to both Assad and rebel leader about avoiding revenge killings. That is necessary to prevent escalation of the war with chemical weapons.
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Appalachian Trail not forgotten: Women voters still wary of Mark Sanford
Monday's debate in the South Carolina congressional race between former Gov. Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert Busch underscored Sanford's problems with women voters.
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Castro daughter to US: Raul's daughter to accept award for gay rights advocacy
Castro daughter to US: Mariela Castro will attend the Equality Forum's annual conference on civil rights for lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people, according to Malcolm Lazin, the advocacy group's executive director.
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$70 million per seat: Russia raises price for NASA astronauts on Russian rockets
The $424 million deal between NASA and the Russian Space Agency represents flights to and from the International Space Station aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft, as well as training, for six astronauts in 2016 and the first half of 2017.
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Is Obama's second term sunk? 'Maybe I should just pack up and go home.'
On the 100th day of his second term, President Obama laughed at the suggestion he may have run out of 'juice' for his agenda and expressed optimism on immigration reform.
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