http://news.yahoo.com/rss-hartman/ en-US Copyright (c) 2013 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:40:10 -0400 5 http://news.yahoo.com/rss-hartman/ http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142c.gif Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, seeking to revive efforts to pass gun-reform legislation in Congress, warned lawmakers opposed to reform that Americans aren't on their side. "The country has changed" since the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Biden said during remarks delivered on Tuesday afternoon in the White House's [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/biden-tout-progress-executive-actions-reduce-gun-violence-114010300.htmlTue, 18 Jun 2013 07:40:10 -0400blogs/ticket/biden-tout-progress-executive-actions-reduce-gun-violence-114010300In her new role as a private citizen and potential presidential candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the renamed Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation announced on Friday a new initiative to promote early childhood education. "New research shows that what happens here [in a child's home] during the first five years of [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/hillary-clinton-announces-foundation-early-childhood-development-initiative-184725165.htmlFri, 14 Jun 2013 14:47:25 -0400blogs/ticket/hillary-clinton-announces-foundation-early-childhood-development-initiative-184725165Jeb Bush, a former governor of Florida, had a lot to say at Friday's Faith and Freedom Coalition conference. But the thing that has everyone talking: his description of immigrants as "more fertile" than native-born Americans. Bush, a recurring potential candidate for president, is fluent in Spanish, married a Mexican-born woman and has a strong [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/jeb-bush-champions-immigration-reform-canada-conservative-conference-145326767.htmlFri, 14 Jun 2013 10:53:26 -0400blogs/ticket/jeb-bush-champions-immigration-reform-canada-conservative-conference-145326767It wasn't technically a campaign speech. But Hillary Clinton, who notably was introduced by her husband, took the stage at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago Thursday to outline her commitment to early childhood education, opportunities for women and girls, and the need for economic development in the United States. Add to this the anecdotes she [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/hillary-clinton-addresses-education-women-economy-renamed-clinton-164557453.htmlThu, 13 Jun 2013 12:45:57 -0400blogs/ticket/hillary-clinton-addresses-education-women-economy-renamed-clinton-164557453Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand walked into a Senate Armed Services Committee markup Wednesday prepared to fight. Her expected opponents in her quest to strip military commanders out of the process for prosecuting sexual assault cases: committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., conservatives on the committee and many other members of both parties. But Gillibrand walked away [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/ted-cruz-offers-surprise-support-prosecution-military-sexual-142508604.htmlThu, 13 Jun 2013 10:25:08 -0400blogs/ticket/ted-cruz-offers-surprise-support-prosecution-military-sexual-142508604Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell, in a surprise announcement on Wednesday, confirmed that after 33 years of service, including two stints as acting director, he will retire to "spend more time with family." To head off speculation regarding that familiar Washington excuse for exiting office, Morell added, "Whenever someone involved in the rough-and-tumble of Washington [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/deputy-cia-director-michael-morell-retire-replaced-white-200541735.htmlWed, 12 Jun 2013 16:05:41 -0400blogs/ticket/deputy-cia-director-michael-morell-retire-replaced-white-200541735President Barack Obama on Wednesday wore his campaign hat and inserted himself into the Massachusetts Senate special election—a key race for both parties as they seek to lay claim to the traditionally Democratic-leaning state. Obama used Wednesday's appearance in Roxbury Crossing, Mass., to tout Democratic Rep. Ed Markey's experience, alluding to the comparison between the [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-campaigns-markey-massachusetts-senate-race-172717435.htmlWed, 12 Jun 2013 13:27:17 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-campaigns-markey-massachusetts-senate-race-172717435Vice President Joe Biden knows how to work a room. In remarks made on Tuesday night at a fundraiser for Massachusetts Senate candidate Ed Markey in front of an audience of donating (doting?) Democrats, Biden went for the jugular. In a reference to Al Gore, who introduced Biden at the Washington, D.C., event, Biden said, [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/joe-biden-al-gore-elected-president-140302538.htmlWed, 12 Jun 2013 10:03:02 -0400blogs/ticket/joe-biden-al-gore-elected-president-140302538She's back. (Not that she ever really left.) Hillary Clinton issued her first tweet on Monday, causing a stir in social media as well as in the political world. The former secretary of state used her maiden tweet, sent from her new @HillaryClinton account, to cheekily capitalize on the 2012 "Texts from Hillary" Tumblr meme, [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/hillary-clinton-starts-tweeting-172204268.htmlMon, 10 Jun 2013 13:22:04 -0400blogs/ticket/hillary-clinton-starts-tweeting-172204268You may have heard that White House tours were cut due to across-the-board federal spending cuts known as the sequester. Or that Congress made sure to minimize disruptions to air travel. Or perhaps you know someone being furloughed as a result of the cuts. But