Politics

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Senators Have Many Questions For IRS

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:35:00 +0000

The Internal Revenue Service is under fire for improperly singling out some conservative groups for extra scrutiny — putting them through months (or longer) of questions that delayed or derailed the organizations' requests for tax-exempt status.

Well, now the chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee have some questions and requests — actually dozens of them — for the IRS.

As senators Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, say, "targeting applicants for tax-exempt

ABC's Karl Expresses Regret, But Stands By Benghazi Story

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:46:00 +0000

ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl now says he regrets that some key parts of a major story he reported on May 10 were wrong.

The story sent off a political uproar. As we said last week, it made it appear that in a Sept.

Decades Of History Behind IRS Flap

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:21:00 +0000

Host Michel Martin looks into why some non-profits are tax exempt, and how something like the recent IRS flap could happen. She speaks with David Cay Johnston, a columnist for Tax Analysts and reporter Brentin Mock of Colorlines.com.

Supreme Court Takes Case On Prayer At Government Meetings

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 +0000

A challenge to the way a western New York State town board has had prayers read before its public meetings has made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The justices announced Monday morning that they will hear oral arguments in the case of Greece, N.Y. v.

Why Congress Has Reasons Not To Be Bipartsan

Scott Horsley — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:56:00 +0000
Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Now let's look little more deeply at this narrative of scandal. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: When President Obama gets frustrated with the gridlock in Washington, he sometimes looks back wistfully to the decades after World War II.

Is There Really A Second-Term Curse?

Ari Shapiro — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:07:00 +0000
The phrase "second term curse" is so familiar that it's become a cliche of American politics. Whether it's President Richard Nixon's resignation or President Bill Clinton's impeachment, presidents tend to have a tough time during the back half of an eight-year presidency.
Nothing on President Obama's plate comes close to those historical examples.

Political Takeaways: Headaches For The White House

Mara Liasson — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000
Transcript
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. President Obama will give a speech this week outlining his plans to make his counterterrorism policies more transparent. The address comes after a week that the Obama White House spent on the defensive trying to contain political fallout from multiple controversies. The IRS has been targeting conservative and Tea Party groups that applied for tax-exempt status, and the Associated Press revealed that the Justice Department had secretly obtained the phone records of its journalists.

Nonconservative Groups Say IRS Scrutinized Them, Too

Brian Naylor — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000
The IRS was in the hot seat Friday, with its outgoing acting commissioner testifying before a House committee. A Senate panel is scheduled for Tuesday. Congress is prodding to find out why the agency singled out conservative groups for special scrutiny.
Attention has focused on the IRS' flagging of these groups starting in 2010.

Tesla Rides High, But Faces Formidable Foe: Car Dealers

Liz Halloran — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:51:00 +0000
Tesla Motors, the American maker of luxury electric cars, has been riding a wave of good publicity.
Its Model S sedan (base priced at $62,400, after federal tax credits) was just named Motor Trend Car of the Year.

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.
Copyright 2013 NPR.

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.