NPR Politics
Obama On IRS Actions: 'Outrageous' If True
"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."
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Is GOP Overtime Bill Family Friendly?
House Republicans just passed a bill they say will help people juggle work and family. Supporters say the bill gives workers more flexibility by letting them trade for time off. But critics, including Senate Democrats, say it's just a ploy to pay workers less money. Host Michel Martin learns more from NPR's Senior Business Editor, Marilyn Geewax.
Is GOP Overtime Bill Family Friendly?
House Republicans just passed a bill they say will help people juggle work and family. Supporters say the bill gives workers more flexibility by letting them trade for time off. But critics, including Senate Democrats, say it's just a ploy to pay workers less money. Host Michel Martin learns more from NPR's Senior Business Editor, Marilyn Geewax.
Should Food Stamps Pay To Indulge A Sweet Tooth?
Millions of Americans rely on food stamps to keep from going hungry. They can also use them to buy sugary drinks. Some groups, including the National Center for Public Policy Research, say that's not right. Host Michel Martin discusses this with the Center's Justin Danhof, and University of Illinois Professor Craig Gundersen.
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Comp Time Or Cold Cash. Which Would You Pick?
Private employers must pay time and a half to workers who put in more than 40 hours a week. But some workers want comp time for extra hours. The House voted to allow workers to save up their comp time, but critics fear that employers would use the measure to abuse overtime rules.
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IRS Targeted Additional Conservative Groups, Probe Shows
Groups that focused on issues such as government spending, taxes and making America "a better place to live" were given extra scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status, according to news reports. That's in addition to the "tea party" and "patriot" groups the IRS has apologized for singling out.
SEC Focus May Lead To 2012 Stock Act Being Amended
The Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an investigation in the hottest sector of Washington's influence industry: political intelligence. It's the business of collecting highly detailed information from Congress and the regulatory agencies, and using it to make money on Wall Street.
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Political Intelligence Firms Expected To Face Changes After SEC Focus
The 2012 Stock Act was supposed to clamp down on Washington's leaks of market-moving legislative and regulatory decisions. The SEC has subpoenaed a lobby firm and a "political intelligence" consultant, putting a new spotlight on a growing industry.
After Leaving Senate, Snowe Is Still 'Fighting For Common Ground'
In a new book, former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe explores how to fix the gridlock in Congress. Earlier this year, the Republican from Maine left the Senate out of frustration with the partisan stalemate. "It has to change, for the country," she says. "People deserve ... better representation."
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After Leaving Senate, Snowe Is Still 'Fighting For Common Ground'
In a new book, former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe explores how to fix the gridlock in Congress. Earlier this year, the Republican from Maine left the Senate out of frustration with the partisan stalemate. "It has to change, for the country," she says. "People deserve ... better representation."
GOP Call For Inquiry Of IRS Targeting Of Tea Party Groups
Republican lawmakers on Sunday called for a full investigation of the Internal Revenue Service after it was revealed Friday that it had singled out Tea Party and other conservative groups for heightened scrutiny in applications for tax-exempt status.
Immigration Overhaul Bill Survives Daylong Revamp
NPR's congressional correspondent David Welna speaks with host Scott Simon about the flurry of last-minute amendments, most from conservative Republicans, to alter the bipartisan immigration legislation.
Sequester Has Air Force Clipping Its Wings
Automatic budget cuts have pushed Air Force bases to slash their flying budgets even though it means grounding pilots and reducing readiness. The cancellations are boosting the arguments of those who want the military excepted from sequestration cuts.
IRS's Tea Party Scrutiny Adds To Conservatives' Case Against Obama
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.
On Military Sexual Assault Issue, A New Era for An Old Committee
Women on the Senate and House Armed Services committees are leveraging their clout in response to the problem of sexual assaults in the military.
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White House Denies Any 'Substantive' Edits To Benghazi Memo
White House press secretary Jay Carney says the only changes to the talking points used by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice were to wording describing the Benghazi mission.
Benghazi Review Leader Offered To Testify On Capitol Hill
The former ambassador who led a review of the Benghazi consulate attack tells NPR he offered to testify at a House hearing but wasn't invited by Republicans.
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Benghazi Investigator Reacts To Criticism Of His Report
Robert Siegel speaks with former top diplomat Thomas Pickering, who led the State Department's investigation into the September 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Pickering's report was criticized by witnesses at this week's congressional oversight hearing about the administration's handling of the attacks.
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Two Years In, A Look At Obama's Syrian Civil War Record
Syria's civil war is becoming the defining foreign policy challenge of President Obama's second term.
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Benghazi Investigator Reacts To Criticism Of His Report
Robert Siegel speaks with former top diplomat Thomas Pickering, who led the State Department's investigation into the September 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Pickering's report was criticized by witnesses at this week's congressional oversight hearing about the administration's handling of the attacks.