did you know a major fight is being waged over [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/sequester-hits-cancer-patients-doctors-lawmakers-seek-fix-092336101.htmlMon, 10 Jun 2013 05:23:36 -0400blogs/ticket/sequester-hits-cancer-patients-doctors-lawmakers-seek-fix-092336101In response to criticism of the Department of Justice's secret surveillance of and seizure of records from reporters, Eric Holder will testify on Thursday that no reporters have been or will be prosecuted for doing their job during his service as attorney general. "The Department has not prosecuted, and as long as I’m Attorney General, [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/eric-holder-no-reporters-prosecuted-under-watch-none-143720092.htmlThu, 06 Jun 2013 10:37:20 -0400blogs/ticket/eric-holder-no-reporters-prosecuted-under-watch-none-143720092President Barack Obama will speak June 19 at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, the White House announced Wednesday—a major turnabout for Obama, whose plans to speak at the landmark were rejected during his 2008 presidential campaign. "President Obama will speak about the deep and enduring bonds between the United States and Germany, the vital [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-speak-brandenburg-gate-berlin-152024111.htmlWed, 05 Jun 2013 11:20:24 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-speak-brandenburg-gate-berlin-152024111House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, a fierce critic of the Obama administration, branded White House press secretary Jay Carney a "paid liar" this past weekend, accusing him of covering up what Issa believes was a coordinated effort to use the Internal Revenue Service to target conservatives. But when given the opportunity to respond to [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/paid-liar-jay-carney-refuses-respond-issa-insult-172745322.htmlMon, 03 Jun 2013 13:27:45 -0400blogs/ticket/paid-liar-jay-carney-refuses-respond-issa-insult-172745322Vice President Joe Biden closed out a mental health conference at the White House Monday afternoon with a message of support to those affected by mental illness. "Let's use this moment to send a message to tens of millions of Americans, especially the young people and parents of young people all over this country," Biden [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/white-house-hosts-hollywood-actors-experts-mental-health-133406228.htmlMon, 03 Jun 2013 09:34:06 -0400blogs/ticket/white-house-hosts-hollywood-actors-experts-mental-health-133406228President Barack Obama on Friday publicly called on Congress to prevent Stafford student loan interest rates from doubling this summer. The president, who spent time on the 2012 campaign trail speaking out against a rate increase, spoke in the Rose Garden on Friday surrounded by college students. He pressed Congress to extend current rates or [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-pressures-congress-prevent-student-loan-rate-increase-142245722.htmlFri, 31 May 2013 10:22:45 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-pressures-congress-prevent-student-loan-rate-increase-142245722A growing number of news organizations invited to meet this week with Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the Justice Department's guidelines governing security leak investigations that involve reporters are refusing the invitation citing the meetings' off-the-record status. A Justice Department official said on Wednesday that meetings with select bureau chiefs will be off the [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/select-media-outlets-turn-down-eric-holder-meeting-162920717.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 12:29:20 -0400blogs/ticket/select-media-outlets-turn-down-eric-holder-meeting-162920717Six days after President Barack Obama addressed criticisms about the use of drones to kill suspected terrorists and signed new guidelines regarding their usage, the White House declined to confirm the newest report of a drone strike. The Associated Press, Reuters and other news outlets reported on Wednesday that a U.S. drone strike on Wednesday [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/white-house-won-t-confirm-reported-drone-strike-201905998.htmlWed, 29 May 2013 16:19:05 -0400blogs/ticket/white-house-won-t-confirm-reported-drone-strike-201905998Attorney General Eric Holder will meet with several media bureau chiefs over the next two days as part of a review of Justice Department policies, a department official confirmed on Wednesday. The review was ordered last week by President Barack Obama after recent controversies over leak investigations. From the official: These meetings will begin a [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/eric-holder-meet-bureau-chiefs-150736117.htmlWed, 29 May 2013 11:07:36 -0400blogs/ticket/eric-holder-meet-bureau-chiefs-150736117President Barack Obama's planned counterterrorism speech was temporarily derailed several times on Thursday when activist Medea Benjamin shouted criticisms of the administration's use of drones and operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Benjamin, co-founder of peace activist group Code Pink, was seated in the audience at National Defense University in Washington, D.C., where Obama [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/code-pink-activist-medea-benjamin-heckles-obama-195521792.htmlThu, 23 May 2013 15:55:21 -0400blogs/ticket/code-pink-activist-medea-benjamin-heckles-obama-195521792Making money off the student loan industry isn’t just for big banks anymore. Thanks to new lending rules and historically low interest rates, the federal government is now getting a sizable piece of the action. Commercial banks like Sallie Mae, a former government agency now the nation’s largest private student loan lender, continue to make [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/makes-money-off-student-loans-might-surprised-093332073.htmlThu, 23 May 2013 05:33:32 -0400blogs/lookout/makes-money-off-student-loans-might-surprised-093332073Think of it as a sort of reverse birthday gift. After a tense few days in the White House Brady Press Briefing Room as the Internal Revenue Service scandal, Benghazi emails and the Justice Department's secret seizure of journalists' phone records put White House press secretary Jay Carney on defense, he decided to strike a [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/carney-press-good-enough-smart-enough-doggone-200324217.htmlWed, 22 May 2013 16:03:24 -0400blogs/ticket/carney-press-good-enough-smart-enough-doggone-200324217President Barack Obama on Tuesday filled out his Presidential Commission on Election Administration, which was created to improve election systems in the United States. "As I said in my State of the Union Address, when any American, no matter where they live or what their party, is denied that right [to vote] simply because too [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/president-fills-commission-improve-election-systems-194533953.htmlTue, 21 May 2013 15:45:33 -0400blogs/ticket/president-fills-commission-improve-election-systems-194533953President Barack Obama on Tuesday morning assured residents of Oklahoma that they have both the nation's support and the federal government's assistance as they reel from the aftermath of a deadly tornado. "Our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today," Obama said during remarks delivered at the White House after a giant tornado tore [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-publicly-addresses-oklahoma-tornado-disaster-134953646.htmlTue, 21 May 2013 09:49:53 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-publicly-addresses-oklahoma-tornado-disaster-134953646It seems we didn't know the whole story about what the White House knew when about the Internal Revenue Service's improper targeting of conservatives. And neither did the White House spokesman. White House press secretary Jay Carney revealed during Monday's briefing that in addition to White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler, White House chief of staff [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/white-house-chief-staff-mcdonough-others-knew-irs-201700994.htmlMon, 20 May 2013 16:17:00 -0400blogs/ticket/white-house-chief-staff-mcdonough-others-knew-irs-201700994After a week filled with controversy and criticism, President Barack Obama left town Friday for Baltimore, the second stop on his "Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour." The trip, which was previously scheduled, took him to a dredging manufacturer and an elementary school, with the next stop on the itinerary a community center. At Ellicott [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-leaves-scandals-washington-pushes-jobs-economy-baltimore-160836939.htmlFri, 17 May 2013 12:08:36 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-leaves-scandals-washington-pushes-jobs-economy-baltimore-160836939President Barack Obama on Thursday appointed Danny Werfel, an official with the Office of Management and Budget, as acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Werfel replaces Steven Miller, the acting commissioner forced to resign on Wednesday over the IRS having targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny. Werfel, whose appointment will be effective May 22, [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-choose-omb-official-danny-werfel-head-irs-191121420.htmlThu, 16 May 2013 15:11:21 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-choose-omb-official-danny-werfel-head-irs-191121420President Barack Obama at a press conference on Thursday strongly defended the Department of Justice's controversial secret seizure of journalists' phone records during an investigation into leaked national security information. "Leaks related to national security can put people at risk," Obama said in response to a reporter's question as he stood beside visiting Prime Minister [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-expected-answer-press-irs-amid-scandals-151152816.htmlThu, 16 May 2013 11:11:52 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-expected-answer-press-irs-amid-scandals-151152816Speaking at the 32nd annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service on Wednesday, President Barack Obama publicly honored, among others, officer Bruce St. Laurent, who died last year assisting Obama's motorcade in Florida. Laurent, a husband and father of four, was killed Sept. 9 when his police motorcycle was struck by a pickup truck as he [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-honor-fallen-police-officers-143113114.htmlWed, 15 May 2013 10:31:13 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-honor-fallen-police-officers-143113114The Department of Justice seizing reporters' phone records? The IRS apologizing for targeting conservatives? The Richard Nixon comparisons seem to write themselves—much to the joy of Republicans working to cement the association between President Barack Obama and the former scandal-plagued president. But when asked at Tuesday's press briefing about the White House's reaction to the [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/white-house-obama-no-nixon-192540874.htmlTue, 14 May 2013 15:25:40 -0400blogs/ticket/white-house-obama-no-nixon-192540874President Barack Obama on Friday touted his health care law's benefits for women, whose response to the program the White House believes will be key to its success. "So often [moms] put everything else before themselves," Obama said, tying the event, held in the White House East Room, to Mother's Day. "And that’s particularly true [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-rallies-women-around-obamacare-ahead-mother-day-183353680.htmlFri, 10 May 2013 14:33:53 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-rallies-women-around-obamacare-ahead-mother-day-183353680Some 2.4 million young voters who supported Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential race did not vote for him in 2012, according to an analysis released Friday by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. CIRCLE used Census data released this week combined with exit poll data [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-lost-2-4-million-young-voters-2012-161508263.htmlFri, 10 May 2013 12:15:08 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-lost-2-4-million-young-voters-2012-161508263Ahead of House Republicans' planned vote next week to repeal the Affordable Care Act—better known as "Obamacare"—in full, President Barack Obama on Friday will publicly tout what he believes is the health care law's positive impact on women. Obama's remarks, focusing on mothers and their families, is being tied to Mother's Day, according to a [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/president-tout-obamacare-benefits-women-republican-plan-repeal-000434072.htmlThu, 09 May 2013 20:04:34 -0400blogs/ticket/president-tout-obamacare-benefits-women-republican-plan-repeal-000434072As Washington remained mired in battles over immigration, the budget and other matters, President Barack Obama on Thursday kicked off a public tour focused on jobs and the economy with a visit to Texas to champion a new manufacturing initiative. In a speech at Manor New Tech High School near Austin, Texas—the first stop in [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-push-manufacturing-institutes-government-data-changes-during-133740804.htmlThu, 09 May 2013 16:00:00 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-push-manufacturing-institutes-government-data-changes-during-133740804House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., vowed Wednesday to schedule a vote next week to repeal "Obamacare"—a move that will likely amount to little more than political theater. From Cantor's Twitter account: The House will vote next week for a full repeal of #Obamacare. twitter.com/EricCantor/sta… — Eric Cantor (@EricCantor) May 8, 2013 Conservatives and other [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/house-republicans-plan-obamacare-repeal-vote-163559301.htmlWed, 08 May 2013 12:35:59 -0400blogs/ticket/house-republicans-plan-obamacare-repeal-vote-163559301It's now House Democrats' turn to be wooed by President Barack Obama. The president is scheduled to have dinner Wednesday night at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington with Democratic leadership and Democratic members of the House—the latest outreach to members of Congress dubbed a "charm offensive" by Beltway insiders. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-dine-house-democrats-153449038.htmlWed, 08 May 2013 11:34:49 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-dine-house-democrats-153449038At a joint White House news conference with visiting South Korean President Park Geun-hye, President Barack Obama discussed issues ranging from sexual assault in the U.S. military to North Korea's security threats. Tuesday's press conference followed a private lunch and meeting with the president, Vice President Joe Biden and Park, South Korea's first female president. [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-holds-joint-press-conference-south-korean-president-170158550.htmlTue, 07 May 2013 13:01:58 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-holds-joint-press-conference-south-korean-president-170158550The White House appears to be taking the president's "charm offensive" effort to heart. It's rare to see White House officials in the White House press workspace, let alone offering sugary treats and compliments. But that's how Tuesday began for reporters camped out in the press area. "Thank you for all that you do," White [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/white-house-chief-staff-denis-mcdonough-offers-press-145051256.htmlTue, 07 May 2013 10:50:51 -0400blogs/ticket/white-house-chief-staff-denis-mcdonough-offers-press-145051256A little drizzle won't stop the president's outreach. Despite it being a rainy, gray Monday in Washington, President Barack Obama is playing a bipartisan round of golf at Andrews Air Force Base with select members of the Senate. Republican Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-plans-monday-bipartisan-golf-game-163637852.htmlMon, 06 May 2013 12:36:37 -0400blogs/ticket/obama-plans-monday-bipartisan-golf-game-163637852Employment rose by 165,000 jobs in April, according to the monthly economic report released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And unemployment dropped slightly from 7.6 to 7.5 percent—a minimal change, but one marking a steady, .4 percent drop since January. It's the lowest unemployment rate in four years. Employment increases were seen [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/employment-rose-april-february-march-numbers-revised-upward-144053504.htmlFri, 03 May 2013 10:40:53 -0400blogs/ticket/employment-rose-april-february-march-numbers-revised-upward-144053504At the kickoff of a six-figure campaign to elect America's first female president in 2016, Emily's List President Stephanie Schriock addressed the question on everybody's mind: Will Hillary Clinton run? "There is one name that seems to be getting mentioned more than others," Schriock told reporters at the National Press Club Thursday. "We do not [...]http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/emily-list-launches-effort-elect-female-president-hopes-145716477.htmlThu, 02 May 2013 10:57:16 -0400blogs/ticket/emily-list-launches-effort-elect-female-president-hopes-145716477