Rumors are spreading that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote 5-4 to rule that a U.S. president cannot be prosecuted for anything he does while he is president. Some Democrats are suggesting that Joe Biden bring a gun to his first debate with Donald Trump. If he shoots Trump, he would be immune, but if Trump shoots Biden he would be prosecuted because he is not a sitting president.   read more

During the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Americans have heard from or about the U.S. Coast Guard, the Minerals Management Service, and even President Barack Obama. But the one agency that has not made an appearance—the one whose mission is ...   read more

Known as the “blind shear ram,” this piece of equipment at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico was supposed to prevent the oil well that exploded from spewing out of control millions of gallons of oil. But the blind shear ram, which is meant to cut t...   read more

There’s “made in the USA,” but rarely can pharmaceutical companies claim to have “tested” their medications and therapies in the United States.   Daniel Levinson, inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, has found that ...   read more

Current and former employees of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are grousing over the snail’s-pace confirmation of Michele Leonhart as the permanent head of the DEA. The complaints center on why the Obama administration has not pushed Co...   read more

While it works to improve medical care at some of its hospitals, the Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to cover the cost of emergency treatment provided to veterans at non-VA facilities. As part of newly proposed regulations, the VA also ...   read more

The Department of Defense has created a special task force to “follow the money” in Afghanistan to ensure that billions of taxpayer dollars are not spent unwisely on American or foreign contractors hired to support the U.S. military mission.   C...   read more

Agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) failed to inform its shareholders that senior executives would receive $1.3 billion in compensation for last year—an amount representing 74% of the company’s 2009 net earnings, according to a lawsui...   read more

After struggling for three decades to win recognition, the Shinnecock Indians last week were officially declared a federally-sanctioned tribe by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The legal status means the relatively impoverished tribe of 1,292 member...   read more

Marcia K. McNutt, President Barack Obama’s choice to lead the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), was confirmed by the U.S. Senate October 21, 2009. McNutt is a geological scientist whose oceanography work includes training with Navy SEALS in underwate...   read more

The choice of Mari Del Carmen Aponte as ambassador to El Salvador got the conservative blogosphere all riled up, after word got out about Aponte’s failed nomination during the Clinton administration. Back then, President Bill Clinton put forth her...   read more

What Matthew W. Barzun lacks in terms of diplomatic experience, or knowledge about Sweden, he makes up with having supported President Barack Obama’s election—to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The former CNET executive was one of Ob...   read more

Overseeing the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is Mary Wakefield, a former nurse, congressional staffer and professor regarded as an expert in rural health care, patient safety, Medicare payment policy, workforce issues and pub...   read more

A longtime national security and foreign policy expert, Lee Feinstein’s selection to become the U.S. ambassador to Poland followed his previous service to the Clintons, first as an advisor in the Pentagon and State Department during the 1990s, and...   read more

Instead of buying American to equip Afghanistan’s air force, the U.S. Department of Defense decided to purchase helicopters from Russia. Not surprisingly perhaps, this decision has not gone over well with members of Congress.   So far, the Penta...   read more

Seeking ways to cut wasteful spending, President Barack Obama has ordered the Department of the Treasury, the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration to create a database for federal agencies to use in order to stop...   read more

Two years’ worth of work, amounting to about 500 cases, will have to be reconsidered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court in a split decision that crossed ideological lines. The five-member NLRB tried ...   read more