Topic: The Brookings Institution

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Five ways to improve Obama's pre-k plan

President Obama’s Preschool for All plan is well intentioned but includes features that are not justified by research and won’t help it pass in Congress. The plan must make the following five adjustments.
6 ways to avoid the 'fiscal cliff'

Republican congressional leaders and President Obama sharply disagree over how to deal with the impending “fiscal cliff.” But a successful plan shouldn’t be that hard to put in place. Here are six ways Washington can avoid the “fiscal cliff.”
What recovery? Top 10 cities losing jobs

For some regions of the US, talk of an economic recovery is more wishful thinking than reality. Here are the top 10 metropolitan areas that continue to struggle with unemployment, from the Carpet Capital of the World to the home of an Ivy League university.
'The Presidents' Club': 10 stories about relationships between American presidents

From Truman to Obama, 10 stories of friendships and feuds between US presidents.
Afghanistan: 5 areas of concern after the US leaves

The withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan will have profound, direct effects on the country's security, economy, and society. Here are five areas that are likely to see an impact.

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Traditional or charter schools? Actually, they help each other, study says.

A new study suggests that best practices from charter schools can help student achievement at underperforming public schools. The issue is getting the two to cooperate.
Focus Anti-Islam video clip spotlights difference in global free speech limits

If the makers of the film 'Innocence of Muslims' – a clip of which sparked violent protests across the region – were Egyptian, they could be imprisoned.
Focus Middle East protests: Signs of hope, challenge for fledgling democracies

The amplification of extreme voices is one consequence of budding democracies in the Middle East, but citizens insist that those voices remain on the fringe.
Obama, in election mode, tightens his UN diplomacy

President Obama addresses the U.N. General Assembly this week. But with the presidential election approaching, he won't meet with counterparts, leaving that to Secretary of State Clinton.
The Monitor's View: How GOP, Democratic conventions can really educate voters

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama try to compete on 'creating jobs.' But millions of good jobs go begging. Why? Workers need higher education. That's the better issue to debate.
Mitt Romney says he pays 13 percent in taxes. How low is that?

Mitt Romney has tried to fend off criticism about how much he has paid in federal taxes. But his 13 percent tax rate during the past 10 years puts him in peculiar company.
Hillary Clinton floats a Syria no-fly zone. How real an option for US?

In Turkey, Hillary Clinton called a Syria no-fly zone an option for the US. But Obama may be slow to choose it, and the remark may even have been a pointed signal aimed at Russia.
Donald Marron Government employment: growing or shrinking?

Government payrolls have been shrinking steadily over the 40 years, but the last decade or so has seen an uptick.
Tax VOX Mitt Romney's tax plan doesn't add up

Mitt Romney's tax plan may not hike taxes for the middle class, as the Obamam camp claims. Still, the plan is so full of contradictions that Mitt Romney won't be able to do everything he promises.
Economist Mom Mitt Romney's tax plan: close, but not quite

As it stands, Mitt Romney's tax reform proposal is a bad idea. But with a little tweaking, it could work.
Hillary Clinton goes to sub-Saharan Africa: a counterpoise to China's sway?

The Secretary of State was in Senegal Wednesday, kicking off a six-nation trip to sub-Saharan Africa. Hillary Clinton will highlight Africa's economic and political progress – and try to define what Obama means by 'partnership, not patronage.'
Higher taxes for a smoother commute? Metro Atlanta votes today.

Voters in metro Atlanta, where traffic congestion is notorious, go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to tax themselves for a major infrastructure upgrade. Some say city's future is at stake, but tea partyers distrust money will be wisely spent.
How Obama 'beat' Romney to Israel ... with a White House signing ceremony

The Romney and Obama campaigns both say their guy is the better friend of Israel, which may explain the White House signing of a security cooperation act just before Romney visits.
China's leaders hope murder charge will end talk of scandal

Legal proceedings against Bo Xilai's wife could be under way in as few as 10 days. Analysts say Chinese authorities want to move past the scandal that has complicated its political transition.
Dreaded sequester looming, Congress demands White House identify cuts

In a rare, nearly unanimous vote, the House and Senate called on the Obama administration to itemize within 30 days what, exactly, the $109 billion in mandated spending cuts will affect Jan. 1.
Fiscal cliff: Will GOP put taxes on the table to avoid blow to economy?

In a bid to blunt attacks by Democrats, Sen. Pat Toomey reprises his 2011 offer of a GOP tax hike. Republicans, he says, are not determined to protect the wealthy at all costs and tax hikes could be part of a deal.
Tax VOX How to jump off the fiscal cliff into a tax cut

By jumping off the fiscal cliff, Congress can magically turn a tax increase into a tax cut. All it has to do is let existing tax cuts expire.
Opinion: Bring back the American Dream? It’s not that hard.

The problem isn't lack of knowledge on what to do, but partisan arguments that ignore common-sense consensus. America needs an activist government and individual responsibility. It needs immediate job creation, and over the long term, debt reduction and stronger families.
Patty Murray: Democrats will go over 'fiscal cliff' unless GOP relents

No. 4 Senate Democrat says that Republicans must agree to let tax cuts expire for the richest Americans or face a tax hike for all – a move that lifts a page from the GOP playbook.
Decoder Wire Is Obama's tax plan a 'job-killer'?

Conservatives say the tax plan will harm small businesses – the nation's top job creators. But Obama says only about 3 percent of such firms are affected, while others call the tax-hiring link 'simplistic.'
Obama tax proposal: Who makes more than $250k, and are they rich? (+video)

President Obama has proposed extending the Bush-era tax cuts for households making less than $250,000 a year. Here's a look at who would end up paying higher taxes.
Opinion: One benefit from expanded Medicaid: savings from more available contraception

Several state governors say they are unlikely to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act upheld by the Supreme Court. But by opting out, states will lose societal and budgetary benefits of fewer unplanned pregnancies by making publicly funded contraception more available.
Decoder Wire Fiscal zombie apocalypse in Washington? Obama and Congress on taxes. (+video)

Lawmakers and the White House keep putting off tough fiscal and political decisions until after the elections, prompting criticism that this is a 'Zombie Congress.'
Chief Justice Roberts: A more nuanced view after healthcare ruling

Had Roberts gone the other way, the court would have wiped away the entire health care overhaul, which is the outcome embraced by dissenting Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Kennedy.
Mongolia's top election issue: how to spend new riches

Mongolians vote for a new parliament today that will have to decide how the landlocked, still poor country should spend the expected windfall from its mining boom.