All Politics
Gun debate 101: Is the AR-15 as popular as the iPod?The commando-style rifle, used in the Sandy Hook shootings, is now the most popular gun in America. Anticipating new gun-control measures, consumers are depleting stocks and driving up prices.
Monitor BreakfastDeborah Hersman for Transportation secretary? She ducks comment.Deborah Hersman, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, is a top candidate for the cabinet post, reports say. But she wouldn't comment directly at a Monitor breakfast Wednesday.
Ashley Judd mocked in GOP ad. Will it scare her off Kentucky Senate run?Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is not popular in Kentucky, and a poll puts actress Ashley Judd, a Democrat, within range of defeating him in 2014. The ad is a preemptive strike.
Monitor BreakfastNTSB chief: Don't write off Boeing 787's battery just yetDeborah Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, says the investigation is ongoing into the cause of two battery fires on board Boeing 787 Dreamliners, but avoided categorically calling the lithium-ion batteries unsafe.
Is Paul Ryan losing the GOP's 'invisible primary' to Marco Rubio?While Sen. Marco Rubio leads immigration reform efforts, Rep. Paul Ryan has been the face of the GOP's less-popular fiscal battles. Lately, associates have hinted he may run for president after all.
Immigration reform: Amid GOP reservations, signs of flexibilityA hearing Tuesday offers a first look at how the GOP-led House might approach immigration reform, an issue that has vaulted to the top of Washington's agenda. Democrats were fairly pleased with what they saw.
Recession averted, but rising debt still a threat, CBO warnsThe CBO forecast on the economy describes the dilemma lawmakers face. Their successful measures to avoid a recession have left in place an expected dangerous rise in the national debt.
Can drone strikes target US citizens? Critics say rules are vague.Criticism of the leaked Justice Department document 鈥� which allows for drone strikes against top level terrorists who are US citizens 鈥� is piling up from both the right and left, with critics charging that its language is too permissive.- Can drone strikes target US citizens? Critics say rules are vague.Criticism of the leaked Justice Department document 鈥� which allows for drone strikes against top level terrorists who are US citizens 鈥� is piling up from both the right and left, with critics charging that its language is too permissive.
Did 'sequester' backfire? Obama calls for 'smarter solution.'President Obama asks Congress to pass limited spending cuts and tax reforms to avoid the March 1 sequester 鈥� and buy time for a long-term deal on deficit reduction. Republicans aren't impressed.
Monitor BreakfastUS 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.
It's 'common sense' 鈥� or is it? The politics of Obama's new favorite phrase.Politicians from the president to the tea party use the rhetoric of 'common sense' to support their thinking on key issues. But is the phrase really telling us anything at all?
Debt limit: Link any increase to spending cuts? Majority in poll says yes.The results of the Monitor/TIPP poll 鈥� some 75 percent of respondents said the debt limit and spending should be linked 鈥� mesh with other surveys that cite rising concerns about deficits.
Gov. Cuomo's grand plan post-Sandy: give some of New York back to natureNew York Gov. Cuomo is proposing creation of an undeveloped coastal buffer zone by spending $400 million to buy and demolish up to 10,000 homes destroyed by superstorm Sandy.
Karl Rove takes on the tea party. Is a GOP civil war looming?GOP strategist Karl Rove launches a group to back candidates it sees as most electable, reports say. Tea party groups and others are crying foul.
Why is Obama in Minnesota to push gun control?President Obama is promoting a renewed ban on assault weapons and expanded background checks on gun buyers. But Minnesota is simply the first stop as the administration mounts its public-diplomacy campaign.
After his rough Senate hearing, Chuck Hagel gets a boost from backersHis confirmation hearing performance was universally described as 'lackluster' at best 鈥� and far worse by many accounts. But Defense Secretary-nominee Chuck Hagel got some support Sunday, including another Republican backer in the Senate.
Obama skeet shooting: NRA says it's a ploy to confiscate gunsThat photo of President Obama firing a shotgun continues to generate comment and controversy just as he鈥檚 about to leave Washington to promote his ideas about improving gun safety.
'Bump fire' devices turn rifles into machine guns: How is that legal?One legal device turns regular semiautomatic rifles into rapid-fire weapons.聽Guns can't be mechanically customized to spray-fire, but a device that simply aids the shooter's own firing action remains legal.
Politicians and guns: Why it's important that Obama shoots skeetThe White House has released a photo of President Obama firing a shotgun. In the US today, it seems important that politicians聽鈥� especially men聽鈥� know their way around guns. Why is that?
