All Politics
Obama budget: 4 things to knowPresident Obama released his budget proposal Tuesday, sending a message about what he would like America to prioritize in the 2015 fiscal year. Here's a summary.
Texas primary opens midterm election season: 3 things to watchThe tea party movement that pushed Sen. Ted Cruz to victory in 2012 is fading in opinion polls: Will it also fade at the ballot box in 2014? And will Hispanic voters turn a red state blue or, at least, purple?
Obama submits budget. Why did he bother?By law, Obama is required to submit a budget. But presidential budgets, which become starting points for political fights, routinely are dead on arrival, and Obama's is deader than most.
Obama budget trims deficit, but US debt still huge by history's yardstickPresident Obama's budget for fiscal year 2015, released Tuesday, contains good news and not-so-good news. Its forecasts call for falling annual budget deficits, but US debt remains historically high for the long term.
Crisis in Ukraine: What role for Congress in shaping US response?With the White House and Congress mostly in accord on Ukraine, lawmakers are working on loan guarantees and other measures to shore up the shaky and nearly bankrupt government in Kiev.
Paul Ryan to propose welfare overhaul. A gift to Democrats?House Budget chairman Paul Ryan (R) has put out a report that blames anti-poverty programs for steering people away from work. In the past, Democrats have been willing to talk some changes, but not now. It's election season.
Michelle Obama to visit China. Do first ladies often travel solo abroad?Michelle Obama, her mother, and Sasha and Malia will travel to China March 19 – without President Obama. Guess who was the first first lady to travel abroad on her own for official visits?
Pro-Israel lobby presses for new US sanctions on Iran, but gingerlyAIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby, wants Congress to put more pressure on Iran, a.k.a. new sanctions, to abandon its nuclear program. But it doesn't want to pick an open fight with Obama, who opposes such sanctions for now.
Crisis in Ukraine: What should US do now?For Washington, the Ukraine question now may be less how to react to Russia's seizure of the Crimean Peninsula as what to do to try to stop further Russian expansionism.
Sarah Palin: 'I told you so on Ukraine'Back in 2008, Sarah Palin predicted that Russia might invade Ukraine, as it had Georgia, if Barack Obama became president. She's gone on Facebook to remind her critics that she was right.
Arizona vote moves gay rights into the mainstreamWhy did Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer veto a 'religious rights' bill? The gay rights movement’s allies now include Chambers of Commerce, major businesses, and Republican lawmakers.
Tax reform: Will election-year noise squelch a serious bid to create jobs?Rep. Dave Camp's proposal on tax reform, seen as irrelevant in election-year Washington, would add 500,000 jobs a year to the US economy, a former CBO director says.
Are Republicans right to call Harry Reid a liar?Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s assertion Wednesday that all the stories about Americans who fared poorly under the Affordable Care Act are false, is wrong on its face.
Gun-control activists, resolute, cite merits of background checksThe 20-year-old Brady law, requiring licensed gun dealers to run background checks of buyers, has blocked 2 million sales – half by felons, a report shows. Activists again urge extending checks to all gun sales, but Congress shows no inclination to revisit the issue.
Fed's Yellen on minimum wage hike: CBO got it right, it would cost jobsObama's proposal to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour would mean fewer jobs, Fed Chair Janet Yellen told lawmakers, adding she 'wouldn't argue' with the CBO's estimate of 500,000.
Republican National Convention finalists: Which city is front-runner?The Republican National Committee has announced finalists for the 2016 GOP national convention, and no fewer than three Ohio cities make the list, along with rivals in the South and West.
Monitor BreakfastUnion defeat at VW plant: NLRB shouldn't muzzle community leaders, Corker saysAt a wide-ranging Monitor Breakfast meeting with reporters, Bob Corker, the ranking senator on the Foreign Relations Committee, also voiced concern over Russia and Ukraine.
Seth Rogen congressional testimony: Is he right to be mad at truant senators?Comedic actor Seth Rogen was on Capitol Hill to talk about challenges confronting families coping with Alzheimer's. He seemed miffed that his senatorial audience didn't show up for his debut.
Was vetoed Arizona bill misrepresented? What constitutional scholars say.Before Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed SB 1062 Wednesday evening, 11 constitutional scholars wrote her to say the legislation had been 'egregiously misrepresented by many of its critics.'
'My Brother’s Keeper': Obama confronts obstacles facing young men of colorPresident Obama has become increasingly direct in addressing the problems of minority youths. Thursday he announces 'My Brother's Keeper,' an initiative that touches him deeply and personally.
