Topic: Center for American Progress

Featured

Jobs report: 3 views on the best way to create jobs in the US

The Labor Department reported Friday that the economy added 171,000 jobs in October, while unemployment rose to 7.9 percent. As the eighth and final installment of our One Minute Debate series for election 2012, three writers give their brief take on the best way to create jobs in the United States.

All Content

Filibuster fight: Senators still wrestling over nominees (+video)

A series of roll call votes are planned for Tuesday morning to confirm seven presidential appointees whom Republicans have so far blocked from receiving yes-or-no votes.
Editor's Blog The making of Americans

The "melting pot" has been glorified, vilified, and dismissed as obsolete. But both census data and the stories of millions of individual immigrants indicate that the not-always-easy process of assimilation is alive and well.
Opinion Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action shows diversity still matters

Today’s 7-1 Supreme Court decision on affirmative action in University of Texas admissions reaffirms the crucial role that diversity plays in a strong America – even while requiring the university to again jump through hoops to prove the validity of its admissions program.
US immigration reform: Why 'E-Verify' screenings, while flawed, will pass

E-Verify screenings of new workers, in use in some states, has the strongest public support of all the basic elements of immigration reform. It's included in the bill the Senate began debating Friday.
The twice and future prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, garners big Pakistan vote

As counting continues in Pakistan's historic elections, Mr. Sharif's party has pulled away from its two main rivals. But the process of building a coalition will take time.
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.
$900,000 per inmate: World's most expensive prison (+video)

$900,000 per inmate makes Guantanamo Bay the world's most expensive prison. That's 13 times the cost of a super max inmate. Is $900,000 per inmate worth it to US taxpayers?
Why immigration reform's simplest question has no easy answer (+video)

How many new foreigners will come to the country if the Senate immigration reform plan passes? One study says it could add more than a million a year, another says it will reduce the inflow.
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.
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.
Lawmakers cancel FAA furloughs, flee Washington – by air

Air travelers breathed a sigh of relief after Congress passed quick legislation allowing the FAA to cancel furloughs for air traffic controllers. But that's just increased partisan sniping over the sequester and its across-the-board budget cuts.
Could chemical weapons in Syria force Obama's hand?

President Obama last August declared that any use or transport of Syria's chemical weapons would constitute a 'red line' for US policy toward the country. Now Israel, Britain, and France say they have evidence that Syria has crossed that line.
Why did West, Texas, build homes and a school next to a 'time bomb'?

The town of West, Texas, and the West Fertilizer Company grew and prospered together. But profit motives, a sense of civic trust and Catch-22 zoning laws failed to recognize the danger brought to light when the plant exploded this week with the force of a small nuclear bomb.
Monitor Breakfast Immigration reform: A GOP point man envisions (circuitous) path to citizenship

GOP Rep. Bob Goodlatte outlines a possible sequence of steps on immigration reform, at the end of which undocumented immigrants could seek US citizenship, standing in line with all others. A compromise both right and left can support?
'Sequester' in US skies: Is an FAA 'calamity' avoidable?

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the 'sequester' will force the FAA to furlough air traffic controllers, creating an air travel nightmare. Some Republicans are calling this a scare tactic.
Simpson-Bowles health-care plan offers $600 billion in cuts, but few specifics

$600 billion in cuts to heath-care spending have been proposed as part of a $2.4 trillion deficit reduction plan Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican Alan Simpson released Tuesday. But heath-care experts doubt that target could be reached without changes to Medicare and Medicaid.
NATO meeting: Chuck Hagel misses his debutant ball

With the nomination of Chuck Hagel in limbo, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta travels to Brussels to warn other NATO defense chiefs about effects from US budget battles.
The Vote White House correspondents' dinner: Conan O'Brien too safe for 'nerd prom'? (+video)

The White House correspondents' dinner is about the hippest thing going, by D.C. standards. The host is always a big deal. So what does Conan O'Brien bring to the table?
Obama's universal preschool proposal: Game-changer or federal overreach?

President Obama said in his State of the Union address that he will push for universal preschool. Advocates say the plan could be transformational, but critics say it's too ambitious.
Energy Voices State of the Union address: What is Obama's 'energy security trust'?

President Obama called for an 'energy security trust' in Tuesday's State of the Union address. What exactly would Obama's 'energy security trust' look like, and is it a good idea?
Cover Story 10 surprises about tomorrow's job market

In sharp contrast to today's tepid job growth, employment will pick up later this decade and feature some unusual twists – from the rise of sales jobs to the dearth of 'green' ones. Here's a guide to help navigate it.
Energy Voices Clean energy: a 'politically popular' solution to climate change

Richard Caperton of the Center for American Progress says Congress needs to catch up with the American public on using clean energy to slow climate change.
Decoder Wire How Democrats might get to 'yes' on gun control

To move their agenda on reducing gun violence forward, congressional Democrats will have to woo, and reassure, gun owners. But that won't preclude some tough political maneuvering.
Gun lobby: Congress doesn't have the muscle to pass gun control (+video)

A month after Sandy Hook shootings, lawmakers are scaling back expectations on what can be achieved in Congress on gun control. But Democrats are urging the White House to use executive powers.
With John Brennan, Obama doubles down on drone strikes (+video)

President Obama wants John Brennan to head the CIA. In the confirmation process, he could face questions from the left and right about his past at the CIA and his vision for the war on terror.