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Thursday, May 23, 2013

It's All Politics

Black Caucus Leader: We Disagree With Presidents, Even Obama

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, says her group fears an immigration overhaul that greatly expands high-tech visas could have an adverse impact on blacks aspiring to such jobs.

Rep. Marcia Fudge, the Congressional Black Caucus chair, said her group is concerned that any immigration overhaul significantly boosting the numbers of high-skilled immigrants will negatively impact African Americans with similar skills.

Summary

The Two-Way

Obama To Limit Drone Strikes, Renew Effort To Close Guantanamo

President Obama speaks about his administration's drone and counterterrorism policies at the National Defense University on Thursday.

The president said the death of Osama bin Laden and most of his top lieutenants, and the fact that there have been no large-scale terrorist attacks on the U.S. homeland, meant that a new policy was in order — one that concentrates on capturing, rather than killing terrorist suspects.

Summary

The Two-Way

Reports: Obama To Limit Drones, Urge Action On Guantanamo

An American flag flying over Camp VI, where detainees are housed at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.

The president is set to deliver Thursday what's being billed as a major address on national security. Officials are telling news outlets that he'll be addressing two controversial topics: The use of drones to kill suspected terrorists; and the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

It's All Politics

Former IRS Head To Senate: It Wasn't My Fault

Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman testifies Tuesday on Capitol Hill, before a Senate Finance Committee hearing.

May 21, 2013 Douglas Shulman, who led the IRS during the years when agency workers targeted tax-exempt applications from conservative groups, did his best to deflect accusations from unhappy senators.

Summary

Friday, May 17, 2013

It's All Politics

Why The IRS Scandal Is Built To Last

Ousted IRS chief Steve Miller (right) and J. Russell George, a Treasury inspector general, take the oath before testifying on before the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday.

May 17, 2013 Of all the current Washington scandals, the one involving the IRS appears to have the most staying power. It rolls into one package an agency many love to hate, partisan suspicions and the American appetite for conspiracies.

Summary

Thursday, May 16, 2013

It's All Politics

A New Front In The War On Obamacare: Twitter

Few things likely please the Obama White House as a political battle fought on social media. Above, President Obama participates in a "Twitter Town Hall" in 2011.

May 16, 2013 Republicans slammed Obamacare with a barrage of three-word tweets. But the White House trolled them in response.

Summary

The Two-Way

Obama Has 'Complete Confidence' In Attorney General Holder

May 16, 2013 The Justice Department searched phone records of AP reporters and editors in search of the source of a leak. Critics call that overreach. The president says the government must sometimes balance national security against press freedom.

Summary

The Two-Way

Obama Names New Acting IRS Commissioner

Rain fell Thursday during part of President Obama's joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip  Erdogan in the Rose Garden of the White House.

May 16, 2013 The president names Daniel Werfel to replace outgoing acting commissioner Steven Miller, who was ousted Wednesday in the wake of a scandal over IRS scrutiny of conservative groups.

Summary

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

It's All Politics

Controversies Risk Starving Obama's Agenda Of Air

The controversies facing his administration could  be creating a stiff headwind for President Obama's second-term agenda.

May 14, 2013 This was the critical moment, the brief time between his inaugural and when the nation's collective focus turns to whom his successor will be, when President Obama had to make real progress on his second-term agenda. Instead, controversies have intruded, eating up precious time.

Summary

Monday, May 13, 2013

It's All Politics

Clinton White House Crisis Manager Dings Obama's Message Team

President Obama listens as British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks during their joint news conference Monday.

May 13, 2013 Lanny J. Davis, a onetime crisis manager in former President Clinton's White House operation, doesn't give President Obama's communications team high marks.

Summary

The Two-Way

Obama On IRS Actions: 'Outrageous' If True

President Obama and British Prime Minister David  Cameron in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday.

May 13, 2013 "This is pretty straight forward," Obama said Monday. "If in fact IRS personnel engaged in the kind of practices that have been reported .... and were intentionally targeting conservative groups, then that's outrageous and there's no place for it."

Summary

Friday, May 10, 2013

It's All Politics

IRS's Tea Party Scrutiny Adds To Conservatives' Case Against Obama

An Internal Revenue Service official apologized for workers who targeted certain conservative groups. But that did little to defuse the situation.

May 10, 2013 The targeting by IRS workers in Cincinnati of the filings of conservative groups for added scrutiny was an innocent mistake, said an agency official who apologized. But President Obama's critics see more nefarious motives in the action.

Summary

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

The Two-Way

U.S. Said To Be Leaning Toward Arming Syrian Rebels

Opposition fighters from the Free Syrian Army last month in Aleppo, Syria.

May 1, 2013 Administration officials tell NPR and other news outlets that the arms could include shoulder-fired missiles. The news comes as the U.S. considers how to respond to reports that the Assad regime may have used chemical weapons against its own people.

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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

It's All Politics

Logic Behind Obama News Conference Hard To Fathom

President Obama answers questions during his news conference at the White House on Tuesday.

April 30, 2013 What stood out were the moments he seemed at a loss with the frustrations of dealing with Congress. But no matter how frustrating a president finds this dilemma, it does not advance his cause to wear his frustration in public. Yes, he must acknowledge the difficulties he faces, but he also needs to transcend them.

Summary

The Two-Way

Obama: Rumors Of My Demise Are Exaggerated

President Obama during his news conference Tuesday at the White House.

April 30, 2013 At a White House news conference, the president was asked about Syria, the Boston Marathon bombings, new gun laws, the Guantanamo Bay detention center and other subjects. He made the case that despite some setbacks, he'll still get some important things done in his second term.

Summary

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