Topic: Jay Carney

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Debt-ceiling showdown: 4 reasons it's not a replay of 2011

In 2011, Congress and President Obama went to the brink of government default when congressional Republicans balked at raising the nation's debt ceiling. The spring of 2013 appears to have another debt ceiling fight in store. Here are the top four things that have changed.

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Olympics boycott? Speaker Boehner rejects Sen. Graham's Sochi-for-Snowden proposal

Olympics boycott: Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is reacting to the possibility that Russia gives temporary asylum to Edward Snowden. Speaker of the House John Boehner rejects the Olympics boycott idea.
Edward Snowden: Is it illegal for US to block his asylum claim?

NSA leaker Edward Snowden has made it clear that he believes he is being pursued for political offenses. But the US government considers him a common lawbreaker and not a human rights case.
Edward Snowden gives countries a chance to thumb nose at US

The US has long emphasized the importance it gives to the human rights of the citizens of the nations it is dealing with. Now, countries aiding Edward Snowden as he tries to evade US justice can turn the tables on the US.
Did Bill Clinton goad Obama into stepping up in Syria?

Former President Clinton told a private forum this week that President Obama would look like 'a total fool' if he followed public opinion too closely on Syria. Now the US is sending small arms to the rebels.
Whitey Bulger trial opens with startling statement from defense (+video)

The trial of James 'Whitey' Bulger began Wednesday, with the defense admitting Mr. Bulger was a criminal, but saying he was not guilty of two key murders and did not act as an informant.
Decoder Wire Edward Snowden: Who is he, and what kind of life is he leaving behind?

Edward Snowden, who leaked the information on the NSA's monitoring program, was a well-paid analyst for a consulting firm with a girlfriend and a home in 'paradise' (Oahu). All gone now.
Edward Snowden leaks: why Obama has a political cushion (+video)

Edward Snowden and his decision to speak out as the leaker of classified national security documents have deflected attention from President Obama. The political odd couples defending and opposing the programs also insulate the president.
Syrian rebels feel the blow of regime's Qusair capture

The Syrian regime could not have taken control of Qusair without help from Iranian-back Hezbollah, said a White House spokesman on Wednesday. Following the fighting, the U.S. urged Syria to allow international groups to evacuate the wounded.
USA Update Obama email flap: White House defends top officials' use of 'secret' accounts

Obama email policy came under fire Tuesday after a news report that some top political appointees use 'secret' government accounts in a bid to avoid unwanted messages. That prompted a spirited defense of the practice from White House spokesman Jay Carney.
Obama's 'juice' squeezed by scandals?

The burst of controversy out of the IRS and Justice Department, in addition to lingering GOP pressure over Benghazi, has sidelined attention to President Obama's agenda.
Will government probe of AP phone records cost Eric Holder his job?

Attorney General Eric Holder has alienated Republicans before. But the Justice Department's seizure of AP phone records is generating bipartisan concern.
Officials seize AP's phone logs: What are they looking for?

The Associated Press is now in the news as well as covering it: Justice Department officials secretly obtained two months of telephone records from AP reporters and editors.
IRS apologizes. But has it told all about targeting tea party?

IRS apologizes for targeting tea party groups when they applied for tax-exempt status. But a draft of an inspector general's report suggests officials knew about the targeting as early as 2011.
IRS tea party scandal unlikely to fade as Congress plans investigations

The IRS has apologized for targeting tea party groups. But that hasn’t satisfied critics pushing for congressional investigations, and they're still waiting for President Obama to speak out.
IRS apologizes for targeting tea party. Should heads roll? (+video)

IRS apologizes that its bureaucrats trolled for groups with names that included 'patriot' and 'tea party' before last year’s election in order to take a closer look at their tax status. Tea party groups want workers fired.
The New Economy IRS apologizes for targeting tea party: this week in the economy

The IRS is under fire for the extra scrutiny its workers gave to 'Tea Party' and 'Patriot' groups' applications for tax-exempt status. Plus, the Dow hit a milestone, jobless claims continued to drop, and other news from around the US economy this week.
USA Update IRS apologizes for singling out conservative groups: How did it happen?

The IRS acknowledges it gave additional scrutiny to the tax-exemption applications of conservative groups. Top Republican lawmakers are calling for a White House investigation into the agency.
Team Obama edits to Benghazi talking points: the smoking gun?

The White House refused to concede on Friday that the administration's edits to a set of 'talking points' about deadly attacks on a US compound in Benghazi, Libya, were more than cosmetic. That is debatable.
Global News Blog US balks as Russia prepares to deliver missiles to Syria (+video)

Israel says Russia is preparing to deliver anti-aircraft missiles and launchers to the Assad regime, which the US warns will further destabilize a troubled region.
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.
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.
Republicans pursue probe of Benghazi attacks, name witnesses for hearing

Witnesses at a May 8 hearing 'have critical information' about terrorist attack that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya, last year, says Rep. Darrell Issa. He says others might testify if they can overcome fear of retaliation by superiors.
Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays

Once again, the prospect of missing flights home helped Congress resolve a standoff, this time over sequester cuts that had furloughed air traffic controllers and caused flight delays this week.
USA Update Flight delays coming to an end? House votes next on FAA furloughs.

The Senate voted Thursday to let the FAA repurpose money so it can halt furloughs of 15,000 air traffic controllers and end flight delays, tweaking rules of the 'sequester.' The House votes on the bill Friday.
John McCain: focus on flight delays shows 'upside down' sequester concerns

Sen. John McCain, speaking at a Monitor breakfast Thursday, said it is 'criminal and scandalous' that Congress is ignoring the effect of the 'sequester' on national defense.