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  • Letter at auction shows Washington’s thoughts about the Constitution
    A very rare private letter from George Washington is on the auction block on Friday, but what is priceless to scholars are the first president’s private thoughts about the Constitution.

  • Murkowski becomes third GOP senator to support same-sex marriage
    Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Wednesday that she now supports allowing same-sex couples to legally marry, becoming the third U.S. senator in her party to change positions on the issue. "Countless Alaskans and Americans want to give themselves to one another and create a home together. I support marriage equality and support the government [...]

  • Obama renews calls for nuclear reductions

    US President Barack Obama waves to spectators before he delivers a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate at Pariser Platz in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday June 19, 2013. At right stands German chancellor Angela Merkel. On the second day of his visit to Germany, Obama met with German President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel before delivering a speech at Brandenburg Gate. Atop of the gate the Quadriga sculpture. ( AP Photo/Michael Kappeler,Pool)BERLIN (AP) — Appealing for a new citizen activism in the free world, President Barack Obama renewed his call Wednesday to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles and to confront climate change, a danger he called "the global threat of our time."




  • The same-sex marriage Senate endorsement tracker
    The cascade of senators announcing or clarifying their support for same-sex marriage in the past two weeks has somewhat obscured the fact that more than half of the Democrats in the Senate backed the policy before it became fashionable. By the time Vice President Joe Biden abruptly announced his own support for the policy on [...]

  • Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are seeking cost-cutting opportunities in the Pentagon's $400 billion program for the next-generation F-35, a fighter jet with a troubled testing record that military leaders say America cannot afford not to build.

  • House panel starts rewrite of No Child Left Behind
    WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans moved forward Wednesday with a rewrite of GOP President George W. Bush's prized No Child Left Behind Act, pushing a bill that would strip Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his successors of power and give more authority to the states.

  • The Case Against Immigration Reform Just Got a Lot Uglier

    The Case Against Immigration Reform Just Got a Lot Uglier"It’s easier to frame opposition using the bloodless language of the budget than the combustible language of national character and composition," The Washington Post's Ezra Klein wrote this mornin, but the Congressional Budget Office has refuted argument by finding that immigration reform would cut almost $1 trillion from the federal deficit over the next 20 years. 




  • Senator: IRS to pay $70M in employee bonuses

    FILE - This March 22, 2013 file photo shows the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. The Internal Revenue Service is about to pay $70 million in employee bonuses despite an Obama administration directive to cancel discretionary bonuses because of automatic spending cuts enacted this year, according to a GOP senator. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service is about to pay $70 million in employee bonuses despite an Obama administration directive to cancel discretionary bonuses because of automatic spending cuts enacted this year, according to a GOP senator.




  • Capitol's Frederick Douglass statue to be unveiled
    WASHINGTON (AP) — The 19th-century orator and writer Frederick Douglass will once again stand tall in the U.S. Capitol.

  • In the Heat of Berlin, Obama Signals He's Finally Ready to Act on Climate Change

    In the Heat of Berlin, Obama Signals He's Finally Ready to Act on Climate ChangeFor those waiting for the president to do something on climate change, Obama has offered two signs that action is imminent. The public sign came during his speech today in Berlin. The more subtle signal came in conversation with groups about to sue him for his inaction.




  • West Wing Wednesday: Top 5 constitutional moments
    Welcome back for Constitution Daily’s West Wing Wednesday, where we walk and talk about everyone’s favorite now-on-Netflix political drama and the top constitutional lessons, mistakes, and moments from the show. Today, we’re wrapping things up with a look at the top 5 constitutional moments from the show.

  • Americans Want More Information on NSA Surveillance — Could They Get It?

    Americans Want More Information on NSA Surveillance — Could They Get It?Poll after poll suggests that Americans support the NSA's surveillance tools. But, as demonstrated in a new poll from the Washington Post and ABC News this morning, we are also aware that there are significant details about the programs which remain unclear — 65 percent of Americans want public hearings on their use. Which raises two questions: Could we actually learn more? And: Who do we trust to give us new information?




  • The view of Obama’s Berlin visit from the street

    German Chancellor Merkel watches as U.S. President Obama waves after giving a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate at Pariser Platz in BerlinEditor's note: Marc Young is a Berlin-based freelance journalist covering President Obama's visit for Yahoo! News. Ever since John F. Kennedy made his legendary “Ich bin ein Berliner” address almost 50 years ago to the day, Berlin has been a place where U.S. presidents come when they have something important to say. In 1963, JFK [...]




  • Berlin Looks a Lot Different to Obama in 2013 Than It Did in 2008

    Berlin Looks a Lot Different to Obama in 2013 Than It Did in 2008Barack Obama returned to Berlin today, almost five years to the day from when he delivered his famous "Victory Column" speech that cemented his reputation as an international rockstar. Unfortunately, his reception this time is likely to be a lot different, despite what he said was being "a little more informal among friends."




  • Senators Scramble to Prevent Doubling of Student-Loan Rates
    As the clock ticks down toward the doubling of some student-loan interest rates, a group of senators has been scrambling to come to an agreement to solve the problem.

  • Top Aide to Obama Outlines Coming Climate Strategy
    The climate-change policy President Obama is expected to roll out next month will focus on energy efficiency, renewable-energy development on public lands, and—most contentious of the three—regulations controlling greenhouse-gas emissions, a top White House aide said Wednesday.

  • Are We Seriously Considering the Threat of an Internet Apocalypse?
    “To start the program, don’t be scared, we’re going to dim the lights,” said Elizabeth Kreft, an aide to Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz.

  • Obama Top Aide Outlines Coming Climate Strategy
    President Obama's climate-change policy he is expected to roll out next month will focus on energy efficiency, renewable-energy development on public lands and—most contentious of the three—regulations controlling greenhouse-gas emissions, a top White House aide said Wednesday.

  • The GOP's Steve King Problem
    Earlier this year, the Republican National Committee released a 100-page report detailing how the GOP needed to retrofit its agenda and soften its tone. But if Republican officials had wanted to save time, they could have issued a shorthand summary that read: Be less like Steve King.

  • The Taliban Peace Movement

    The Taliban Peace MovementSami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau on the Taliban’s peace initiative.