Senate advances fast-track trade bill for Obama
The Senate on Tuesday voted to advance President Obama’s trade agenda, approving a measure to end debate on fast-track authority.
US News
US is at the ‘Highest Threat Level We Have Ever Faced in This Country’
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee warns that America is dealing with ‘the highest threat level we have ever faced in this country.’
Officials: Chinese Had Access to U.S. Security Clearance Data for One Year
The recently disclosed breach of the Office of Personnel Management’s security-clearance computer system took place a year ago, giving Chinese government intruders access to sensitive data for a year, according to new information.
House OKs Obama trade agenda on 2nd try, bill heads to Senate
The House on Thursday approved a key plank of President Obama’s trade agenda after the push nearly imploded amid Democratic resistance last week, sending the bill to the Senate where it still faces an uncertain fate.
Obama sends ‘warmest’ Ramadan greetings to Muslims
U.S. President Barack Obama offered in a Wednesday message his “warmest greetings” to Muslims celebrating the beginning of Ramadan, saying that the Islamic fasting month was the time to “reinforce faith, compassion and forgiveness, and perseverance through adversity.”
Army Shipped Live Anthrax for 10 Years, Couldn’t Effectively Kill Bacteria
The U.S. Army research facility that has mistakenly shipped live anthrax to unsuspecting labs in the U.S. and abroad for more than 10 years failed to have effective and standardized procedures for killing the deadly bacteria with radiation, according to a federal investigation report.
Fed holds off on interest rate hike, downgrades economic forecast
Federal Reserve policymakers on Wednesday kept the central bank’s benchmark short-term interest rate near zero, opting against the first increase since 2006 after determining the economy still isn’t strong enough to handle it.
Government debt threatens to send U.S. economy into death spiral, CBO warns
Rising federal debt threatens to choke economic growth within a decade, beginning a death spiral that will sap revenue from government programs even as demands grow, forcing the government to borrow even more, Congress’ budget watchdog said in a frightening report Tuesday.
Boehner, House Republicans Working to Resurrect Trade Bill
House Republicans are working to revive the trade bill squashed last week by Democrats led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Obama Fights for Asia Trade Deal As Legacy Hangs in the Balance
The next 48 hours could determine whether Barack Obama’s presidency effectively has ended.
House wants answers on Obama’s ISIS strategy
House lawmakers, concerned that President Obama’s tweaks to his strategy against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria won’t reverse the extremist group’s recent gains, are putting pressure on the administration to do more.
Obama’s Trade Deal Barely Passes in Razor-Thin House Vote
The House on Thursday just barely advance legislation that would provide President Obama with “fast track” trade negotiating powers, overcoming the opposition of almost every Democrat and a significant block of conservative Republicans.
GOP aiming for Friday Trade Vote
House leaders, confident but not yet certain they have the support to pass sweeping trade legislation, are aiming to bring the package to a floor vote by the end of this week – even as they rush to resolve a last-minute hangup over how to pay for aid to displaced workers.
U.S. tech industry appeals to Obama to keep hands off encryption
As Washington weighs new cybersecurity steps amid a public backlash over mass surveillance, U.S. tech companies warned President Barack Obama not to weaken increasingly sophisticated encryption systems designed to protect consumers’ privacy.
Obama blasts Supreme Court for accepting challenge to health care law
President Obama assaulted the nation’s top court and seemed to criticize the U.S. legal system as a whole Monday, with the former constitutional law professor declaring that the Supreme Court was wrong to even accept a challenge to his signature health care reform law and deriding the fact that an “individual district court judge” was able to derail his deportation amnesty.
Abortions declining in nearly all states, survey finds
Abortions have declined in states where new laws make it harder to have them – but they’ve also waned in states where abortion rights are protected, an Associated Press survey finds. Nearly everywhere, in red states and blue, abortions are down since 2010.
Obama Orders Faith-Based Organizations to Hire ‘Gays’
President Barack Obama is pushing a change in policy that will force faith-based charities to hire members of the LGBT community – despite their religious objections – if they want to remain eligible for federal funding.
Liberals Trends Up While Conservatives Drop in 2015, Poll Analysis Finds
There are signs that liberals are making a comeback – and not just because a socialist is running for president, gay marriage is spreading like wildfire and pot legalization is gaining acceptance.
Obama Admin Scrambles to Reassure Congress on Iran Nuke Deal in Classified Brief
The Obama administration is scrambling to reassure members of Congress about an impending nuclear deal with Iran amid a still growing controversy that has publicly pitted senior State Department and White officials against the New York Times and veteran D.C. reporters.
Nearly Four Thousand ‘Threat Level 1’ illegal immigrant criminals released into U.S. by DHS
Most of the illegal immigrant criminals Homeland Security officials released from custody last year were discretionary, meaning the department could have kept them in detention but chose instead to let them onto the streets as their deportation cases moved through the system, according to new numbers from Congress.