Obama gives Joe Biden ‘blessing’ for 2016 bid
Vice President Joe Biden received President Barack Obama’s “blessing” to make a 2016 bid for the White House, according to a senior Democrat.
U.S. Politics
Harry Reid officially comes out for Iran deal
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-N.V., finally lent his support to the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran. Reid is retiring in 2017, and his silence on the matter fueled speculation that he might join his presumed successor, Senator Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in opposition to the deal.
Bush calls for broader government surveillance
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush on Wednesday said he favors broader government surveillance of Americans, calling for private tech firms to cooperate better with federal agencies to ‘make sure that evildoers aren’t in our midst.’
Common Core education standards divide Republican presidential candidates
The Common Core education standards continue to cleave the Republican presidential field, with two of the contenders defending them Wednesday as successful ways to raise students’ achievement, but others who have now abandoned their support, insisting the standards are a symptom of dangerous federal overreach.
FBI believes it can recover data off Clinton’s server
Investigators believe they will be able to recover some of the data that once resided on Hillary Clinton’s private server despite the former secretary of state’s attempts to wipe it clean.
New Clinton email count: 305 documents with potentially classified information
More than 300 of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emails — or 5.1 percent of those processed so far — have been flagged for potential secret information, the State Department reported to a federal court Monday as the political furor continued to grow for the Democratic presidential candidate and her aides, the Washington Times reported.
Donald Trump’s immigration plan calls for border wall funded by illegals’ U.S. wages
GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump proposed a broad crackdown on illegal immigrants Sunday, including tripling the number of deportation officers and building a border wall, as new numbers show illegal crossings on the Southwest border are beginning to swell again.
FBI Picked Up ‘Blank’ Clinton Email Server, Report Says
Hillary Clinton’s private email server was turned over to the FBI on Wednesday after news broke that two of the classified emails found on the servers were “Top Secret.”
Hillary Clinton agrees to provide private e-mail server to FBI
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s attorney has agreed to provide the FBI with the private server that housed her e-mail during her four years as secretary of state, Clinton’s presidential campaign said Tuesday.
Republicans National Debate Stirs High Emotions
Donald Trump spanked the press, the rest of the GOP presidential field, and politicians in general, calling them “stupid” and refusing to commit to supporting the eventual 2016 Republican nominee, kicking off the first prime-time debate of the 2016 nominating contest Thursday by saying he can’t be sure anyone else will be able to match his tough-talking solutions.
John Boehner coup: Rep. Mark Meadows files motion to oust House Speaker
Tea party champion Rep. Mark Meadows filed a motion Tuesday to oust House Speaker John A. Boehner from his leadership post, escalating the feud between a faction of conservative lawmakers and the Republican leadership.
House OKs bill to crack down on ‘sanctuary cities,’ White House threatens veto
The House approved legislation Thursday to punish so-called “sanctuary cities” for failing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, in the first congressional response to a brazen murder earlier this month in San Francisco allegedly committed by an illegal immigrant.
Taxpayers fork over $1.5 billion in Obamacare penalties
Obamacare’s individual mandate generated about $1.5 billion from about 7.5 million people during its first year in existence.
New documents show Justice Dept. linked to IRS scandal
Justice Department officials pushed IRS employees to hand over documents before they gave the records to Congress in 2013 as investigators were attempting to dig into the tax agency’s targeting of conservative nonprofits.
Congress Facing Busy Agenda, Funding Deadline
After July Fourth fireworks and parades, members of Congress return to work Tuesday facing a daunting summer workload and a pending deadline to fund the government or risk a shutdown in the fall.
Census: Record Number of Immigrants Will Account for 82% of U.S. Growth
Legal and illegal immigrants will hit a record high of 51 million in just eight years and eventually account for an astounding 82 percent of all population growth in America, the Washington Examiner reported according to the latest census figures.
U.S. Senate Passes Terrorism Insurance Bill
The Senate on Thursday overwhelming passed a measure to reauthorize the lapsed Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, one day after the House easily cleared the measure to reinstate the federally backed insurance safeguard against terrorism attacks.
Boehner Escapes Defeat, Reelected House Speaker
Rep. John Boehner narrowly survived a tense vote to win a third term as House Speaker, winning the support of 216 of his colleagues.
Obama says Executive Order on Immigration Legally Justified by Congress’ Inaction
President Obama on Sunday said Congress’ failure to approve immigration legislation served as legal justification for his executive order legalizing 4.1 million undocumented immigrants, the Washington Examiner reported.
Republicans wins Senate, controls Congress
Republicans won a Senate majority late Tuesday, ensuring they will be in complete control of Capitol Hill when the new Congress convenes in January.