Politics & Government

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Senators Have Many Questions For IRS

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:35:00 +0000

The Internal Revenue Service is under fire for improperly singling out some conservative groups for extra scrutiny — putting them through months (or longer) of questions that delayed or derailed the organizations' requests for tax-exempt status.

Well, now the chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee have some questions and requests — actually dozens of them — for the IRS.

As senators Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, say, "targeting applicants for tax-exempt

ABC's Karl Expresses Regret, But Stands By Benghazi Story

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:46:00 +0000

ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl now says he regrets that some key parts of a major story he reported on May 10 were wrong.

The story sent off a political uproar. As we said last week, it made it appear that in a Sept.

Decades Of History Behind IRS Flap

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:21:00 +0000

Host Michel Martin looks into why some non-profits are tax exempt, and how something like the recent IRS flap could happen. She speaks with David Cay Johnston, a columnist for Tax Analysts and reporter Brentin Mock of Colorlines.com.

Supreme Court Takes Case On Prayer At Government Meetings

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 +0000

A challenge to the way a western New York State town board has had prayers read before its public meetings has made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The justices announced Monday morning that they will hear oral arguments in the case of Greece, N.Y. v.

Alabama Legislature Returns for Last Day

The Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:28:04 +0000

Alabama legislators are getting ready for the final day of their 2013 session.

The Legislature convenes at 9 a.m. Monday. Both chambers will have to decide whether to accept or reject the governor's proposal to delay tax credits for private school attendance for two years.

Pending in the House is a bill that would allow workers to keep guns locked in their vehicles while on the job. The House could also consider a bill requiring drug testing for welfare applicants if they have had a drug conviction in the last five years.

Alabama to Practice Hurricane Traffic Reversal

The Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:35:51 +0000

Motorist traveling along Interstate 65 between Baldwin County and Montgomery on Wednesday afternoon will see plenty of state troopers, National Guard personnel and state Transportation Department workers.

Transportation officials say they will be conducting their annual exercise to simulate reversing traffic on I-65 so that all four lanes are headed north to allow evacuation from the Alabama coast. State personnel have been conducting annual practice sessions since 2000, and they've used the plan to evacuate the coast for Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005.

Why Congress Has Reasons Not To Be Bipartsan

Scott Horsley — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:19:00 +0000
Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Now let's look little more deeply at this narrative of scandal. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: When President Obama gets frustrated with the gridlock in Washington, he sometimes looks back wistfully to the decades after World War II.

Is There Really A Second-Term Curse?

Ari Shapiro — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:07:00 +0000
The phrase "second term curse" is so familiar that it's become a cliche of American politics. Whether it's President Richard Nixon's resignation or President Bill Clinton's impeachment, presidents tend to have a tough time during the back half of an eight-year presidency.
Nothing on President Obama's plate comes close to those historical examples.

Nonconservative Groups Say IRS Scrutinized Them, Too

Brian Naylor — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000
The IRS was in the hot seat Friday, with its outgoing acting commissioner testifying before a House committee. A Senate panel is scheduled for Tuesday. Congress is prodding to find out why the agency singled out conservative groups for special scrutiny.
Attention has focused on the IRS' flagging of these groups starting in 2010.

Political Takeaways: Headaches For The White House

Mara Liasson — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000
Transcript
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. President Obama will give a speech this week outlining his plans to make his counterterrorism policies more transparent. The address comes after a week that the Obama White House spent on the defensive trying to contain political fallout from multiple controversies. The IRS has been targeting conservative and Tea Party groups that applied for tax-exempt status, and the Associated Press revealed that the Justice Department had secretly obtained the phone records of its journalists.

Tesla Rides High, But Faces Formidable Foe: Car Dealers

Liz Halloran — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:51:00 +0000
Tesla Motors, the American maker of luxury electric cars, has been riding a wave of good publicity.
Its Model S sedan (base priced at $62,400, after federal tax credits) was just named Motor Trend Car of the Year.

Ala. Governor Seeks Votes on Delaying Tax Credits

The Associated Press — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:02:29 +0000

Gov. Robert Bentley is spending the weekend trying to round up legislative support for his proposal to delay Alabama's new private school tax credits for two years.
Bentley spoke Saturday at the Alabama League of Municipalities convention in Montgomery and urged several hundred city officials to contact their legislators before the Legislature's last meeting day on Monday. Bentley said he's also contacting legislators by letter and in person.

Highly Charged IRS Case Pulls In Political Agendas

Peter Overby — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:23:00 +0000
NPR's Peter Overby reports on the Congressional testimony of IRS officials in response to the scandal over special scrutiny of tea party groups. Underneath all the politics, there's a policy question that hasn't been addressed.

What A Week: White House Rattled By Controversy

Ari Shapiro — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000
NPR's Ari Shapiro joins host Scott Simon to talk about the Obama administration's week. The president was buffeted by revelations that the IRS had targeted Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status and that the Justice Department had subpoenaed reporter phone records. On top of that, Republicans continue to allege that the White House engaged in a cover-up of talking points about the attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Immigration Bill Chugs Along, But Some See Deal-Breakers

David Welna — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000
It's been a long slog already for the bipartisan immigration overhaul proposed by the Senate's Gang of Eight.
The legislation has been the target of more than 300 amendments during days of debate and votes by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But while the bill has largely held its own so far, its prospects for getting through Congress remain uncertain.
In Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy's view, the immigration overhaul is "moving very well."
"It's moving a lot faster than people said it would," says Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.
Sen.