Essential Reads
Essential Reads is your one-stop source for the top stories of the day as reported by your favorite Washington Week panelists. It's a simple way to save time and stay informed about the news you need to know. Check it out every day!
May 30, 2012
-
Will the U.S. Economy Bounce Back Later This Year?
With David Wessel, Wall Street JournalDavid Wessel on The News Hub discusses the outlook for the U.S. economy and whether we're likely to see growth rebound in the second half of 2012.
Watch Video on Wall Street Journal -
Trump Birther Remarks Overshadow Romney Appearance
By Sam Youngman, ReutersControversy over the "birther" movement hung over a meeting in Las Vegas on Tuesday between Mitt Romney and high-profile supporter Donald Trump, whose comments about President Barack Obama have put the Republican presidential candidate in an awkward spot.
Read More -
'Flame' Malware Designed For Spying, Not 'Cyber War'
By Tom Gjelten, NPRThe latest entrant in the arsenal of advanced cyber packages deployed by governments or corporations for use against their adversaries is a piece of malicious software dubbed "Flame." The malware contains a wide variety of espionage tools, including a feature that activates the internal microphone in personal computers and enables the user to monitor a target's conversation.
Listen to Story on NPR -
Medal of Freedom Honorees: An Election Year Medley
By Alexis Simendinger, RealClearPoliticsBob Dylan wore formal attire Tuesday while accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom along with nearly a dozen other recipients. His business suit, roomy for his slight frame, was coal black and decorated with Western-style buckles on the chest pockets. The 71-year-old wore a crisp white shirt and a bow tie. But what captured President Obama's attention and that of a VIP audience packing the East Room of the White House were the aviator sunglasses Dylan wore indoors. Impenetrable.
Read More
May 29, 2012
-
Romney Tells Vets Dangerous World Demands Powerful Military
By Sam Youngman, ReutersPresumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney chose Veterans Day to proclaim to the American people his conviction that the world is a dangerous place, and the United States must remain its most formidable military power. "The world is not safe," Romney told veterans on Memorial Day. He was joined by Senator John McCain, in a speech to honor the veterans of America's wars.
Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., talk to Veterans in San Diego (CNN) -
McCain Says Obama's Syria Policy 'Abandons American Leadership'
By Beth Reinhard, National JournalArizona Sen. John McCain on Sunday called the Obama administration’s approach to the violence in Syria, “a feckless foreign policy that abandons American leadership.’’ More than 90 people, including about 30 children, were killed when Syrian tanks shelled a rebel-held village, United Nations officials reported on Saturday. As many as 10,000 people have been killed since the uprising began against President Bashar al-Assad more than a year ago. The Obama administration is reportedly preparing to vet members of the rebel army to determine whether they could be armed by other Arab nations.
Read More from National Journal -
Productivity Far Outpaces U.S. Factory Wages
With David Wessel, Wall Street JournalOverall compensation to factory workers doesn't come close to the impressive productivity gains that American factories have enjoyed over the past year. WSJ's David Wessel reports.
Watch Video on Wall Street Journal -
Romney's VP Pick?
With John Harwood, CNBCCNBC's John Harwood reports on who Mitt Romney is likely to choose as his vice presidential running mate.
Watch Video on CNBC -
New Question Arises over Validity of Egypt Election Even as Results are Confirmed
By Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy NewspapersThe Egypt’s election commission on Monday released the final vote tallies in Egypt’s first democratic election, confirming that next month’s runoff will be between a Muslim Brotherhood-backed candidate and a top leader from the deposed regime. But even as the commission released the numbers from last week’s two-day vote, uncertainty continued to plague the election process, as it remains unclear whether one of the candidates, former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik, will be constitutionally allowed to run.
Read More -
Joe Biden Recalls Death of Wife, Daughter
With Martha Raddatz, ABC NewsVice president opens up about past grief and thoughts of suicide.
Watch Video on ABC News
May 25, 2012
-
Obama Takes Early Leap Into Campaign Fray
By Peter Baker, New York TimesWith the general election campaign now under way, one thing has become clear: There will be no Rose Garden strategy for President Obama. If past incumbents have been reluctant to directly engage opponents this early in an election year for fear of looking like a candidate rather than a president, Mr. Obama has tossed aside convention.
Read More -
Stumping for Energy
With Eamon Javers, CNBCPresident Obama seeks an extension of renewable energy tax breaks, with CNBC's Eamon Javers. Christopher Horner, Competitive Enterprise Institute, weighs in.
Watch Video on CNBC -
Romney Campaign Begins Quiet Push for African American Voters
By Nia-Malika Henderson and Philip Rucker, Washington PostMitt Romney’s campaign team has been quietly laying plans for an outreach effort to President Obama’s most loyal supporters — black voters — not just to chip away at the huge Democratic margins but also as a way to reassure independent swing voters that Romney can be inclusive and tolerant in his thinking and approach.
Read More -
Obama Urges Congress to Extend Clean-Energy Tax Credits
By Christi Parsons and Kathleen Hennessey, Los Angeles TimesFrom a wind-power factory in this battleground state, President Obama urged Congress to extend tax credits he said would save jobs in the field of clean-energy production. Obama said continuing the production tax credit would save 37,000 jobs that would otherwise be at risk, an estimate his aides based on reports from industry officials.
President Obama at a wind-energy manufacturing plant in Newton, Iowa (CNN) -
Romney Holds Key Advantages Among Financially Struggling White Voters
By Jon Cohen and Karen Tumulty, Washington PostIn an election year in which the economy ranks as Americans’ top concern, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney holds significant advantages over President Obama among white voters who are struggling financially and buffeted by job loss, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Read More -
How Things Have Changed At The CIA
By Tom Gjelten, NPRThe CIA has faced intense criticism for reporting, incorrectly, that Saddam Hussein's Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. NPR correspondent Tom Gjelten got direct access to CIA analysts to discuss the lessons learned from Iraq, and how they're applying them to a new intelligence target: Iran.
Listen to Story on NPR
May 24, 2012
-
Will Obama's Attacks on Romney Backfire?
By Gloria Borger, CNNAs the presidential campaign veers off onto the Bain Capital ramp, the predictable arguments ensue: Is the turn simply a political attack meant to distract from bad economic news? (So says Mitt Romney). Or is it an important, valid argument at the heart of the contest? (So says President Barack Obama.)
Read More -
Romney Opens New Front vs Obama: Schools are Failing
By Sam Youngman and Laura MacInnis, ReutersRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney opened a new front on Wednesday in his fight against President Barack Obama, accusing him of presiding over a failing U.S. education system in the grip of union bosses who refuse to accept reforms.
Mitt Romney speaks in Philadelphia of a "crisis" in American education (CNN) -
Romney’s Core
By Major Garrett, National JournalMitt Romney, it turns out, has a core after all. You may remember that for months—dating back to October—President Obama’s most persistent criticism of Romney has been that he has no core. Chief strategist David Axelrod said it first, followed by senior White House adviser and 2008 Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.
Read More from National Journal -
When a Boy Found a Familiar Feel in a Pat of the Head of State
By Jackie Calmes, New York TimesFor decades at the White House, photographs of the president at work and at play have hung throughout the West Wing, and each print soon gives way to a more recent shot. But one picture of President Obama remains after three years.
Read More
