Topic: Carl Levin

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Iran's nuclear program: 4 things you probably didn't know

Do the US and Israel believe that Iran has a nuclear weapons program? Did President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really promise to "wipe Israel off the map"? The answers may surprise you.

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Monitor Breakfast Why Sen. Carl Levin backs military's position on sexual-assault cases

Sen. Carl Levin (D), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, believes military sexual-assault cases should remain under the control of the chain of command. Many in his party disagree. What's his rationale?
Monitor Breakfast Sen. Carl Levin imagines NSA phone-tracking in hands of J. Edgar Hoover

The Michigan Democrat frames in vivid terms the potential for abuse of the NSA phone-surveillance program, invoking the memory of J. Edgar Hoover and his secret FBI files on public officials. But the program has pluses, too, says Sen. Carl Levin.
Pentagon girds for Senate fight over sexual assault bill

A bill to strip commanders of their authority in sexual assault cases has bipartisan support in the Senate. But Pentagon officials say it would make a bad situation worse.
US lifts ban on hedge fund advertising

Hedge funds will be allowed to advertise to the general US public for the first time after the SEC voted Wednesday to lift a decades old ban that prevented the marketing of hedge funds to a wide audience.
Apple 'tax gimmicks': rotten to the core or sensible business? (+video)

Two senators on Tuesday plan to grill Apple CEO Tim Cook about the company's tax practices, which they say cheat the US out of billions of dollars. Apple says it's playing within the rules.
IRS tea party scandal is 'un-American' and a 'travesty,' lawmakers fume

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are vowing to hold people accountable and explore legislative changes to ensure the IRS mends its ways after singling out tea party and other conservative groups.
Backchannels Should use of chemical weapons in Syria be a 'game changer?'

Last month President Obama called chemical weapons use by Syria a 'game changer,' but why do US interests change if chemical weapons are used?
White House all but sure Syria used chemical weapons – but needs to be sure

Since August, President Obama has laid down use or transfer of Syria’s chemicals weapons as a 'red line.' The White House letter puts the US closer to acknowledging such a line has been crossed.
US charges against Boston bombing suspect allow for death penalty (+video)

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Boston Marathon bombing suspect, was charged Monday with using an IED to destroy lives and property, a federal crime that carries a potential death sentence. The affidavit outlines why the FBI believes it has the right man.
Boston Marathon bombing: the blame game begins

Just days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the political maneuvering and blaming have begun. Some lawmakers fault the FBI for not following up on intelligence about one of the alleged bombers. Others want to prosecute the surviving suspect as an enemy combatant.
Suspect arrested in ricin-laced letters case

According to the FBI, a Mississippi man was arrested for sending possibly poisonous letters to President Barack Obama and Senator Roger Wicker. There were other reports of mysterious packages in Senate office buildings and in senators' offices in their home states. Authorities are continuing to investigate the suspicious materials.
Decoder Wire Ricin roils Washington: How dangerous? (+video)

Preliminary tests indicate that letters sent to President Obama and to Sen. Roger Wicker (R) of Mississippi were laced with the potentially deadly poison ricin. They were postmarked Memphis, Tenn.
How Chuck Schumer plays the congressional chessboard

The New York Democrat, though often a fierce partisan, represents a particular breed of dealmaker on Capitol Hill who combines policy understanding with an intuitive knack for legislating.
Monitor Breakfast Tax reform: Why Rep. Dave Camp won't rest until it's done

GOP Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, says he's willing to 'walk down every street' to build consensus in Congress on tax reform.
Woman to head CIA's clandestine service?

For the first time in CIA history, a woman may head the spy agency's clandestine service. But her connection to abusive treatment of terrorist suspects at 'black sites' has brought criticism.
Why Brennan came off better than Hagel in Senate hearing

CIA director-designate John Brennan, in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, was not pressed very hard on the controversial drone strike program.
Rosa Parks honored with new stamp

Rosa Parks would have been 100 years old today. The Postal Service is honoring her with a new stamp, released today.
McCain pounds Chuck Hagel in Senate confirmation hearing

At the confirmation hearing for Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary, Sen. John McCain took a particularly robust line of questioning, asking him about his views on the surge in Iraq.
Chuck Hagel: why Obama is using political capital on Pentagon pick (+video)

President Obama just made it by one 'fiscal cliff,' with more to come. But he has shown he won't shy away from a fight in nominating former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to run the Pentagon.
CIA: ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ not a realistic portrayal of hunt for Osama bin Laden

The CIA says scenes of torture in the new film 'Zero Dark Thirty' are not an accurate portrayal of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. This follows similar criticism from three senior US senators who say the film is 'grossly inaccurate and misleading'.
Defense Secretary front-runner, GOP's Chuck Hagel has strong Obama ties

Hagel emerged last week as the front-runner for the Pentagon's top job, four years after leaving behind a Senate career in which he carved out a reputation as an independent thinker and blunt speaker.
Why union protests won't stop Michigan's new 'right-to-work' law

Some 10,000 protesters are expected to turn out Tuesday. But Michigan is likely to become the 24th "right-to-work" state because Republicans have majorities in the legislature.
HSBC to pay record $1.9 billion to settle money laundering case (+video)

HSBC avoided a damaging legal battle Tuesday by agreeing to pay $1.9 billion to settle a US money laundering probe. The HSBC settlement will be the biggest penalty ever imposed on a bank.
In right-to-work debate where's the evidence? (+video)

Neither supporters nor opponents of right-to-work legislation in Michigan have been able to prove right-to-work laws in other states have a significant impact on the economy.
New Marine squadron of F-35B jets arrives in Arizona (+video)

New Marine squadron: Marine Corps pilots are the first to fly the new F-35B, a next-generation strike fighter jet. The new squadron will replace Cold War-era aircraft such as the F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier. Is the F-35B ready for combat?