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

65 Republicans and 3 Democrats Voted to Bailout Wall Street, But Not the Rest of America   It seems ideologically consistent for a member of the House of Representatives to vote against the $700 billion Wall Street bailout and against the $819 b...   read more

Even at six-figures, some of the members in President Obama’s Cabinet are taking a pay cut when accepting their new jobs. Tuesday, the government released financial reports presenting the assets and salaries of the new appointees, some of whom mad...   read more

Among the many overlooked corners of the U.S. government is the Popcorn Board. Created by a 1996 law and supervised by the Agricultural Marketing Service, the board consists of nine popcorn processors who each process at least 4 million pounds of ...   read more

Former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain has become the most visible symbol for all the Wall Street excesses that the financial crisis has exposed; in the words of Zachary Roth of Talking Points Memo, “not just greed, but callousness, obliviousness and...   read more

Dozens of secret documents supporting the Bush administration's “War on Terror” could see the light of day thanks to President Barack Obama’s pledge to increase transparency. The American Civil Liberties Union asked the Obama administration on Wed...   read more

Tuesday, newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner issued new rules restricting contacts with lobbyists--and then hired one to be his top aide. Mark Patterson, a former lobbyist for Goldman Sachs, will serve as chief of staff to Geithner...   read more

If there is one thing Stuart J. Ishimaru, President Obama’s choice as acting chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is familiar with, it is being in the middle of partisan battles involving federal offices that oversee civil righ...   read more

Created by the reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act in 2006, the National Security Division of the Department of Justice is supposed to coordinate the department’s counterterrorism, counterespionage and intelligence functions. However, it has been e...   read more

Whereas most industries complain about getting taxed too much, Nevada’s brothels are actually asking to pay taxes. The 25 legal brothels in the state currently generate a $50-million-a-year industry that pays significant amounts of tax to the rura...   read more

In the wake of Bill Richardson backing out as Secretary of Commerce, gay activists lobbied Barack Obama to select Fred P. Hochberg as a replacement for the post—in the hope of finally having an openly gay member of a presidential cabinet. Instead,...   read more

According to recent reports, Citigroup, one of the biggest recipients of bailout (TARP) funds, is purchasing a brand new $50 million Dassault Falcon 7X corporate jet for its executives. This news, if true, could put the bank in an awkward position...   read more

Monday was a grim day for the global economy as companies across the employment spectrum announced more then 70,000 job cuts in the U.S. and around the world. These layoffs are coming from even the largest and sturdiest employers, with companies l...   read more

On January 23, 2009, two white people and five black people sat in resolution at a table at the Old Town Bistro in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  But 48 years ago, on January 31, 1961, these people met under very different circumstances.  Elwin Wilso...   read more

Robert Reich highlights the fact that American taxpayers, through the current bailouts, are gaining part ownership of the weakest aspects of the U.S. economy—poorly managed banks, GM and Chrysler, Fannie and Freddie, while the industries with the ...   read more

Writing for Politico, Josh Gerstein takes a closer look at President Obama’s executive orders regarding terror suspects and the use of torture.  A few significant delays and loopholes stand out.  1. Torture: Obama's order on interrogations instru...   read more

Every two years the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issues a report to Congress regarding the federal government’s most “high-risk” areas in terms of fraud, waste, mismanagement and general inefficiency. This year’s list includes 30 issues....   read more