President Signs Treaty to Reduce Nuclear Weapons
President Obama is in Prague today, where he signed the START Treaty along with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The treaty will reduce the number of nuclear warheads between the two countries by...
View ArticleNew Arizona Immigration Law Concerns Some Local Police
This weekend, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into a law a controversial bill that gives local police the power to check documentation of anyone they suspect to be an illegal immigrant. It has...
View ArticleObama to Nominate Elena Kagan to Supreme Court
Later this morning, President Obama will nominate Solicitor General Elena Kagan to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. The Senate confirmed her appointment to her current position...
View ArticleUnemployed ... and Obsolete?
Later today, President Obama heads to Western New York as a part of his “White House to Main Street” tour.He is scheduled to tour Industrial Support, Inc. and talk with employees from the small...
View ArticleObama Sticks to Plan for Iraq Troop Drawdown Despite Obstacles
The Obama administration says the planned drawdown of 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq is moving forward on schedule. There are currently around 94,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and a September 1 deadline is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Promise: Jonathan Alter on Obama's First Year
Barack Obama decided on the night he won the presidency to make comprehensive health care legislation his first priority. Not all of his aides agreed. "I begged him not to do this," his chief of staff,...
View ArticleMexico Reacts to America's Immigration Policies
Mexican President Felipe Calderon will address a joint session of Congress today, as he continues his visit to the United States. Yesterday he joined President Obama at the White House and spoke out...
View ArticleIs the Gulf Oil Spill Obama's Katrina?
Amid criticisms about slow response times and an unclear chain of command, the question has been asked, "Is This Obama's Katrina?" In a press conference yesterday - his first since the gulf oil leak...
View ArticleSpaceX Company Obama Administrations's Latest Hope for Space Travel
Today, or possibly tomorrow, the Falcon 9 rocket is slated for test launch at Cape Canaveral. When the 18-story rocket fires into orbit - or crashes into the ocean - it will be carrying no cargo, no...
View ArticleThe President's Ever-Growing To Do List
No one can deny that President Obama’s current “to do” list has grown dramatically of late, with each new item seemingly demanding higher precedence than the item before it. With two wars,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Douglas Brinkley on Louisiana's 'State of Distress'
Two disasters, two presidents, one city. Even though the Gulf oil spill hasn't directly hit New Orleans, it's hard not to think of the disaster in the context of the Hurricane that hit the same region...
View ArticlePalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in DC for Talks
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with President Obama today. Talks between the two leaders were originally scheduled to come on the heels of a meeting between Obama and Israeli Prime...
View ArticleIs Obama Cracking Down on Whistle Blowers? The Pentagon Seeks Wikileaks Founder
The Pentagon is searching for Julian Assange, founder of the website Wikileaks, amidst concerns that the site could publish thousands of international cables from the State Department. The cables are...
View ArticleThis Week's Agenda: BP to Eat Crow?
BP and the Gulf oil crisis are expected to be at the forefront of the news once again this week. President Obama will visit Alabama, Mississippi and Florida today and tomorrow, and address the nation...
View ArticleOil Spill Week in Washington DC
This week Washington is all about oil. Along with testimony from BP CEO Tony Hayward before Congress, Americans will be able to watch President Obama's Oval Office address tonight; and the subject?...
View ArticleGulf Coast Reacts to President's Oval Office Address
President Obama delivered his first prime time address from the Oval Office Tuesday evening, nearly 60 days after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank into the Gulf of Mexico, leaving...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gen. McChrystal's Future: Uncertain
Gen. Stanley McChrystal meets with President Obama today, as the fallout from a Rolling Stone article remains front and center in Washington. In his article, journalist Michael Hastings (who was on The...
View ArticleMcChrystal Criticizes Pres: Will Heads Roll?
General Stanley McChrystal is scheduled to meet with President Obama later this morning. The general will answer for comments made by him and his aides in a now infamous Rolling Stoneprofile. This...
View ArticleA Military Perspective On Gen. McChrystal's Gaffes
General Stanley McChrystal is in quite a pickle, after comments from him and his aides insulting Obama administration officials were published in Rolling Stone magazine, by writer Michael hastings, who...
View ArticleMcChrystal Out, Afghanistan Policy Unchanged. But is it Working?
President Obama on Tuesday relieved Gen. Stanley McChrystal of his duties in Afghanistan, less than 48 hours after it was revealed that McChrystal and his aides made disparaging remarks about...
View ArticleBarack Obama: The Movie
There will be lights, cameras and red carpets in the Indonesian capital Jakarta this evening at the the opening of a new film based on President Obama's childhood. The film, "Obama, the Menteng Kid," a...
View ArticlePresident Obama Addresses Immigration Reform
President Barack Obama is scheduled to give a speech on comprehensive immigration reform at the American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C. today. This in the wake of...
View ArticleHow Much Does Job Training Actually Help With Unemployment?
The Senate is set to vote later today on extending unemployment benefits, just 15 minutes after the new Democratic senator from West Virginia is sworn in to replace Robert Byrd. The new senator’s...
View ArticleSenate Votes on DISCLOSE Act
The Senate will vote today on the DISCLOSE Act, a bill already approved by the House, that would require corporations to disclose their spending on federal political campaigns and to reveal their...
View ArticleCivil Rights Groups Turn a Critical Eye on Obama's Education Policies
President Obama is scheduled to speak today on education reform, just days after a team of civil rights groups joined forces to release a policy framework criticizing his education policies. Obama's...
