The U.S. Supreme Court wraps up business today with four final rulings. Two of the cases involve the First Amendment, including a decision on Arizona’s campaign finance law. Next week Heritage hosts the annual “Scholars and Scribes Review the Rulings” on July 6 at 10 a.m. Click to RSVP or get a reminder about the webcast. The House is on recess until July 6, but expect more news about the debt limit. With just about a month until the deadline set by the Obama administration, it’s likely to remain the …
The Senate will convene Monday at 2:00pm; however, there will be no votes that day. On Tuesday This week, the Senate will begin debate on 3 more judicial nominations, James Michael Cole of the District of Columbia to be Deputy Attorney General, Virginia A. Seitz of the District of Columbia to be Assistant Attorney General and Lisa O. Monaco of the District of Columbia to be Assistant Attorney General. The votes on these nominations will take place at noon. From there the Senate
Similar issues are confronting both the U.S. and Europe today. As the Grecian debt tragedy unfolds, the underlying fear is that it may be a prequel to what will happen here. The nation’s spending and debt situation is dire and our course must change. Washington is coming closer to the debt ceiling deadline; terse negotiations have led several in Congress to pull out of the talks reportedly over some insisting on tax increases that would harm a fragile economy. While Americans have clearly expressed their desire for bold action on …
Earlier this month USA Today splashed a headline on its front page that declared: “U.S. owes $62 trillion.” I wrote a couple blog posts about it — one on the alarming size of the number and another on its juxtaposition with the Anthony Weiner story. It turns out this number — a staggering debt of $534,000 per household — has caused quite the controversy. James Agresti, president of Just Facts, wrote to me about an editorial from Bloomberg taking USA Today to task for making a miscalculation. That came as a shocker to …
On June 24, a Joint House Committee hearing on Venezuela’s Sanctionable Activities made a concerted effort to shed light on President Hugo Chavez’s dangerous ties to Iran. Representative Connie Mack (R–FL) and others expressed a deep-seated concern that the sanctions recently placed on the government-controlled oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), were insufficient. In May 2010, the Obama Administration placed sanctions on PDVSA for providing at least two shipments of petroleum additives to Iran, a country that is currently sanctioned for its nuclear weapons program and, according to the State …
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Bastiat Prize for Journalism, an award that recognizes writers who promote and defend the principles and institutions of the free society. The competition is open to journalists from around the globe. First place is a prize of $50,000, followed by a second-place prize of $15,000 and third place worth $5,000. Last year’s winners included Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal and James Delingpole, blogger for The Telegraph. The International Policy Network administers the competition and is currently accepting applications. Submissions must …
In a recent radio interview with The Heritage Foundation, Representative Tom Price (R–GA) brought us up to date on the budget, debt ceiling, and Obamacare. Listen to the inside scoop here. Price answered questions about whether he thinks conservatives will leverage the debt ceiling vote by demanding tough spending cuts and whether compromise is likely. Responding to a recent charge Representative Jim McDermott (D–WA) leveled at the conservative attempt to reform Medicare, Price—who is also a physician—said McDermott’s claims were “a mischaracterization and a falsehood about our program.” Price also …
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just released its long-term outlook for the federal budget. As expected, we are going broke slightly faster than we were a few months ago. No doubt the usual bigger-government types will use this news to repeat the mantra that we need to both cut spending and “enhance revenues” (a thinly veiled euphemism for tax hikes). Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner used this oft-repeated line just this week.
Critics of state and local government action on immigration fail to keep in mind one simple but critical point: The states have these rights. It is preposterous to take the position that, short of federal action or the commission of a crime, governors and mayors are constitutionally powerless to deal with illegal immigrants within their states and cities. The argument that state and local governments must incur enormous fiscal and societal costs, asserting that all aspects of immigration (legal or illegal) are entirely the purview of the federal government, is …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. House Spurns Obama on Libya, but Does Not Cut Funds How to Spend the ‘Peace Dividend’: Invest in Military Latest Obama ‘Transparency’ Shroud: Nuclear Regulatory Chief Jaczko Good Morning, President Orwell What if they held an election and the results didn’t count? Time to ax federal jobs programs Mr. Kelly goes to Washington Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Identifies 6 Areas for Possible Oversight Young voters sour on Obama How Newsrooms …
