Topic: Domestic Policy
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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Briefing
What would happen if Greece exited the eurozone?
Rumors are rife of a Greek exit from the eurozone. While no country has yet dropped the common currency, there are some indications of what will transpire if Greece does.
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Facebook IPO: Six key dates in its debacle
Facebook's first week as a publicly traded company will go down as a terribly botched corporate launch, perhaps one of the worst in recent history for such a highly visible entity. Eight days ago, it was the tech world's most highly anticipated initial public offering in eight years. Now, the social media company faces mounting legal woes and serves as an embarrassing example of how not to run an IPO. Despite rising insider pessimism about its growth prospects, Facebook kept boosting its asking price and the number of shares it would sell. The result: billions of dollars in losses; investigations by two congressional committees, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an industry watchdog, and the state of Massachusetts; at least 13 class-action lawsuits; and thousands of resentful shareholders who days later still were unsure how many Facebook shares they had or at what price. Here are six key dates in Facebook's unfolding IPO disaster.
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From Willie Horton to windsurfing: Five top political attack ads
Political attacks ads: love 'em or hate 'em, but they’re here to stay, and this election year stands to be a watershed moment in their use. Here's a look at what are considered to be some of the most memorable and effective attack ads utilized over the years.
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6 factors that will determine concessions from Iran
Can war with Iran can be avoided? In recent talks with the West in Baghdad, Iran showed some greater flexibility about its nuclear program. But Iran has a history of trickery in the nuclear arena. Whether Tehran will cooperates with Western demands depends on the following six factors.
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Could 'fiscal cliff' push US into recession? Five questions answered.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned in a report Tuesday that if Congress does not deal with a raft of fiscal measures by Dec. 31, the US could enter another recession. So what is this fiscal cliff and what is Congress doing about it?
All Content
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US economy weakens, unemployment rate rises to 8.2 percent (+video)
US employers added just 69,000 jobs in May, the lowest number in a year. The economic slowdown is bad news for President Barack Obama ahead of the November elections.
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Spain capital flight doubles as risk of European bailout rises (+video)
Capital flight from Spain has doubled to a new record and the country has demanded the European Central Bank recapitalize its teetering financial system, warning that the alternative is a broader bailout that could rock the European economy.
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In heartland of legal marijuana movement, doubts linger, poll suggests
A poll of California voters found that a majority do not want legal marijuana – mirroring the result of Proposition 19 in 2010. Advocates had hoped that views were changing.
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Decoder Wire
House rejects ban on sex-selection abortion, but GOP makes its point (+video)
A GOP bill to abolish abortion if sex selection is the reason failed to clear the US House on Thursday. But Republicans were able, for a day, to turn the tables on Democrats in the 'war on women,' saying the bill sought to save baby girls.
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Tax VOX
Tax reform: The cases for going long-term, versus going prudent
As a behind-the-scenes debate begins among reformers over just how to fix the US tax code, some Republicans insist that big, broad-based reform would be easier to accomplish, while others in Congress advocate for a more step-by-step process.
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Decoder Wire
What do women voters want? In a word: jobs.
Swing women voters put the economy and jobs at the top of their list of concerns, a new report shows. Presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney has been closing the gender gap.
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Latin America Monitor
The Brazilian inspiration behind the US immigration DREAM Act
DREAMers know how to survive amid great obstacles, says Brazilian-born Tereza Lee in an interview with a guest blogger. The DREAM Act was reintroduced in Congress last year.
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EU calls for "banking union" to fight debt crisis
The European Commission proposed Wednesday that such a body should oversee banks directly, sidestepping national governments.
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Consumer Energy Report
Oil subsidies: Surprise! Liberals are fans, too.
When asked if the federal government should eliminate subsidies for oil companies, most would respond with a resounding 'yes.' But such a policy would have unwelcome unintended consequences, and not just for billionaire oil tycoons.
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Briefing
What would happen if Greece exited the eurozone?
