POLITICO: The House on Wednesday with little fanfare passed legislation that would protect major donors like the Koch brothers and Tom Steyer from having to pay gift taxes on huge donations to secret money political groups. The legislation, which now heads to the Senate, is seen by fundraising operatives as removing one of the few […]
No modern-day president has left his potential successor a less scandal-plagued legacy
SLATE COLUMN: … President Obama isn’t a stranger to mishaps, mistakes, and improprieties. His attorney general, Eric Holder, faced contempt of Congress over a failed “gunwalking” operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; his State Department was raked over coals for the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya; his Internal […]
E-cig use soared, cigarette use fell among U.S. youth in 2014
DAILY BEAST / REUTERS: Electronic cigarette use among U.S. middle and high school students tripled in 2014 while cigarette use fell to record lows, according to provocative new data that is likely to intensify debate over whether e-cigarettes are a boon or bane to public health. Among high school students, e-cigarette use jumped to 13.4 […]
Deal reached to fast-track Trans-Pacific Partnership
ALJAZEERA: Top congressional Republicans and Democrats on Thursday said they’ve reached a deal to allow President Barack Obama to negotiate trade agreements subject to an up-or-down vote from Congress. The “fast-track” legislation comes as Obama seeks a sweeping trade agreement with 11 Pacific nations. It would renew presidential authority to present trade agreements that Congress […]
Repealing estate tax would reward 0.2%
USATODAY EDITORIAL:… Of the nearly 3 million Americans who die every year, only about two-tenths of 1% have enough assets to qualify. It’s a rather exclusive group… Despite all the rhetoric about the “death tax,” dead people don’t pay taxes. They are dead. Repealing the tax would be a huge windfall for their heirs. The […]
PA judge oversteps bounds in Kane executive branch patronage case
To understand what’s going on now in the Kane case, we have know to something about the rich and fascinating history of political patronage, and its long relationship to the courts, and law. It’s a story that stretches back to the founding of our country.
At Marathon in North Korea, Curiosity Goes a Long Way
NEW YORK TIMES: PYONGYANG, North Korea: … For the second year, foreign amateur runners were allowed to participate in a 10K race, a half-marathon or a full marathon in Pyongyang, the capital. The races were a part of the April 15 birthday celebration of Kim Il-sung, the former leader of North Korea and father of […]
Obama’s proposal for more trade with Asia may not go over so well in his own party
WASHINGTON POST: …[President] Obama’s embrace of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) faces fierce opposition from some of his closest political allies and the organizational heart of the Democratic coalition: labor unions, environmental groups and the progressive wing of Congress. His critics on the left contend the pact would help American corporations in state-controlled foreign markets but […]
EU suspends payment of USD 2.6 billion of development funds to Hungary
APRIL 15, 2015 BY BENJAMIN NOVAK BUDAPEST BEACON: The European Union is suspending EU transfers to Hungary which are connected to the economic development operative programs. The projects at the source of the program have already been completed and their contractors have been paid. The suspension of funds affects roughly HUF 700 billion (USD 2.6 […]
LNP editorial gets Manheim Township takeover of Overlook food service almost right
mayor — who told LNP last week that the complicated restaurant business is a potential drain on tax dollars, and a distraction for local government.”
Obama Yields, Allowing Congress Say on Iran Nuclear Deal
NEW YORK TIMES: The White House relented on Tuesday and said President Obama would sign a compromise bill giving Congress a voice on the proposed nuclear accord with Iran as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in rare unanimous agreement, moved the legislation to the full Senate for a vote. An unusual alliance of Republican opponents […]
Bloomberg Poll: Voters Split Along Party Lines on Support for Israel
NEWSMAX: …Republicans by a ratio of more than 2-to-1 say the U.S. should support Israel even when its stances diverge with American interests, a new Bloomberg Politics poll finds. Democrats, by roughly the same ratio, say the opposite is true and that the U.S. must pursue its own interests over Israel’s. Further illustrating how sharply […]
Obama removes Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism
WASHINGTON POST: The long-awaited action, which was announced by the White House in a message to Congress on Tuesday, follows a pledge made by Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro last December to move toward normalized relations. Congress has 45 days to consider Cuba’s removal from the list before it takes effect, but it cannot […]
Obama Blinks on Iran Nuke Vote
DAILY BEAST: …The White House just did a 180 on a controversial bill to let Congress vote on the Iran nuclear deal. It’s a big win for the deal’s critics… Faced with the prospect of a backlash from members of Obama’s own party on his signature foreign policy initiative, the White House on Monday said […]