All Monitor Breakfast
US drone strikes: There's 'no wink and nod' from Pakistan, ambassador saysAt a Monitor breakfast Tuesday, Pakistani Ambassador Sherry Rehman rejected perceptions that her government publicly condemns drone strikes while privately cooperating with the US on them.
Behind gun control debate, questions of what's practical, constitutionalWould new gun restrictions actually work? Are they constitutional? These questions frame the deeper debate between gun rights defenders such as NRA's David Keene and gun control advocates like Sen. Charles Schumer.
NRA president: Foes using 'emotion' of Newtown shootings to spur gun controlOpponents of the National Rifle Association 'hope to use emotion' to achieve an 'antifirearm agenda' in the wake of the school shootings last month in Newtown, Conn.,聽NRA President David Keene said Thursday.
The Foster Friess soundtrack: top quips from the GOP megadonorAlways colorful, Foster Friess, who helped finance Republican Rick Santorum's presidential bid, expounded on gay rights, taxing the rich, and the alleged GOP 'war on women' at a Monitor breakfast.
Rep. Sander Levin: 鈥楧ribble by dribble鈥� approach undermines tax reformDragging out negotiations on the debt ceiling could potentially harm the US and global economies, not to mention tax and entitlement reforms, says Rep. Sander Levin (D) of Michigan.
Rep. Sander Levin: Debt ceiling standoff may make tax reform harderMichigan's Rep. Sander Levin, top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, says slow-walking the debt ceiling would also undermine prospects for immigration overhaul and tax reform.
'Economically catastrophic' to delay raising debt ceiling, warns top DemocratDemocratic budget leader Rep. Chris Van Hollen urges that the national debt ceiling be raised as part of the year-end talks to avoid the 'fiscal cliff,' rather than waiting until late winter to address it.
Palestinian envoy: Israeli settlement a red line with 'grave consequences'The Palestine Liberation Organization鈥檚 top diplomat in the United States says that Israel's plans for a settlement in a sensitive area is a ploy to undermine a future Palestinian state.
Would a 'fiscal cliff' deal imperil John Boehner's tenure as House speaker?Resolving the fiscal cliff this year may require Speaker John Boehner to take to the House floor a deal that a majority of Republicans will reject 鈥� a move that could risk his speakership in the next Congress, says the Democrats' Rep. Chris Van Hollen.
Israeli envoy calls divisive settlement plan a politically necessary reprisalSettlement plans east of Jerusalem 鈥� decried by the US and Europeans 鈥� were meant to punish Palestinians and satisfy domestic political pressure in Israel, Ambassador Michael Oren says.
Falling off 'fiscal cliff' is 'insane' but likely, say Simpson and BowlesDebt-fighting duo Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, who led Obama's bipartisan debt-reduction panel, speaking at a Monitor breakfast Wednesday warn partisans in Congress against going over the fiscal cliff in a bid to gain a political advantage.
US plunge off 'fiscal cliff' is likely, say debt gurus Simpson and BowlesFormer chairs of Obama's debt commission, Alan Simpson (R) and Erskine Bowles (D), said at the Monitor breakfast Wednesday they see just a one-third likelihood that the White House and congressional Republicans will reach a deal by year's end to avert the fiscal cliff.
Tax cuts as path to revenue growth? A 'fairy tale,' says Senator Schumer.It is time to debunk the Republican myth that tax cuts will lead to growth in government revenues, says聽Sen. Charles Schumer, vice chairman of the Democratic Conference.
Senator Schumer tweaks Karl Rove: If he were a CEO, 'he would be fired'Sen. Charles Schumer, who has been a key figure in coordinating Democratic campaigns for Senate, said strategist Karl Rove got a 'poor return' for all the money he spent on GOP candidates.
Senator Schumer 'very heartened' by Boehner's 'fiscal cliff' speechSen. Charles Schumer, a key Democratic strategist, saw positive signs in House Speaker John Boehner's comments that he would consider closing tax loopholes to raise new revenue.
Club for Growth president: Mitt's business credentials present challengesChris Chocola, president of the Club for Growth, sympathizes with the challenges Romney faces as a business executive running for office, but doesn't know how he will serve as president.
Club for Growth president: Mitt Romney is 'a mixed bag'Chris Chocola, president of the influential conservative group the Club for Growth, certainly wants Mitt Romney to defeat President Obama. He's just not sure what Romney would do once in office.
Nancy Pelosi: We're not ceding one grain of sand to RepublicansHouse Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says her party can gain the 25 seats it needs to retake the House in November, but that it will be an intense, grass-roots fight.
Nancy Pelosi sticks up for Obama: We are better off than four years agoThe Democratic convention has tread lightly around the question of whether America is better off than it was four years ago. But Nancy Pelosi hit it head on Wednesday.
Speaker John Boehner pledges offensive drive for House seatsSpeaker John Boehner outlines strategy for gaining a bigger House majority for GOP: keep on the offense. And if Obama wins? If required, Boehner says, he can find 'common ground' with him.