All Politics
GDP report: how the presidential candidates, lawmakers are seizing on itThe GDP figure of 1.5 percent for the second quarter puts President Obama on the defensive, but Democrats are playing up other findings in the report.
Romney's disastrous 'European Vacation'Mitt Romney should be capitalizing on gloomy economic news. But he keeps putting his foot in his mouth.- More worries for the wealthy? Inheritance tax to jump unless Congress actsThe federal inheritance tax rate will jump to 55 percent in 2013 unless Congress acts. 聽Republicans and Democrats disagree on the best plan. 聽But a stalemate will result in higher inheritance taxes than either party wants.
Dreaded sequester looming, Congress demands White House identify cutsIn a rare, nearly unanimous vote, the House and Senate called on the Obama administration to itemize within 30 days what, exactly, the $109 billion in mandated spending cuts will affect Jan. 1.
Disabled Americans: Jobless rate still high 22 years after landmark lawTwenty-two years after passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, there's progress, but employment rates for the disabled remain dismally low. Advocates hope to change that.聽
Gun control: Why Obama played it safe in remarks on violence in citiesIn a speech Wednesday to the National Urban League, President Obama made his first extended remarks on gun violence since the Colorado shooting spree that killed 12. 聽Both the president and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, have played it safe in their comments on gun control.
Mitt Romney stumbles out of the gate on world trip. Will US voters care?Mitt Romney is off to a rocky start on a trip meant to showcase his abilities as a statesman. First was an aide's 'Anglo-Saxon' comment, then the candidate cast doubt on Olympics preparations.
Gun rights: why UN small arms treaty is another land mine for ObamaThe final version of the UN Arms Trade Treaty, aimed at keeping small arms from terrorists and rogue regimes, is due Friday. US gun rights advocates reject assurances the treaty would not infringe on their rights.
Middle-class tax cut extension passes Senate: Policy or politics?Senate Democrats squeak through an extension of middle-class tax cuts. Republicans deride it as damaging to the economy. And a January train wreck for spending cuts and tax increases looms even closer. 聽聽
Civics lesson from Justice O鈥機onnor: Obama鈥檚 health-care remarks 鈥榰nusual鈥�Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, testifying in the Senate about her national online iCivics project, was drawn into the lingering controversy over health care. She called criticism of Justice Roberts 'unfortunate' and Obama's remarks aimed at the court 'unusual.'
Ron Paul's last hurrah: a big, bipartisan vote to 'Audit the Fed'Today's vote marks a high point for Paul, who is retires at the end of the year. His signature bill requires a full audit of the Federal Reserve 鈥� a move that critics, including Fed chair Ben Bernanke, dub 'nightmarish.'
Mitt Romney's overseas trip: where he's going and whyMitt Romney, the man who rescued the Winter Olympics of 2002, is making London the first stop on his tour abroad. From Britain he'll travel to Israel and Poland, with an eye both on policy differences and domestic constituencies.- Mitt Romney's overseas trip: where he's going and whyMitt Romney, the man who rescued the Winter Olympics of 2002, is making London the first stop on his tour abroad. From Britain he'll travel to Israel and Poland, with an eye both on policy differences and domestic constituencies.
Why gun sales spike after mass shootings: It's not what you might thinkAfter the Colorado shooting, gun sales have risen around the country. For some, it's because they want to buy a gun for self-protection. But there's a bigger reason, gun-shop owners say.
Monitor BreakfastSteny Hoyer: Neither party is spoiling for a fight over a government shutdownThe end of the fiscal year is typically a flash point for partisan battles, but not with a 'fiscal cliff' looming after November elections. Even GOP conservatives are accepting higher spending levels, rather than risk a government shutdown.
Obama widens his lead in polls. So why does it feel like he's in trouble?President Obama is defying political gravity 鈥� pulling ahead of Mitt Romney, even as pessimism about the economy grows. The question is, how long can he keep it up?
Constitutional amendment required to undo Citizens United, Senate panel toldNo Republicans on the Senate Judiciary subcommittee attended the hearing, which heard testimony from lawmakers opposed to the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling and constitutional scholars.
CBO: Supreme Court ruling means 3 million fewer with health careCongressional Budget Office finds that the Supreme Court's ruling will cut $84 billion from the cost of health-care reform, as states opt out of new law's call to expand coverage for low-income families.
Fiscal cliff: Will GOP put taxes on the table to avoid blow to economy?In a bid to blunt attacks by Democrats, Sen. Pat Toomey reprises his 2011 offer of a GOP tax hike. Republicans, he says, are not determined to protect the wealthy at all costs and tax hikes could be part of a deal.
Obama going soft on Romney? Don't believe it.A new Obama ad features soothing music and a homey touch. The president himself delivers the message. But half of it is still negative. And a new poll shows that Obama's attacks on Romney are working, so expect more.