Vice President Joe Biden apologized on Wednesday for referring to people who squeeze U.S. military personnel serving overseas on loans and other financial issues as “Shylocks,” a reference to a stereotypical Jewish character in Shakespeare. Biden apologized for having used the term during a speech on Tuesday in Washington, calling it a “poor choice of […] Read More → 
Sarah Jean Seman, For every job created in the state of Illinois, two people sign-up for food stamps—not exactly an encouraging statistic. The state ranked ‘dead last’ across America for job growth in 2014, according to the Illinois Policy. Not only is the economically-challenged state failing to create positions in the private sector, it actually […] Read More → 
With the possible exceptions of Roger Williams and coffee milk, the contributions of the smallest state to the rest of the U.S. often go unheralded. Maybe Gina Raimondo, who won Rhode Island’s Democratic gubernatorial primary yesterday, can change that. As state treasurer, Raimondo pushed through the boldest pension reform in the country several years ago. […] Read More → 
Two senators asked the federal government to investigate a data breach on the payment-card processing systems of Home Depot Inc (HD.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and five U.S. states launched a probe into the matter on Tuesday as fallout from the attack intensified. The retailer has yet to say what was stolen, though experts […] Read More → 
Barack Obama, presiding over an unusually dismal post-recession economy, might make matters worse with a distracting crusade against the minor and sensible business practice called “inversion,” more about which anon. So, consider his credentials as an economic thinker. Obama, who thinks ATMs and airport ticket kiosks cost America jobs, gave a speech last year regretting that Maytag […] Read More → 
Luke Hamilton, “The modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad. The virtues have gone mad because they have been isolated from each other and are wandering alone. Thus some scientists care for truth; and their truth is pitiless. Thus some humanitarians only care for pity; and their pity (I am sorry […] Read More → 
James Brady, a former U.S. presidential press secretary who became a leading gun control crusader after he was critically wounded in an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, has died, a family spokeswoman said on Monday. He was 73. The attack on Reagan in 1981 left Brady partially paralyzed due to brain damage. His family […] Read More → 
President Barack Obama could act without congressional approval to limit a key incentive for U.S. corporations to move their tax domiciles abroad in so-called “inversion” deals, a former senior U.S. Treasury Department official said on Monday. By invoking a 1969 tax law, Obama could bypass congressional gridlock and restrict foreign tax-domiciled U.S companies from using […] Read More → 
States with established Central American immigrant communities have received the most unaccompanied children released to sponsors this year after they were arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border. Here’s a state-by-state breakdown of the 30,340 who have been released through July 7: Alabama: 407 Alaska: 5 Arizona: 186 Arkansas: 166 California: 3,150 Colorado: 221 Connecticut: 325 Delaware: […] Read More → 
The Democratic National Committee narrowly outraised its Republican rival last month and cut its debt to just $3 million, down from a onetime high of $23 million, according to federal financial forms due Sunday. The DNC raised almost $9 million in June, while the Republican National Committee reported Sunday that it raised $8.5 million. Despite […] Read More → 
Democratic Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, fighting to hold onto his seat and his reputation as a reformer who’s cleaned up state government, is facing questions about a now-defunct anti-violence program he started in the run-up to his 2010 election after a state audit found funds were misused. On Wednesday, a bipartisan Legislative Audit Commission will […] Read More → 
Two Mississippi River bridges were closed due to flooding, and with more storms in the forecast, there is growing concern that conditions could worsen in parts of Missouri and Illinois. The Champ Clark Bridge at Louisiana, Missouri, closed at 5 p.m. Sunday, creating an inconvenience for those who travel between Missouri and Illinois on U.S. […] Read More → 
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s defeat this week in a primary election in Virginia has ignited a race among lawmakers who’d like to have his GOP leadership job. And Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s decision to try to move up to majority leader from his current job as whip has created another contest. Votes are scheduled for […] Read More → 
First Lady Michelle Obama is everywhere. She’s traveling to China. She’s raising money for Democrats. She’s issuing plaintive tweets seeking the rescue of the kidnapped Nigerian girls. She’s wading uncharacteristically deep into the Washington political mud pit to defend her school lunch program against Republicans, assailing them last Tuesday for opting to “play politics with […] Read More → 
B. Christopher Agee Michelle Obama’s astounding level of activism has led many to assume she is not satisfied with merely attaining the status of first lady. As Hillary Clinton proved, someone in her position can effectively use name recognition to energize a political career for which she might otherwise be deemed woefully unqualified. A recent […] Read More → 
Mike Shedlock The Tax Foundation posted the following map of gasoline taxes. The Tax Foundation says “Gas taxes are generally used to fund transportation infrastructure maintenance and new projects. While gas taxes are not a perfect user fee like tolls, they are generally more favorable than other taxes because they at least loosely connect the […] Read More →