National Journal Online


Graphic: Keystone XL: More Than a Pipeline Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 8:40pm
First Hurdle Cleared in Immigration, Bigger Ones Remain The first step in passing major immigration legislation went pretty smoothly, all things considered. Senate Judiciary Committee late Tuesday approved a bill that would give 11 million undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship and require employers to electronically verify all new hires. The bill offers the biggest changes to immigration law in almost thirty years. Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 8:00pm
First Hurdle Cleared in Immigration, but Bigger Ones Remain The first step in passing major immigration legislation went pretty smoothly, all things considered. The Senate Judiciary Committee late Tuesday approved a bill that would give 11 million undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship and require employers to electronically verify all new hires. The bill offers the biggest changes to immigration law in almost 30 years. Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 8:00pm
Why Oklahoma's Two Republican Senators Are Leery of Unfunded Tornado Relief Oklahoma's two Republican senators, Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, are among the most fiscally conservative in all of Congress. In the wake of the deadly tornadoes that hit their home state Monday, they're living up to their reputations. Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 5:29pm
Immigration Bill's Last Hurdle Tonight -- Gay Rights Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy poses the last major hurdle to the immigration bill clearing his own committee. The author of two amendments that could derail the reform package, Leahy will still not say whether he plans to put forward an amendment tonight that would extend the bill’s immigration provisions to gay couples. Democrats in the Gang of Eight want to see the principle included, but their Republican counterparts have warned it would be a poison pill, killing the entire bill. Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 4:10pm
Top IRS Official to Invoke Fifth, Issa Subpoenas Lois Lerner, the IRS official who headed the tax-exempt division when the targeting of tea-party groups took place, plans to invoke her Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer questions before Congress on Wednesday. But Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House oversight committee where Lerner was to appear, has issued a subpoena to Lerner anyway. The subpoena was delivered after the committee received the letter from Lerner's attorney, a committee aide said. Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 4:06pm
Don't Hold Your Breath Waiting for Public Opinion to Turn Against Obama Another day, another poll showing that President Obama's job-approval rating is not collapsing under the weight of scandals and controversies. Why is he holding steady? Will it last? And will Republicans take any cues from his staying power? Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 4:05pm
How, Exactly, Did Apple Shelter $44B From Being Taxed? Apple was able to avoid paying taxes on $44 billion in offshore income between 2009 and 2012 thanks largely to a quirk in how the Internal Revenue Service thinks the company is structured. At its core, tax-evasion is simple: A company sets up a facility in a low-tax jurisdiction and passes transactions through that locale. Profits pile up, while taxes remain low. It’s an obvious tactic and one the U.S. tax code is set up to prevent—sort of. Apple exploited what’s known as the “check-the-box” loophole to get around it and avoid paying taxes on $44 billion. Here’s how: Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 3:33pm
Which Is More Corrupt: Afghanistan or America? KABUL, Afghanistan — None of President Hamid Karzai's top advisers knew that he had been receiving tens of millions of dollars in secret cash from the CIA, Afghanistan's senior anticorruption official said, and he added that he did not believe the Afghan leader's claim that he had been giving the agency regular receipts for the money. Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 3:15pm
Play of the Day: Kids Say The Darndest Things... About Obama’s Scandals President Barack Obama's terrible run of luck continues. Despite scandals involving the IRS, Benghazi and the Justice Department secretly obtaining phone records from the Associated Press, Obama's approval ratings are steady. Conan O'Brien noticed and mentioned that scandals don't register until they involve an intern and some sex. On The Late Show, David Letterman invoked a fourth scandal for Obama. Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 1:46pm

Graphic: Keystone XL: More Than a Pipeline

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 8:40pm

First Hurdle Cleared in Immigration, Bigger Ones Remain

The first step in passing major immigration legislation went pretty smoothly, all things considered. Senate Judiciary Committee late Tuesday approved a bill that would give 11 million undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship and require employers to electronically verify all new hires.

The bill offers the biggest changes to immigration law in almost thirty years.

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 8:00pm

First Hurdle Cleared in Immigration, but Bigger Ones Remain

The first step in passing major immigration legislation went pretty smoothly, all things considered. The Senate Judiciary Committee late Tuesday approved a bill that would give 11 million undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship and require employers to electronically verify all new hires.

The bill offers the biggest changes to immigration law in almost 30 years.

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 8:00pm

Why Oklahoma's Two Republican Senators Are Leery of Unfunded Tornado Relief

Oklahoma's two Republican senators, Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, are among the most fiscally conservative in all of Congress. In the wake of the deadly tornadoes that hit their home state Monday, they're living up to their reputations.

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 5:29pm

Immigration Bill's Last Hurdle Tonight -- Gay Rights

Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy poses the last major hurdle to the immigration bill clearing his own committee.

The author of two amendments that could derail the reform package, Leahy will still not say whether he plans to put forward an amendment tonight that would extend the bill’s immigration provisions to gay couples.

Democrats in the Gang of Eight want to see the principle included, but their Republican counterparts have warned it would be a poison pill, killing the entire bill.

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 4:10pm

Top IRS Official to Invoke Fifth, Issa Subpoenas

Lois Lerner, the IRS official who headed the tax-exempt division when the targeting of tea-party groups took place, plans to invoke her Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer questions before Congress on Wednesday.

But Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House oversight committee where Lerner was to appear, has issued a subpoena to Lerner anyway.

The subpoena was delivered after the committee received the letter from Lerner's attorney, a committee aide said.

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 4:06pm

Don't Hold Your Breath Waiting for Public Opinion to Turn Against Obama

Another day, another poll showing that President Obama's job-approval rating is not collapsing under the weight of scandals and controversies. Why is he holding steady? Will it last? And will Republicans take any cues from his staying power?

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 4:05pm

How, Exactly, Did Apple Shelter $44B From Being Taxed?

Apple was able to avoid paying taxes on $44 billion in offshore income between 2009 and 2012 thanks largely to a quirk in how the Internal Revenue Service thinks the company is structured.

At its core, tax-evasion is simple: A company sets up a facility in a low-tax jurisdiction and passes transactions through that locale. Profits pile up, while taxes remain low. It’s an obvious tactic and one the U.S. tax code is set up to prevent—sort of. Apple exploited what’s known as the “check-the-box” loophole to get around it and avoid paying taxes on $44 billion. Here’s how:

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 3:33pm

Which Is More Corrupt: Afghanistan or America?

KABUL, Afghanistan — None of President Hamid Karzai's top advisers knew that he had been receiving tens of millions of dollars in secret cash from the CIA, Afghanistan's senior anticorruption official said, and he added that he did not believe the Afghan leader's claim that he had been giving the agency regular receipts for the money.

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 3:15pm

Play of the Day: Kids Say The Darndest Things... About Obama’s Scandals

President Barack Obama's terrible run of luck continues. Despite scandals involving the IRS, Benghazi and the Justice Department secretly obtaining phone records from the Associated Press, Obama's approval ratings are steady. Conan O'Brien noticed and mentioned that scandals don't register until they involve an intern and some sex. On The Late Show, David Letterman invoked a fourth scandal for Obama.

Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 1:46pm

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