Politics - Yahoo! News

Next week will mark “Sesame Street”'s 40th year on the air, and while many are celebrating the iconic PBS show that's become what the New York Times recently labeled "messianic," some conservatives are crying foul over the re-airing of a sketch that jabs fun at the right-leaning Fox News network.

Much was made, some thought too much, about how the outcome of Tuesday's state races would serve as a referendum on President Obama one year after his historic election victory.

Washington, DC — We have the best medical professionals in the world, but fewer and fewer Americans can afford to pay for the care they can provide. The trends indicate that problem will get much worse.

In a presidential campaign, what do you make of a candidate that stands quietly listening to one of his advisors micromanage the way he tells the room to "Fire it up?"

This week the White House released the much-anticipated official Obama family photo on its Flickr page. The portrait was taken in the Green Room of the White House on September 1 by famed Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz, notable for her decades of work capturing the images of rock stars and Hollywood's elite as well as for her multimillion-dollar fortune's recent collapse. The seated and beaming first family looks happy and relaxed, with Sasha and Malia Obama each draping an arm over mom and dad. (See the first family's Flickr photostream.)

The hotly debated "public option"of health care reform plans being considered by Congress seems to be getting revived. The mood is changing both with the public and inside the halls of Congress, where Tuesday night House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats that she's close to securing the 218 votes she needs to pass the plan.

In the past it's been almost a tradition for America's first ladies to catch flack from their husbands' political opponents over the size of their staffs, and Michelle Obama certainly hasn't been exempt from that. Criticism of her "massive" staff has popped up on email chains, blogs, and chat rooms. But what are the facts regarding how many people are under her employ, and how does the size of her staff compare to that of past first ladies?

This weekend "Saturday Night Live" opened with Fred Armisen as President Obama, delivering an address from the Oval Office. Noting up front that he'd failed to secure the 2016 Olympic Games for Chicago, Armisen's Obama said it was just further proof that his detractors' fears are unfounded: How could he transform the country into something resembling the former Soviet Union or Nazi Germany when he's failed to accomplish anything at all? "When you look at my record," he said, "it's very clear what I've done so far, and that is nothing."

Last weekend the New York Times published an op-ed by Frank Rich titled, "Obama's Squandered Summer," in which the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer took the president to task for being a bit soft, saying that Obama would have "looked stronger" if he'd "stood up more proactively" in the course of exhibiting the leadership that will ultimately define his presidency. It appears as though the White House got the message. Just as his dicey G20 challenges approached Obama began losing some of that nice guy image - and ruffling some feathers in the process.

The Director of the White House Office of Health Reform, Nancy-Ann DeParle, answered questions from Yahoo! News readers on President Obama's health care goals in a live video chat. Our editors submitted a representative sample from hundreds of submissions. Readers also asked questions live via Twitter.

Though President Obama has formally accepted the apology of Joe "You lie!" Wilson, the fallout from the emotional outburst continues to ripple across the nation, even raising doubts about the Republican congressman's political future.

There was a lot riding on President Obama's primetime speech on health care reform. Billed as a "make or break" moment, his address before Congress was designed to bring clarity and calm nerves. Sources say he was editing until the final hours, right around when new polls showed a jump in disapproval ratings on his handling of the issue. The stage was set for a pivotal moment in the contentious debate.

On September 8, in what the Department of Education is touting as a "historic" speech, President Obama will be talking directly to students across the U.S., live on the White House website. But some parents and conservatives are blasting the president, calling the speech an excuse to brainwash American children.

In July, a Gallup poll reported that 54 percent of Americans thought that things were going well for the U.S. in Afghanistan. But according to a new poll from CNN, 57 percent of Americans are against the war, an 11 points jump since April. What is turning Americans against the war in Afghanistan?

Over the weekend, the AP reported that the former first daughter is joining NBC's "Today" show as a correspondent. Jim Bell, the show's executive producer, says Mrs. Bush Hager won't be covering politics, but will focus on stories that are close to her heart, like "education, urban education, women and children's issues and literacy."

The lives of many Kennedys have been marked by extreme highs and lows, and Sen. Edward Kennedy was no exception. Before becoming "The Lion of the Senate," Ted Kennedy's life and career were dealt a severe blow when he drove his car off a bridge, killing 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne. While he was elected senator seven more times after the incident, the story's strange twists and controversial outcome remained a dark spot in Kennedy's life.

As health-care reform continues to embroil the masses, a thread of religious opinionators has, in recent days, woven themselves into the tapestry of debate, begging the question: What would Jesus do about health care?

If you haven't yet sent an email to flag@whitehouse.gov reporting any "fishy" claims you've heard about the president's proposed health care plan, you missed the boat. The White House deactivated the account today after just two short weeks of seemingly nonstop furor from conservatives.

Facts, schmackts. Getting lost in the hubbub over health care seems to be a little thing called "facts," it seems. Confusion over what's what in the complex health bill has spawned town hall shouting matches and claims of 'un-American' attacks from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Judging from the health-care hijinks over the weekend, it doesn't look like the noise is going to die down anytime soon.

Town hall meetings, in which locals are encouraged to share their thoughts on government issues, have always had an air of barely controlled chaos. But now, with health-care reform the hottest topic in town, these meetings are devolving into shouting matches.

Some people love birthdays, some people don't. President Barack Obama clearly isn't shy about celebrating his 48th — he marched right into Press Secretary Robert Gibb's briefing, carrying cupcakes and leading the White House press corps in singing "Happy Birthday" ... to veteran reporter Helen Thomas. She's also celebrating a birthday today: her 89th.

It seems the weekend was filled with political rivals: Some (being forced to) bury the hatchet, others still duking it out. Oh, and one lucky politico actually came out a big winner ... by losing.

Being Mr. Popularity is getting harder for President Barack Obama. From slipping approval ratings, to ubiquitous quips about his ill-fated teleprompter to fashion judgments about his "dad jeans," the once-literal poster child of hope in America may now be experiencing a slow-but-steady fall from grace. But is the damage permanent?

And Hillary Clinton thought she was having a bad day when she broke her elbow ...

If the medium is the message, then what's the message when politicians use 140-character tweets to talk about their state's dire economic circumstances or ethics charges?

Last week, when President Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game in St. Louis, he was probably more concerned with getting the ball over the plate than with his choice of attire. Call it a rookie mistake. The president's baggy pants were mocked as being... brace yourselves... "mom jeans." Now, the leader of the free world has responded to his fashion critics.

Underage drinking, disregarding "strong suggestions" from the U.S. Embassy, regular appearances in Vogue fashion spreads — the Bush twins made more than their fair share of national headlines during their eight years in the White House. And it looks like they're not done.

What a difference four months can make: Back in March, an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed President Obama's approval rating at an all-time high, with 68 percent of Americans holding a "favorable" opinion of the new president.