Topic: Politics

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Barack Obama: How well do you know America's 44th president?

Test your knowledge of the man currently in the Oval Office with this quiz on notable events – both large and small – from the Obama presidency.
Election 101: What's the Republican primary calendar for 2012?
Bestselling books the week of 10/20/11, according to IndieBound*
In Pictures: Gilad Shalit released
Gilad Shalit deal: Which Palestinian prisoners will walk free?

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The 'Occupy' movement will hurt free enterprise

This whole thing represents blowback against all the varieties of “macroeconomic management” – and that includes “stimulus,” “stabilization,” bailouts and everything else.
Libya struggles with transition amid protracted battle for Sirte, Bani Walid

Libya's transitional forces say they have entered Bani Walid and contained pro-Qaddafi fighters in Sirte. Meanwhile, concerns are emerging about a possible insurgency fueled by Qaddafi loyalists.
Rome riots (video): Global 'Day of Rage' peaceful, except in Rome

Rome riots erupted this weekend during a global 'Day of Rage,' a protest denouncing capitalism, inequality and economic crisis. In Rome, protesters torched cars, attacked banks and hurled rocks.
Stocks: European shares slip from highs

Stocks in Europe lose some gains after German finance minister cautions on eurozone solution. Stocks are up 11.6 percent over the past nine days.
Mitt Romney and GOP quest for anyone but him

Mitt Romney has run an impressive presidential campaign by most traditional measures. But he is struggling against the tides of the tea party. Republicans want a revolutionary, not a realist.
Herman Cain joke? Electrified fence on the US-Mexico border

Herman Cain's comments about an electrified barbed-wire fence (and alligators, too) on the US-Mexico border are not new. But they're getting fresh attention.
Letters to the Editor – Weekly Issue of October 17, 2011

Readers write in with context for a Monitor story on Wisconsin teachers retiring en masse, a suggestion for political commentary, and a protest against the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.
Kenya sends troops into Somalia in major policy shift

Kenya's military intervention into neighboring Somalia follows a string of kidnappings on Kenyan soil by Somali pirates and terrorist threats by Al Shabab, an Islamist militant group linked to Al Qaeda.
Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan: What would your sales tax be?

Herman Cain has vaulted into the top tier of GOP presidential candidates with his 9-9-9 tax plan, which would create a new 9 percent federal sales tax. But consumers would have to pay that sales tax on top of existing state and local sales taxes. Here are figures from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation that look at the total sales taxes in every state, adding up the state sales tax, a statewide average of the various local sales-tax rates, and the 9-9-9 federal sales tax.
In Burma: a fake out – or real reform?

Longtime Burma (Myanmar) watchers say recent reforms may amount to a genuine democratic opening for the authoritarian regime, but critics dismiss the moves as a propaganda offensive.
Yemen forces kill protesters on second straight day

Yemen security forces killed at least four protesters Sunday after killing 12 the day before. The demonstrators are becoming increasingly bold in their opposition to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Rick Perry has the money, but Herman Cain has 9-9-9 momentum

The Herman Cain campaign raised $2.8 million in the last quarter, compared with Rick Perry's $17 million and Mitt Romney's $14 million. But Cain's poll numbers are rising with voter interest in his '9-9-9' tax plan.
Tax the rich: Should millionaires really pay more?

The fight over raising levies on the wealthy, a theme of the 'Occupy Wall Street' protests, is about more than money. It's a clash over fundamental American values.
What US manhunt for LRA leaders reveals about Obama's war strategy

Obama is sending 100 Special Operations Forces to central Africa to help track down leaders of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), a brutal guerrilla group. Surgical strikes at enemy leaders are emerging as the preferred US strategy.
Corporate responsibility is a conservative cause

Many conservatives believe corporate responsibility is a liberal idea. But the roots of corporate responsibility stretch back to ancient, biblical truths.
Six things you probably didn't know about Ayn Rand

Nearly 30 years after her passing, Ayn Rand is experiencing a renaissance as the economy sputters and government efforts to spur growth fall short. With over 25 million copies of her books in print, including “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead,” Ms. Rand had a history of engaging groups of dedicated followers on her small government, free market, and individualist philosophy. Now, she's gaining fans among tea party activists and others worried about the spread of government. Here are six things even her fans probably didn’t know about her:
Florida firing squads? What has death penalty supporters all riled up?

Heated rhetoric over the death penalty just got hotter with a proposal, in Florida, that firing squads replace lethal injections. Some see this as a sign that death penalty supporters are insecure.
Government suspends home-care provision of health-care reform law

The CLASS act, a provision in the heath-care reform law designed to help the disabled and elderly cash to receive care at home, could not be both voluntary and budget-neutral, say health officials.
Appeals court curtails Alabama immigration law, for now

A US appeals court temporarily blocked two requirements of the tough Alabama immigration law: one that schools check new students' immigration status and one that immigrants carry special ID.
Herman Cain 9-9-9 sticker shock? 18% sales tax possible in some states.

Under the Herman Cain 9-9-9 tax plan, a new federal sales tax would be added on top of existing state and local sales taxes. That means 9-9-9 could yield large sales taxes in some places.
LRA leader Joseph Kony: Why Obama sent US troops to Uganda to get him

The feared group LRA is responsible for the murder and rape of thousands in Central Africa. Siding with interventionist advisers, Obama sent the US troops to help remove Joseph Kony from the battlefield.
Cities fret over democracy's costs as 'Occupy Wall Street' stretches on

Cities see costs mount as they supply security and other services at Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. What are cities' First Amendment obligations to the protesters?
999 Plan: A 'distributional nightmare'

We’ve got enough income and wealth inequality coming from the pretax distribution—we don’t need to exacerbate it through the tax code.
Cinema Eye's finalists for best 2012 nonfiction film

Eleven films are finalists for the Cinema Eye Honor for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking for 2012, with the films coming from six different countries. What will make the cut when the finalists are narrowed down to five on Oct. 26?
Obama raises $70 million. Is that a lot?

President Obama raised $70 million in this quarter of the year, more than any single GOP candidate, and possibly more than all of GOP candidates combined.