Topic: Richard Nixon

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Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes

Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.

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Did the Associated Press blow an Al Qaeda informant's cover?

Some officials say the Associated Press scoop on a thwarted terrorist plot by an Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen harmed the effort to neutralize a master bomb-builder. Does that excuse the Obama administration's aggressive crackdown on national security leaks?
'Obamagate' danger for the GOP: political overreach

Republicans are jumping all over what they see as major scandals in the Obama administration, including Benghazi, the IRS, and checking journalists’ phone records. But some in the GOP are warning against the perception of overreach for partisan purposes.
Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes

Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
Decoder Wire Bob Woodward compares Benghazi with Watergate. Is he right? (+video)

The similarities: line-by-line edits of what to tell the public, says Bob Woodward, the media's authority on all things Watergate. Regarding the White House Benghazi edits, they show pressure 'in the system not to tell the truth' about what happened, he said Friday.
Energy Voices How will the US capitalize on its oil boom?

Oil production is surging in the US, sending supply shockwaves through world markets. The US could become the world leader in more ways than one, Graeber writes, but only if it opens its oil spigot.
Briefing IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal

The Internal Revenue Service is under the microscope now, as revelations have emerged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
USA Update Barbara Walters announces retirement: How she changed TV news (+video)

Barbara Walters was America's TV's first evening news anchor, but in addition to that, she set a standard for television journalism though her tireless work ethic.
Decoder Wire IRS tea party scandal: How bad for Obama? (+video)

President Obama himself has slammed the reported IRS actions regarding tea party and other conservative groups. But inevitably, Republicans will attempt to link the White House to this activity.
Has Benghazi become the Obama administration’s Watergate? (+video)

New reports show that the State Department 'extensively edited' talking points about the terrorist attack on the US diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya. Most Americans disapprove of the way President Obama has handled it, presenting the administration with a major political problem.
Decoder Wire Earth Day 2013: What's in danger is Earth Day, not just Earth

Earth Day 2013 poll finds Americans far less eco-conscious than they were in 1971, a year after Earth Day was founded. Only 39 percent now say it's 'very important' to restore the environment.
Top Picks: A look back at Watergate, an examination of Wonder Woman, and more

The Smithsonian Channel examines the hunt for the remains of Richard III, the band Minneapolis's Low releases a moody new album, and more.
Decoder Wire Did Rand Paul fear-monger in filibuster? (+video)

The emphasis by Sen. Rand Paul on cafe drone strikes on US soil came across to some critics as a lost opportunity to talk about other actual dangers in the expanding use of unmanned aircraft to target terror suspects.
Decoder Wire Has the left turned on Bob Woodward? (+video)

After going head-to-head with the White House over the origins of the 'sequester,' Bob Woodward is receiving flak from Democrats while the conservatives count him as their 'new hero.'
Decoder Wire Bob Woodward vs. the White House: Who's right in 'sequester' smackdown? (+video)

The White House is taking public issue with veteran journalist Bob Woodward over his words about about the origin and nature of the 'sequester.' Both sides have points, but there are at least three reasons Team Obama might regret this match.
The Monitor's View In Syria, US mission creep with moral creep

President Obama is leaning toward providing nonlethal military equipment to certain rebels in Syria. Doing so runs moral risks. But doing nothing to stop the violence is also a moral risk. Can the US walk this fine line?
Just as Nixon went to China, should Obama go to Iran?

World powers, and the US in particular, need a game-changer to move Iran to a cooperative stance concerning its nuclear program, a few analysts argue. Such an Obama overture to Iran is a provocative idea, they say, but the alternative may be military confrontation.
Why are Bob Woodward and the White House arguing over the sequester?

The blame-game over who’s responsible for the 'sequester' and its automatic spending cuts finds journalistic icon Bob Woodward, engaged in a dispute with the White House.
Presidents' Day 2013: Actually, there’s no such thing

We don't care what that newspaper ad says, there's no official 'Presidents' Day' holiday. By law, it's 'George Washington’s Birthday' honoring the Father of Our Country, and only him.
17 stories from 'Undefeated: Inside the 1972 Miami Dolphins’ Perfect Season’

Writer Mike Freeman explores the undefeated season of the Florida team in his book.
Presidential libraries: from Boston to Honolulu ... or maybe Chicago

Presidential libraries can be found coast to coast, and may even go beyond that once a site is selected for President Obama's future repository of documents and artifacts. To quickly hopscotch around to the 13 official presidential libraries and museums overseen by the National Archives, plus that of Abraham Lincoln, check out this library list.
Inauguration Day Bibles: how presidents choose, and what that reveals (+ video)

President Obama will have two highly symbolic Bibles at his Inauguration Day swearing-in ceremony: one used by Abraham Lincoln and another from the family of Martin Luther King Jr.
Inauguration 2013: 10 highlights from previous second-term addresses

Barack Obama will be the 17th American president to deliver two inaugural addresses. Here are 10 highlights from such speeches by previous two-term presidents, including the shortest one ever.
Obama, Hillary Clinton top Gallup's most admired: Who else is on the list?

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both extended their winning streaks as the man and woman most admired by Americans. The women's list is more diverse than the men's.
Opinion Beyond the 'fiscal cliff': 6 reasons to be optimistic about America's future

As Americans take stock of 2012 and gear up for 2013, it's tempting to adopt "decline think" about the country, especially since there is still no deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of steep budget cuts and tax increases. But here are six reasons Americans should still be optimistic about their future.
Hawaii's Inouye was current longest-serving senator, war hero

As a senator, Inouye became one of the most influential politicians in the country, playing key roles in congressional investigations of the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals.