NEW YORK TIMES: …During a joint news conference, [Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.] Biden urged Ukraine’s president, Petro O. Poroshenko, to form a new government “in days, not weeks,” and to champion economic reforms, promote further economic integration with the West and root out what Mr. Biden called “the cancer of corruption.” “Even if […]
In a Shift, Obama Extends U.S. Role in Afghan Combat
The decision to change that mission was the result of a lengthy and heated debate that laid bare the tension inside the Obama administration between two often-competing imperatives: the promise Mr. Obama made to end the war in Afghanistan, versus the demands of the Pentagon that American troops be able to successfully fulfill their remaining missions in the country…
Wiley Bridgeman leaves prison after 39 years: “The bitterness is over with; I carried that too long”
CLEVELAND.COM: After 39 years in prison, Bridgeman, 60, went before Common Pleas Judge David Matia and heard the words he could only imagine behind bars: You’re a free man… He left the Justice Center exonerated of a crime he didn’t commit: the slaying of a money-order collector. As he left, he told reporters the words […]
Report undercuts Benghazi attack claims
A Republican-controlled congressional committee said on Friday that Obama administration officials did not deliberately provide misleading information about a 2012 assault on the US consulate in Benghazi and said the CIA responded properly to the attack…
Ex-Senator Jim Webb Explores Presidential Candidacy
NEW YORK TIMES: Former Senator Jim Webb of Virginia has announced a presidential exploratory committee, becoming the first candidate in either party to take such an overt step toward a White House bid.
Capitolwire: PA Turnpike ‘pay-to-play’ case ends with no trial.
While the charges were announced last March by Attorney General Kathleen Kane with the roar of a high-profile press conference, the case is petering out with the whimper of a series of plea deals.
Bill Clinton on Executive Orders: Obama on ‘Firm Legal Footing’
“Every citizen, I believe, has an obligation in some form or another to build up the positive and reduce the negative forces of our interdependence, because one thing we do know — and it’s the reason I’m, I’ve been so upset about the shape of this immigration debate in America — is, in a world where borders look more like nets than walls, we are interdependent, whether we like it or not,” Clinton said.
Fed directs review of its bank supervision
USA TODAY: The Federal Reserve said Thursday it will conduct a review of how it supervises the largest U.S. banks following reports that the New York Fed is too cozy with the institutions it oversees and suppresses dissenting views… In September, ProPublica and “This American Life,” a public radio show, released excerpts of taped conversations […]
Most Heavy Drinkers Are Not Alcoholics
NEW YORK TIMES: Most people who drink to get drunk are not alcoholics, suggesting that more can be done to help heavy drinkers cut back, a new government report concludes… Surprisingly, about 29 percent of the population meets the definition for excessive drinking, but 90 percent of them do not meet the definition of alcoholism. […]
Good news. Hungary’s Viktor Orbán’s friends are doing well!
In light of the prime time tongue lashing state news presenter Balázs Németh gave news portals critical of the government during a live news broadcast last week, we at the Budapest Beacon are pleased to finally bring our readers some truly good news about Hungary.
Some in the G.O.P. Fear That Its Hard-Liners Will Alienate Hispanics
“If Hispanics think that we do not want them here,” the report said, “they will close their ears to our policies.”
Obama to shield 5m from deportation risk
FINANCIAL TIMES: President Barack Obama has unveiled the biggest changes to the US immigration system in decades, removing the threat of deportation hanging over nearly 5m people but intensifying a fierce battle with Republicans over the limits of his power… Mr Obama’s plan to grant temporary legal status to a large chunk of America’s estimated […]
With Tom Corbett’s defeat – is the eight-year cycle dead?: Terry Madonna and Michael L. Young
HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS: Whether you believe the eight-year cycle was fluke or fact, it was influential. Many political types believed in it or plotted strategy based on it. Almost unquestionably it explained why the “out” party often fielded weak or underfunded challengers. Some believe it often became a self-fulfilling prophecy, bringing about what it predicted. But […]
14 Congressmen to NCAA: Release all documents related to Penn State consent decree
“We’re going to help get to the bottom of this,” said Dent, a Republican who represents the 15th congressional district, which include parts of Dauphin and Lebanon counties.