Rumors are rife of a Greek exit from the eurozone. While no country has yet dropped the common currency, there are some indications of what will transpire if Greece does.
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Focus
Next week's Wisconsin recall: a test drive of themes for Election 2012
Wisconsin recall election between Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Tom Barrett (D) enters its last furious week. It is a proving ground for the themes and players of the national election in November, analysts say.
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Robert Reich
How to avoid austerity but still fix the deficit
As Europe has shown us, austerity is bad for weak economies facing large budget deficits. But it can be avoided by getting growth and jobs back first, and only then tackling budget deficits.
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Despite oil prices, falling euro, Dow closes up slightly
Oil prices fell, the euro sank to a 22-month low, and the yield on the U.S. government's 10-year Treasury note fell near a historic low. But the Dow Jones industrial average edged up 125 points to close at 12580 as investors continue to hope for a Chinese growth spurt.
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Tax VOX
New online tool to help families maximize tax, transfer benefits
State taxes and transfers can be an important, albeit complicated form of assistance for low-income families. A new interactive calculator aims to help guide families through the process, including the options when family income increases.
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Economist Mom
A rift over the GOP's tax pledge?
Over the past generation, the GOP's pledge to introduce no new taxes has become the essential conservative credential. But some Republicans are refusing to sign.
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Tax VOX
How the debt limit delay will affect US fiscal policy
What if hitting the statutory debt limit does not happen until sometime in the first quarter of 2013? That is increasingly likely, say the folks who watch this sort of thing. And it would completely change the politics of the coming train wreck.
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Consumer Energy Report
Energy development in the Arctic: the good and the bad
As Shell makes preparations to send offshore drilling rigs into the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas north of Alaska, it's important to walk through the history of energy exploration in the Arctic.
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Robert Reich
Obama and Cory Booker: Fairness is essential to growth
Fairness isn’t inconsistent with growth; it’s essential to it. The only way the economy can grow and create more jobs is if prosperity is more widely shared.
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Facebook IPO: Six key dates in its debacle
Facebook's first week as a publicly traded company will go down as a terribly botched corporate launch, perhaps one of the worst in recent history for such a highly visible entity. Eight days ago, it was the tech world's most highly anticipated initial public offering in eight years. Now, the social media company faces mounting legal woes and serves as an embarrassing example of how not to run an IPO. Despite rising insider pessimism about its growth prospects, Facebook kept boosting its asking price and the number of shares it would sell. The result: billions of dollars in losses; investigations by two congressional committees, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an industry watchdog, and the state of Massachusetts; at least 13 class-action lawsuits; and thousands of resentful shareholders who days later still were unsure how many Facebook shares they had or at what price. Here are six key dates in Facebook's unfolding IPO disaster.
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President Obama smoked pot in high school. Why is he against legalizing marijuana?
A new biography details Barack Obama's use of marijuana in high school and college, not unusual for a young man at that time. As president, Obama has taken a tougher line on drug use, including marijuana for medical reasons.
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The Circle Bastiat
Herbert Hoover's bad rap
Though Roosevelt gets credit for saving the nation, Hoover was far from a 'do-nothing president.'
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What Congress has planned after Memorial Day
Congress will be racing to complete a number of priorities between Memorial Day and the August recess, all under the shadow of massive fiscal issues looming at year's end.
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Decoder Wire
Obama blames Romney for spreading 'cow pie of distortion.' Is he right? (+video)
Mitt Romney had criticized the Obama administration's accumulation of US debt. Big numbers such as America’s debt may seem solid, but they’re not.
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This Memorial Day, supporting veterans is a matter of national security
This Memorial Day, Americans should realize that supporting veterans with jobs and education isn't just about repaying our debt to them. The care of veterans and their families is also a national security imperative if the US is to maintain an effective all-volunteer force.
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Federal Reserve official: If Congress dawdles, economy will fall 3 percent
Congress must sort out a raft of fiscal issues before Jan. 1, or it will cost the US economy dearly, said New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley.
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