Topic: Washington, DC
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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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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Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal
How the tables have turned: The Internal Revenue Service is the one under the microscope now, as revelations emerged Friday that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
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3 priorities for Pakistan's new government
After 14 years, Nawaz Sharif is back at the helm in Pakistan. The nuclear-armed country faces a welter of problems, from terrorism to tensions with Afghanistan, India, and the United States. To move Pakistan forward, Mr. Sharif must focus on three priorities.
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Briefing
Chechnya: How a remote Russian republic became linked with terrorism
The main suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing are two brothers from Chechnya, a Russian republic that has been the scene of cyclical revolts and brutal crackdowns for the past 200 years.
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4 ways US can boost cyber security
The US needs a proactive cyber foreign policy that goes beyond naming and shaming. Here are four steps the US can take to bolster its diplomatic efforts to address cybersecurity threats.
All Content
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Energy Voices Keystone XL: Hot topic in D.C. Ho-hum in rest of US.
The House of Representatives issued another symbolic vote Wednesday in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline. But after years of debate, a new poll shows half of Americans have never heard of it. Is anyone listening to the Keystone XL pipeline debate?
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Opinion: Is Washington too 'broken' to handle big problems such as immigration reform?
Many Americans worry that Washington cannot handle big problems such as immigration reform and the debt. But the country has been here before, and overcome a supposedly 'broken' political system. Government is divided because 'we the people' are divided on the issues.
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Chapter & Verse Carol Burnett will receive the 2013 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Carol Burnett, best known for her long-running variety show, will be honored this October at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
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Why 'spokesperson' still irks me
Not all gender-specific language is sexist.
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Burmese optimistic after historic White House visit
Burmese are celebrating an end to their long international isolation with the first state visit to the US by a Myanmar president in almost 50 years.
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Tornado season off to a late but deadly start
Tornado season usually starts in mid-April, but this year's first big tornado will go down in the record books not only for its tardiness but for its deadly scale: It reached half a mile wide and killed at least 51, including 20 children.
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Apple 'tax gimmicks': rotten to the core or sensible business? (+video)
Two senators on Tuesday plan to grill Apple CEO Tim Cook about the company's tax practices, which they say cheat the US out of billions of dollars. Apple says it's playing within the rules.
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Is that the Sony PlayStation 4 or a blurry, black brick?
Sony has released a new teaser video for the PlayStation 4. But don't expect a full reveal for another month.
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Myanmar's White House bow: well done, but not mission accomplished
Thein Sein on Monday became the first Burmese president to visit the US since 1968. His meeting with President Obama is part of an opening of Myanmar to US business, but there's much more to do, a human-rights activist says.
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The Unwinding
Is America coming undone? New Yorker writer George Packer describes a slow meltdown.
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Why it's John McCain, maverick, stumping for Gomez in Massachusetts
In the Massachusetts Senate race, underdog Gabriel Gomez enlisted the help Monday of GOP maverick-in-chief John McCain. There's a reason he called on McCain and not, say, Newt Gingrich.
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Obama administration targets Fox News reporter in 'chilling' echo of AP probe (+video)
Last week, news broke that the Justice Department obtained records from AP for its investigation into an internal leak. Now, details are emerging about an investigation of a Fox News reporter that some experts say could harm investigative journalism even more.
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Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide.
Officials in Greece, N.Y., set up a system for prayers before town meetings. The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine whether the practice violates the First Amendment's separation of church and state.
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Robert Reich How corporations pressure government into tax breaks and subsidies
Google, Amazon, Starbucks, every other major corporation, and every big Wall Street bank, are sheltering as much of their US profits abroad as they can, Reich writes, while telling Washington that lower corporate taxes are necessary in order to keep the US 'competitive.'
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Opinion: Obama must hold Myanmar's Thein Sein accountable for human rights violations
When President Obama meets with President Thein Sein of Myanmar (Burma) today, he should emphasize Washington’s commitment to Myanmar’s progress, while stressing the importance of preventing discrimination and violence against ethnic minority Muslims and Christians.
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Chinese premier visits India, talks up trade and trust
Premier Li Keqiang arrived this weekend in New Delhi on his first foreign trip. India has become China's biggest market for infrastructure contracts, but the two countries remain wary neighbors.
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Why IRS investigation is already Obama's Watergate – and Benghazi, too (+video)
Since Watergate, every two-term president has had a second-term scandal. First-term mistakes and hyperpartisanship make probes – like those into Benghazi and the IRS – almost inevitable.
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Report reveals inmates suffer high levels of sexual abuse from guards
A new report by the Justice Department found prison inmates in Indianapolis, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Philadelphia suffered a higher-than-average rate of sexual abuse at the hands of guards.
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And the Powerball winner is... someone in Florida
The winning ticket for the record-breaking $590.5 million Powerball was sold in Zephyrhills Florida. The ticket-holder has not yet come forward.
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With Hezbollah's help, Syrian troops push to regain Lebanese border areas
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 30 people, including 16 rebel fighters and one woman, were killed in Qusair in morning fighting, but that the death toll was expected to rise.
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North Korea pops off another projectile into the Pacific
It's not clear if North Korea fired a short-range missile or an artillery round. The isolated regime also launched three missiles on Saturday, causing no damage.
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Will Pinterest ruin your wedding?
As wedding costs rise, gap grows between expectations and budget. Some blame the high aspirations set by image-rich social websites, like Pinterest.
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Pavlof Volcano ash cloud shows Alaska's threat to air travel (+video)
Ash billowing from Pavlof Volcano is not high enough to affect international air travel, but Pavlof is just one of a string of active Alaska volcanoes that sits beneath the flight corridor between the US and Asia.
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Google Glass worries lawmakers, casino operators
New wearable computers are drawing concerns from some about policy and privacy issues. Others say such worries stem primarily from a fear of change. Discussions continue about the appropriate place for such technology in varied social situations.
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Powerball jackpot: Largest in history? (+video)
Officials predict last-minute sales will push the $600 million jackpot in Saturday night's Powerball lottery upward. The question remains whether these sales will push these possible winnings over the largest jackpot in history, $656 million (set by Mega Millions in March 2012).
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