WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting with uncommon speed, Congress sent President Barack Obama sweeping, bipartisan legislation late Thursday night to avoid a Jan. 1 spike in income taxes for millions and renew jobless benefits for victims of the worst recession in 80 years. The measure also will cut Social Security taxes for nearly every wage-earner and [...]
The Hill: Senate Democrats have given up on their plan to pass a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill in the face of unified Republican opposition. The bill’s collapse will take with it more than 6,000 earmarks as well as more than $1 billion in funding for implementation of healthcare reform. Democrats will move instead to [...]
Fox News: Hollywood’s adoration for President Obama has never really been all that shocking, but what may be surprising is how famous singers and actors are increasingly saying they aren’t so happy with the commander-in-chief. The latest comes from singer Barbra Streisand, who on Thursday was asked if she’s disappointed in Obama. “At first, maybe [...]
Yahoo: Some ideas for trimming the skyrocketing federal deficit are not just out of the box. They are out of this world. Yahoo! News asked members of the Yahoo! Contributor Network to submit their own ideas for what to do about the deficit, and contributor Mark Whittington decided to shoot for the moon — literally. [...]
Fox News: Barack Obama’s second year as president is ending on a low note in the eyes of American voters, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. The president continues to suffer from upside-down job ratings, and the number who thinks he will be re-elected is down significantly. A slim majority now says the [...]
ABC News: Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown today voiced his support for a stand-alone repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, bringing the bill one vote over the 60-vote threshold that it will need to reach if and when the Senate votes on the measure in the coming weeks. “Sen. Brown accepts the Pentagon’s [...]
FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — An Army doctor who disobeyed orders to deploy to Afghanistan because he questioned President Barack Obama’s eligibility to be commander in chief was sentenced by a jury Thursday to six months in a military prison and dismissal from the Army. The military jury spent nearly five hours deliberating punishment for [...]
Mediaite: For the past few weeks Glenn Beck has joined the chorus of opinion-media personalities discussing the fascinating story of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. In Beck’s inimitable fashion, he cut straight to the part of the story that resonated emotionally with his audience, focusing on revolution and youth, represented by “hactivists” and “Operation Payback.” But [...]
WASHINGTON (AP) — The courts may not get the last word after all on President Barack Obama’s historic health care overhaul. A Virginia federal judge ruled this week that the law’s key requirement for individuals to carry health insurance is unconstitutional. But even if the Supreme Court ultimately agrees, Obama has a readily available Plan [...]
Agencie France Presse: The White House on Thursday said the controversial field of synthetic biology, or manipulating the DNA of organisms to forge new life forms, poses limited risks and should be allowed to proceed. An expert panel convened by President Barack Obama advised vigilance and self-regulation as scientists seeks ways to create new organisms [...]
Washington (AP) – The massive tax cut package that passed the Senate Wednesday has screeched to a halt in the House as representatives squabble over procedural complaints. The House was originally expected to debate and vote on the tax cut package as early as Thursday afternoon, albeit with some potential changes. The plan was to [...]