View ArticlePresident's Forum with Young African Leaders Begins Today
This year marks 50 years of independence for 17 sub-Saharan African countries and, partly to honor this milestone, President Obama is hosting a three-day forum in Washington, D.C. with approximately...
View ArticleThe Mechanics and Theater Behind Mideast Peace Talks
Since the Six-Day War in 1967, American presidents have tried long and hard to encourage peace in the Middle East. After he helped ink the Camp David Accords, former President Jimmy Carter insightfully...
View ArticleThis Week's Agenda: Obama and the Economy, BP, and the Quran
President Obama is embarking on a week of focusing on the economy. He will visit Milwaukee to address Wisconsin's union workers; Cleveland, where he's expected to give details on his ideas to improve...
View ArticleObama Tries to Jump-Start Economy: Too Little, Too Late?
Standing before a crowd of union members and leaders at the Milwaukee Laborfest yesterday, President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass a $50 billion public works plan that would rebuild and...
View ArticleObama to Congress: Fix Roads, Add Jobs
President Barack Obama is talking about the economy all week. Yesterday, he delivered a jobs speech before a whooping crowd in Milwaukee, Wis., where he called on Congress to swiftly approve a new...
View ArticleRobert Reich: President Obama and the Economy of 2011
President Obama spent his Labor Day in Milwaukee, announcing big plans for the nation's infrastructure. The plan begins with an initial investment of $50 billion of taxpayer money, followed by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Obama to Propose Tax Break for Businesses
Midterm elections are now less than two months away, and this week President Obama’s agenda is all about the economy. In Milwaukee on Monday, the president said, “I am going to keep fighting, every...
View ArticleClik here to view.
David Remnick on Presidential Popularity and Sophomore Slumps
It wasn’t that long ago that presidential candidate Barack Obama could command rapt crowds chanting his campaign motto of hope, change and rejuvenation for a nation seemingly in dire straits. But these...
View ArticleObama's Ohio Speech: Strong New Proposals, Or Too Little Too Late?
President Obama gave a sweeping economic address to a handpicked crowd of 800 people near Cleveland, Ohio yesterday… partly to announce several new economic proposals, partly to try to set a new tone...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Changes in Advisors and White House Staff
Soon, there will be several changes at the top levels of the Obama administration. Following the November elections, the White House’s top economic advisor, Larry Summers, will return to his position...
View ArticleThis Week's Agenda: Peace Talks; Bishop Jones; China and Japan Relations...
Israel's partial freeze on settlement buliding in the West Bank ended last night, and Marcus Mabry, associate national editor for The New York Times, and Charlie Herman, economics editor for The...
View ArticleBob Woodward Analyzes 'Obama's Wars'
"Everyone talks to Bob Woodward," New York Times White House correspondent Peter Baker told The Takeaway last week. Baker was talking about the Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist's latest...
View ArticleChief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to Leave White House
President Obama will announce the departure of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel later today. As the right hand man to the president, Emanuel championed Obama’s causes behind the scenes and...
View ArticleObama Holds National Infrastructure Meeting
President Obama meets today with governors and mayors from around the nation to talk about “investing in America’s infrastructure.”The meeting comes just after Republican New Jersey Governor Chris...
View ArticleThe Obama Factor: Presidential Visits and the Midterms
Was this race effectively a "recall" on President Obama? That depends on who turned out at the voting booths yesterday. John Zogby, president of the polling firm Zogby International, gives us a...
View ArticleHow Last Night's Elections Appeared From Across the Pond
President Obama surely won votes during the 2008 election when he promised Americans that he would rebuild our standing in the international community through diplomacy, and much of Europe responded...
View ArticleCongress: Going Forward, Or into Gridlock?
President Obama stood before reporters yesterday and addressed the big losses his party suffered in the midterm elections — including the turnover of the House of Representatives to Republicans. Obama...
View ArticleThis Week's Agenda: Republicans' Next Steps, Obama in Asia
After the beating Democrats took in last week's mid-term elections, all eyes, including those of our managing producer, Noel King, will be looking at what the GOP's initial moves will be this week....
View ArticleThis Week's Agenda: Lame-Duck Congress, Bipartisan Meetings, Potential...
The 110th Congress begins its lame duck session today, and the question remains: how much can lawmakers get done before the new members step in? Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and...
View ArticlePresident Obama Delivers 2012 Budget
President Obama delivers his 2012 Federal budget proposal today, and already debate is in full swing. Stan Collender, budget expert and writer for the Capital Gains and Games blog, helps us understand...
View ArticlePresident Obama Travels to Latin America
While the world watches the events unfolding in Japan and the Middle East, President Obama heads to Latin America for a five day tour. The president and first lady Michelle Obama begin their first...
View ArticleObama's Cabinet and Intervention in Libya
President Obama made the decision to use U.S. military forces in Libya in his role as the top of American government's executive branch. But the president's cabinet and circle of advisers play an...
View ArticleInside the President's Tax Filing
Yesterday was the deadline to file taxes in the U.S. and in what has become a tradition, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden released their tax returns to the public. The Takeaway's Washington...
View ArticleArab Spring and the Obama Doctrine
President Barack Obama is a different leader than candidate Barack Obama. What remains difficult to discern is just how different both men are on matters of U.S. foreign policy. Critics to both the...
View ArticleConspiracy Theories and American Politics
Yesterday, President Obama tried to dissuade Americans from getting distracted over whether he’s an American citizen. Then reality TV star and presidential hopeful Donald Trump quickly took credit for...
View Article
