Politics

Highly Charged IRS Case Pulls In Political Agendas

Peter Overby — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:23:00 +0000

NPR's Peter Overby reports on the Congressional testimony of IRS officials in response to the scandal over special scrutiny of tea party groups. Underneath all the politics, there's a policy question that hasn't been addressed.

Immigration Bill Chugs Along, But Some See Deal-Breakers

David Welna — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

It's been a long slog already for the bipartisan immigration overhaul proposed by the Senate's Gang of Eight.

The legislation has been the target of more than 300 amendments during days of debate and votes by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But while the bill has largely held its own so far, its prospects for getting through Congress remain uncertain.

In Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy's view, the immigration overhaul is "moving very well."

"It's moving a lot faster than people said it would," says Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.

Sen.

What A Week: White House Rattled By Controversy

Ari Shapiro — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

NPR's Ari Shapiro joins host Scott Simon to talk about the Obama administration's week. The president was buffeted by revelations that the IRS had targeted Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status and that the Justice Department had subpoenaed reporter phone records. On top of that, Republicans continue to allege that the White House engaged in a cover-up of talking points about the attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Why the IRS Scandal Is Built To Last

Frank James — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:31:00 +0000

Of all the controversies swirling around the Obama White House, the Internal Revenue Service scandal seems likeliest to have the longest shelf life.

While the Benghazi affair has long been in the news, it's never really taken off as an issue beyond the Republican base.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration's position that national security considerations justified the Justice Department's gathering of journalists' phone records in a leak investigation may be enough to remove fuel from the outrage.

Obama U: What Graduation Speeches Say About The President

Ari Shapiro — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:56:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzC135ql_wA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPHJnHXEDq8

Outgoing Acting IRS Director Grilled By House Lawmakers

editor — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:20:00 +0000

The House Ways and Means Committee became the first oversight panel in Congress to weigh in on the IRS tax-exempt group controversy on Friday morning.

A Field Guide To Democratic Responses To Scandals

Alan Greenblatt — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:36:00 +0000

President Obama's first term was free from the kind of scandal that consumes every ounce of political oxygen in Washington. Now, in light of a trio of controversies, his supporters find themselves in the uncomfortable and unaccustomed position of having to defend some hard-to-defend events.

Democrats have offered up a range of responses.

After Deadly Chemical Plant Disasters, There's Little Action

Daniel Zwerdling — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:11:00 +0000

You might think that everything would have changed for the chemicals industry on April 16, 1947. That was the day of the Texas City Disaster, the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. A ship loaded with ammonium nitrate — the same chemical that appears to have caused the disaster last month in West, Texas — exploded. The ship sparked a chain reaction of blasts at chemical facilities onshore, creating what a newsreel at the time called "a holocaust that baffles description."

Or you might think everything would have changed on Dec. 3, 1984.

Advice TO GOP: Don't Legislate, Focus On Scandals

Tamara Keith — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:58:00 +0000

Heritage Action, the political activist offshoot of the conservative Heritage Foundation, has some advice for House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor: focus on the scandals plaguing the Obama administration and stay away from legislation that could "highlight major schisms" within the House Republican Conference.

In a letter this week to the leaders, Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham says "outrage over Benghazi" and the IRS targ

Nearly Half The Country Doesn't Know Health Law Exists

editor — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:31:00 +0000

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

I'm Celeste Headlee and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Michel Martin is away. Coming up, we go to Ohio where black business owners are meeting to swap some new ideas. Basketball legend Magic Johnson even got a lead on an investment there. We'll tell you more about that in just a few minutes. But first, House Republicans voted yesterday to repeal President Obama's signature healthcare law - again.

That is the 37th time that they have voted to either repeal or de-fund all or part of that law.

Could The President's Week Get Any Worse?

editor — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:31:00 +0000

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

I'm Celeste Headlee. This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Michel Martin is away and it is time yet again for a visit to the Barbershop. That's where the guys talk about what's in the news, what's on their minds.

And sitting in the chairs for a shape-up this week, writer and culture critic Jimi Izrael. He joins us from Chicago. Here in Washington, civil rights attorney Arsalan Iftikhar. Also in D.C. with me, Corey Dade. He's a contributing editor for The Root. And, in New York City, Kevin Williamson joins us.

It's All Politics, May 16, 2013

editor — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:18:00 +0000

NPR's Ron Elving and National Political Correspondent Mara Liasson, sitting in for Ken Rudin, look back at the week of scandals rocking the Obama administration. The president says he's angry and fires the IRS chief for the agency's targeting of groups with names that include "Tea Party" and "patriot" for extra scrutiny. And Attorney General Eric Holder is back on Capitol Hill, this time testifying on the Justice Department's seizing of phone records of journalists.

Gingrich Cautions GOP About 'Overreach' On Scandals

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:54:00 +0000

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who was front-and-center during the Republican-led impeachment of President Clinton in 1998, is cautioning his GOP colleagues about the risk of appearing to be too eager as they dig into the scandals now dogging the Obama administration.

"I think we overreached in '98 — how's that for a quote you can use?" Gingrich told NPR's Mara Liasson for a story on Friday's broa

Congress Due To Grill Ousted IRS Chief

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:34:00 +0000

(Most recent update: 12:50 p.m.

