• Quiz: Where does the U.S. government get most of its money?

    Quiz: Where does the U.S. government get most of its money?

    Oct 28, 2015 08:20 PM EDT

    Congress votes on a mega-budget deal this week, potentially avoiding another fiscal cliff. (Sidenote: meanwhile an Italian town seems to be solving an actual falling-off-the-cliff problem.) This inspired us to take a closer look at the federal cash flow. Test what you know about how the ...

  • Can lawmakers come up with a deal for U.S. surveillance rules?

    Can lawmakers come up with a deal for U.S. surveillance rules?

    May 25, 2015 11:21 PM EDT

    ... he set a high-stakes vote on a deadline when Congress was going out of town. That worked with things like the debt limit, the fiscal cliff. Did not work this time. It was blocked by Rand Paul and some Democrats, notably Ron Wyden of Oregon, some other conservatives as ...

  • Pugnacious Reid retiring, wants Schumer as Senate Dem leader

    Pugnacious Reid retiring, wants Schumer as Senate Dem leader

    Mar 27, 2015 09:55 PM EDT

    ... to enactment, without a single Republican vote. Other times, however, Obama and Pelosi worked around Reid. That was largely the case in resolving the 2013 "fiscal cliff" dilemma. When negotiations ground to a halt, raising the possibility of tax hikes on nearly all working Americans, Vice President Joe Biden and ...

  • In State of the Union, Obama aims to influence 2016 debate

    In State of the Union, Obama aims to influence 2016 debate

    Jan 20, 2015 02:10 PM EDT

    ... debate over income equality is one that Democrats have won previously, including in Obama's victory over Romney in the 2012 presidential campaign and the fiscal cliff fight with Congress that led to the raising of George W. Bush-era tax rates for the wealthiest Americans. However, Obama no longer ...

  • What does Mitch McConnell’s political past mean for the Senate’s future?

    What does Mitch McConnell’s political past mean for the Senate’s future?

    Jan 08, 2015 02:04 AM EDT

    ... the core. Those who know him say, yes, he is driven to win, but they insist his focus is to govern. Example? Deals over the fiscal cliff that McConnell made with Vice President Biden. TRENT LOTT, Former Senate Majority Leader: If you go back and look over the last three ...

  • What's behind the latest surge on Wall Street?

    What's behind the latest surge on Wall Street?

    Nov 01, 2014 09:36 PM EDT

    ... market peak to trough fell 55 – 57 percent. And then Greece collapses. And then we have the debt showdown and debt debacle here, and the fiscal cliff. And now you have worries about electoral uncertainty, and there are whispers of global deflation. There are lots of things at play, and ...

  • What Wall Street’s wild swings say about the global economy

    What Wall Street’s wild swings say about the global economy

    Oct 14, 2014 11:47 PM EDT

    ... swing five days in a row by 100 points or more. Plus, the S&P 500 dropped this week to its lowest point since the fiscal cliff showdown of 2012. So, what's happening here? Eswar Prasad, an economist at Cornell University and the Brookings Institution, is here to answer ...

  • As Ferguson unrest boils, Obama returns from vacation

    As Ferguson unrest boils, Obama returns from vacation

    Aug 18, 2014 01:22 PM EDT

    ... and crises on several vacations, including Ted Kennedy’s death, the underwear bomber, and even flying back to Washington to try and deal with the “fiscal cliff” negotiations. Other presidents have had to deal with crises, too -- from Ronald Reagan when a Korean jetliner was shot down to Bill Clinton ...

  • GOP turns focus to ‘cover-ups’ for midterm strategy

    GOP turns focus to ‘cover-ups’ for midterm strategy

    May 08, 2014 01:08 PM EDT

    ome tax revenues in the first quarter of this year fell by .4 percent, and states are pointing to the fiscal cliff. Just two weeks ahead of Kentucky’s primary and a month before Mississippi’s, the Senate Conservatives Fund has gone silent in those states, diverting their dwindling cash ...

  • Here's your guide to every major 2016 presidential contender

    Here's your guide to every major 2016 presidential contender

    Apr 07, 2014 09:11 PM EDT

    2014 is a year of auditioning, positioning, networking and just plain hard work for people who might run for president in 2016. There's plenty to do, and the pace has quickened since The Associated Press last took a broad look at preparations for a potential campaign. Here's a look at one prospective candidate.