Governing

Some Lawmakers Want Big-Budget Groups Included In IRS Debate

7:24pm May 16, 2013

by Peter Overby

The Justice Department is investigating the IRS's flagging of grass-roots conservative groups that sought nonprofit status. But some lawmakers want the debate extended to look at the well-financed activities of existing 501(c)(4) groups that spent millions in the 2012 elections.

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The Tricky Business Of Retirement: Hidden 401(K) Fees

2:04pm May 16, 2013

You could end up with a lot less savings at 65 than you ever anticipated because of fees charged by the financial institutions managing your retirement accounts. Robert Hiltonsmith, who researches retirement security, says those fees were disclosed to 401(k) plan participants until only recently.

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Vice President Spiro Agnew (right) and former President Lyndon Johnson view the liftoff of Apollo 11 from the stands at the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969.

In 'Passage,' Caro Mines LBJ's Changing Political Roles

3:39pm May 13, 2013

The fourth volume in Robert Caro's monumental biography of Lyndon Johnson is The Passage of Power; it explores the period between 1958 and 1964 during which Johnson went from powerful Senate majority leader to powerless vice president to — suddenly — president of the United States.

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House Republicans meet with business owners and working mothers in Northern Virginia on Tuesday to promote the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013.

Politics & Government

Cantor's Rebranding Effort Tested By House Republicans

11:43am May 09, 2013

by Tamara Keith

The House majority leader has pushed an agenda aimed at creating "health, happiness and prosperity" for American families. But so far Rep. Eric Cantor has had a mixed record in getting his fellow Republicans to go along with the effort.

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Nearly Three Years After Dodd-Frank, Reforms Happen Slowly

3:06pm May 08, 2013

The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was a sweeping legislative package designed to prevent another financial collapse. Journalist Gary Rivlin says passing the bill was just a first step in a long road to real reform, and the financial system is as vulnerable to disaster it was in 2008.

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ATF agents search last week for evidence at the site of the fire and explosion in West, Texas.

ATF Allies Say Agency Handicapped By Lack Of Director

3:27pm May 06, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

While the ATF is a fraction of the size of its sister agency, the FBI, it runs the show when it comes to tracing weapons at crime scenes and investigating bombs and arson. But the agency has been without a permanent director for almost seven years.

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Roger Bottomley of Fairfax, Va., has been homeless for 10 years. He expected to get a housing voucher, but then his appointment with the local housing authority was canceled because of sequestration. He keeps his belongings in a locker at a homeless day c

Sequester Puts Some Needing Housing Aid 'Back To Square One'

8:01pm April 30, 2013

by Pam Fessler

Housing authorities across the country have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with across-the-board spending cuts. Many newly issued vouchers have been rescinded, leaving some people homeless or doubled up with family and friends.

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at a news conference at City Hall on April 25. The billionaire mayor has been spending from his personal fortune to provide a "political counterweight to the NRA," his policy adviser says.

Bloomberg Aims His Money At Gun Control Opponents

3:57pm April 27, 2013

by Ailsa Chang

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems determined to become the formidable adversary the NRA has never had. The billionaire mayor is spending from his personal fortune to help defeat lawmakers who voted against gun control proposals last week. His first target: Democrat Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

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Drivers travel on Interstate 495, the Capital Beltway, near Tysons Corner in Fairfax County, Va., in November, just days before the opening of four new express lanes. Virginia is among 19 states that have approved or are considering legislation to increas

Some States Hike Gas Tax; Va. Tries New Route To Fund Roads

7:19pm April 10, 2013

by Brian Naylor

Revenues from gas taxes often fall short of what's needed for repairs and construction of the nation's roads, so states are starting to take action. Some are considering an increase in the state gas tax while others are getting creative.

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Some Public Defenders Warn: 'We Have Nothing Left To Cut'

7:20am April 10, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Around the country, budget cuts are bringing some federal public defenders to the breaking point. "We can't not pay the rent, and ... everything else is personnel. We can't send a computer to court," says Washington, D.C., public defender A.J. Kramer.

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