Cape Cod Community To Vote On Status Of Wind Turbines

Sean Corcoran — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:31:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Next week, voters in Falmouth, Massachusetts decide whether to spend $14 million to tear down two wind turbines - or turbines if you prefer. The Cape Cod town installed these turbines just three years ago in an effort to produce renewable energy and cut costs.

Obama Moves Aggressively Into Damage Control Mode

Mara Liasson — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:14:00 +0000

President Obama is in the middle of a series of scandals. But are they serious enough to undermine his second term? Veterans of past Washington scandals assess the potential for political peril, and what the president can do about it.

AP Case Adds To Obama Team's Tough Record On Leaks

Ari Shapiro — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:03:00 +0000

President Obama had a reputation when he took office as a liberal former constitutional lawyer who had condemned Bush-era national security policies.

But he has proven to be even tougher than President George W. Bush on prosecuting national security leaks.

LA Mayor Candidates Try To Persuade Voters To Pay Attention

Kirk Siegler — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:02:00 +0000

The candidates have spent a record amount of money.

A New Front In The War On Obamacare: Twitter

Frank James — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:48:00 +0000

A simple idea: attack Obamacare tersely.

On the same day House Republicans scheduled their latest symbolic vote to repeal Obamacare, as part of their full-court press against the law they also took to Twitter to say, in three words, why they oppose the legislation.

Speaker John Boehner led the GOP tweet slaps that used the trending hashtag #ObamaCareInThreeWords: "Repeal for jobs" and "Scares small businesses" showed up on his timeline.

Hou

Some Lawmakers Want Big-Budget Groups Included In IRS Debate

Peter Overby — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:01:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2s_q_kfrU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdYjp8-RMwA

Congress: Where Food Reforms Go To Die?

Dan Charles — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:47:00 +0000

Two seemingly common-sense, bipartisan food reforms have gotten mugged on Capitol Hill in recent days. If you're a loyal reader of The Salt, you've heard of them.

First, there's the proposal — backed by an odd-couple alliance of egg producers and animal-welfare activists — to set minimum standards for the housing of egg-laying chickens.

House Republicans Take Another Stab At Repealing Obamacare

Tamara Keith — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:29:00 +0000

The House held a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act — again. This time it was to make freshman Republicans happy by giving them a vote to take home.

Obama Responds To Questions On IRS, Benghazi, AP Phone Logs

Ari Shapiro — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:29:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. Turkey's Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Washington today. After meeting with President Obama, the two leaders took questions from the press in the White House rose garden. As NPR's Ari Shapiro reports, the president took the opportunity to respond to some of the controversies that have been buffeting his administration.

ARI SHAPIRO, BYLINE: This week has provided one lesson after another in the limits of presidential power.

Obama Has 'Complete Confidence' In Attorney Gen. Holder

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:11:00 +0000

The Justice Department's controversial decision to search phone records of Associated Press reporters and editors while investigating the source of a leak has not shaken his trust in Attorney Gen.

The Tricky Business Of Retirement: Hidden 401(K) Fees

editor — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:04:00 +0000

A couple generations ago, when older Americans retired they could rely on pension plans to support them. Then, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, many companies switched their retirement plans over to 401(k) accounts. The security of workers' retirement savings suddenly became subject to the vagaries of the stock market.

What's more, the financial institutions that manage 401(k)s charge a host of hidden fees to plan participants, says Robert Hiltonsmith, a policy analyst at the New York-based think tank Demos.

Obama: 'I Certainly Did Not Know' What The IRS Was Doing

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:27:00 +0000

Update at 5:38 p.m. ET. One More IRS Official To Leave

Another official is out at the embattled agency.

The Associated Press reports that Joseph Grant, commissioner of the IRS' tax exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. The division scrutinized Tea Party groups when the applied for tax-exempt status.

Update at 4:45 p.m. ET.

Obama Acts To Control Controversies

David Greene — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:24:00 +0000
The White House on Wednesday tried to turn the fire hose on two big flare-ups. The administration released 100 pages of emails related to the Benghazi terrorist attacks in Libya, and President Obama announced that the acting IRS commissioner is stepping down.

Sen. Gillibrand Profile

editor — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:24:00 +0000
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is introducing legislation with other lawmakers Thursday that would change how the military handles sexual assault cases. The proposal would let military prosecutors — rather than commanders — decide whether to bring serious military crimes to trial.
It's the latest high-publicity move for a senator who was virtually unknown four years ago when she was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's senate seat.

South Dakota Officials Absent From Historic Meeting With Sioux Tribes

Laura Sullivan — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:24:00 +0000
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And I'm Steve Inskeep.
Federal officials met with South Dakota's nine Sioux tribes yesterday. They were beginning a three-day summit in Rapid City. This meeting has been a year in the making. It's an effort to address long-standing concerns over the high number of Native American children that the state places in non-Native foster homes. Families testified about alleged violations by South Dakota under the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Cloning, Stem Cells Long Mired In Legislative Gridlock

Julie Rovner — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:04:00 +0000
The news that U.S.