Topic: Tom Vilsack

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In Pictures: The White House vegetable garden

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Sherrod firing: emails reveal White House role

The Obama administration has released nearly 2000 pages of documents that document communications between the USDA and the West Wing.
Andrew Breitbart, conservative publisher, was powerful, polarizing force

Andrew Breitbart's website, bigjournalism.com, announced his death in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Hurricane Irene adds to US farm woes. Will it raise food prices?

Irene's wind and rain damaged East Coast tobacco and corn crops, and flooding has hit New York and Vermont dairy farmers. But the biggest impact on US food prices is still from extreme drought in parts of the South and West.
Tornado-stricken South begins damage tally, rebuilding

The recovery from devastating tornadoes across the South accelerated over the weekend as federal and state agencies moved quickly to help the thousands of people left homeless.
The Vote
John Thune isn't running for president. Who will make the first move?

The suspense over Campaign 2012 heightens, as Sen. John Thune (R) of South Dakota says he will spend the next two years focusing on his current job, rather than campaigning for the Big Job.
Why are USDA officials off the hook in case of bias against black farmers?

As President Obama signs a taxpayer-funded settlement in case of bias against black farmers, some Americans ask: Why didn't any heads roll? Ex-USDA employee Shirley Sherrod is one.
Obama to sign bill awarding payments to black farmers: justice or 'fraud'?

President Obama signs a law Wednesday aimed at rectifying USDA actions that undercut black farmers. Some conservatives call it 'modern-day reparations' that reward political friends.
Shirley Sherrod: Does she have a case against Andrew Breitbart?

Shirley Sherrod said Thursday that she 'will definitely sue' Andrew Breitbart over the video that falsely portrayed her as a racist. The lawsuit could be a landmark for the blogosphere.
After the Shirley Sherrod furor, a pivot on racial entitlement?

The US Department of Agriculture, from which Shirley Sherrod was fired for appearing to discriminate, stood at the forefront of institutional racism for decades. The question of whether America has righted historical wrongs against blacks ignites today's heated race debate.
The Vote
Shirley Sherrod: Can she sue Andrew Breitbart?

Shirley Sherrod was ousted from her Department of Agriculture job after a conservative website owned by Andrew Breitbart posted a video purporting to show her making racist statements. She could have a defamation case, but not a very strong one, say legal experts.
Shirley Sherrod debacle: why Obama stumbles on race

The Obama administration hastily forced the resignation of a black Agriculture Department official, Shirley Sherrod, who was accused of racism. Shirley Sherrod was later exonerated. It's the second time in two summers that President Obama has become mired in a matter of race.
Shirley Sherrod says she'd love to talk race with Obama

Shirley Sherrod said Thursday she wants to discuss racial issues with President Obama, who's "not someone who has experienced some of the things I've experienced in life."
Shirley Sherrod, ousted for 'racist' video clip, may not take back job

Shirley Sherrod, who lost her Agricultural Department job after a clip of her admitting to giving unfair racial preference surfaced on a conservative web site, says she isn't sure she'd take back her job.
Shirley Sherrod: casualty of escalating 'tea party'-NAACP race spat?

Shirley Sherrod was forced to resign from her Agriculture Department post for comments in a video posted online that shows she discriminated against a white farmer, conservatives say. The video makes Shirley Sherrod the newest focal point of a race-baiting feud between the left and right.
United States Department of Agriculture worker quits over racism charge

United States Department of Agriculture worker Shirley Sherrod says that the White House has forced her out of a job over a manufactured racial controversy.
Ark. flood death toll rises to 18. Search resumes with difficulties.

The search for dozens of victims of the Ark. floods continues Sunday. Death toll rises to 18 but search conditions remain difficult.
Next on the feds' menu? Overhauling school lunches.

The Obama administration is trying to improve the nutrition of school lunch menus, and it's putting at least $4.5 billion behind it.
Federal government report says dogs are dying in 'puppy mills'

An internal government report says dogs are dying in 'puppy mills' and those that survive are living in horrific conditions, due to lax enforcement of large kennels.
In Pictures: The White House vegetable garden
Michelle Obama expands the White House garden

Last year's White House garden wasn't big enough, Michelle Obama decided. So she expanded it this year. Already, the first lady and schoolchildren have begun planting vegetables in the popular plot.
At White House: 14 senators discuss climate-energy legislation

The White House hosted a meeting Tuesday with 14 key senators, many from coal- and oil-producing states, who oppose curbs on carbon emissions. Obama appears to be making a big push to win Senate passage of revamped climate-energy legislation.
How US is tackling opium trade in Afghanistan poppy heartland

A key plank of the US strategy in Afghanistan is breaking up the opium trade in Helmand Province, as underscored by US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s visit to the region Monday.
White House's new stimulus message: It's helping you

Vice President Joe Biden and five cabinet secretaries on Thursday delivered speeches nationwide about how stimulus money is helping local communities.
From junkyard to community garden

A former San Francisco dumping ground becomes a plentiful four-acre urban farm.
Got milk farmers?

Unless Congress acts to ensure that dairy farmers get a fair price, many of them will go out of business.