Articles

One thing that’s striking about the presidential race, which, finally, officially begins soon, is how much the race has been shaped by Barack Obama. The course of the contests for both the Republican and Democratic nominations would be inconceivable absent the course of the Obama presidency. This is most apparent in the phenomenon that goes by the name of Donald…

The president opens the door for states to take action restricting guns. In the twilight of his presidency, with his goals of gun control unfulfilled, President Obama has pivoted to the long game. During a teary-eyed press conference yesterday, Obama lamented that federal legislation “won’t happen during my presidency.” But with the stroke of a pen, he laid the groundwork…

Today, upset that Congress has refused, in his words, to do “something, anything” to stop gun violence, President Obama released executive actions that bring the country closer to his oft-stated goal of “universal” background checks that cover the private transfer of firearms. The current law is very clear. Only federally licensed gun dealers are required to conduct background checks, and…

Speaker Paul Ryan has announced that in January the House will take up the reconciliation bill considered earlier this month by the U.S. Senate. The landmark legislation, passed by a vote of 52–47, defunds Planned Parenthood — America’s largest abortion provider — of taxpayer dollars and reroutes the funding to comprehensive health-care centers. The Huffington Post was mystified when the…

Watching the news yesterday, a person could be forgiven for thinking that a small group of Americans had literally lost their minds. Militias are marching through Oregon on behalf of convicted arsonists? A small band of armed men has taken over a federal building? The story practically writes itself. Or does it? Deranged militiamen spoiling for a fight against the…

President Barack Obama was set to make the political argument for tightening gun rules on Tuesday, drawing on the anger and frustration he has felt during his presidency about mass shootings in the United States. In remarks from the White House set for 11:40 a.m. EST, Obama will discuss executive action he is taking to require more gun sellers to…

BURNS, Ore. (AP) — The remote high desert of eastern Oregon became the latest flashpoint for anti-government sentiment as armed protesters occupied a national wildlife refuge to object to a prison sentence for local ranchers for burning federal land. Ammon Bundy – the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a 2014 standoff with the government over…

President Barack Obama is expected to announce new gun control curbs this week, but he will have to decide whether to take bold action that would likely spark a major legal challenge from opponents or a more cautious route that may be less effective, legal experts said. Obama, who has expressed deep frustration about U.S. gun control regulations after a…

What ‘buy one, get one free’ really means with the Clintons Bill Clinton, perhaps the best natural campaigner of his generation, will stump for his wife’s presidential campaign in New Hampshire on Monday. He will inject an energy into her sometimes lackluster campaign, but bringing Bill back comes with a price. Bill Clinton made a famous 1992 campaign promise that…

Ever since the explosion of the Black Lives Matter movement, Americans have been bombarded with assertions that black men face a unique and dangerous threat — not from members of their own community but from the very law enforcement officers who are sworn to “serve and protect” them. Hashtags such as #DrivingWhileBlack and #WalkingWhileBlack have perpetuated a narrative that black…

President Barack Obama announced two years ago he would curtail eavesdropping on friendly heads of state after the world learned the reach of long-secret U.S. surveillance programs. But behind the scenes, the White House decided to keep certain allies under close watch, current and former U.S. officials said. Topping the list was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The U.S., pursuing…