2012 Elections News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Fourth accuser urges Herman Cain to ‘come clean’ about harassment

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:35:41 -0500

A fourth woman has accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment--this time in public. Sharon Bialek told reporters in a press conference Monday that Cain groped her and exhibited "sexually inappropriate" behavior toward her when he was head of the National Restaurant Association. Bialek, a former NRA employee who worked for the association [...]

Sexual harassment allegations eroding Cain’s popularity, poll finds

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:50:46 -0500

Allegations of sexual harassment have put a dent in pizza mogul Herman Cain’s popularity among Republican voters, an Ipsos poll conducted for Thomson Reuters found.

Why the GOP Should Panic

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:45:00 -0500

The GOP’s 2012 field is dominated by frivolous flops. Matt Latimer on why it’s not too late for a newcomer.

Ron Paul wins yet another straw poll. So why are the media ignoring him?

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:12:38 -0500

Ron Paul won another Republican straw poll this weekend, in Illinois this time.

GOP leaders say impeachment talk premature

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:43:15 -0400

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Republican National Committee chairman and a leading conservative, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, urged caution Monday for Republican critics calling for President Barack Obama's impeachment, but would not rule out impeachment altogether as new details emerged about the White House's role in the developing scandal at the Internal Revenue Service.

The Koch Brothers' Foray into Media Has Already Been a Success

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:44:27 -0400

Billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch are quite entrepreneurial in their attempts to influence public policy in their favor. They don't just donate to a few like-minded politicians: They have long funded libertarian think tanks like the Cato Institute. They helped fund the Tea Party movement. In the 2012 election, they funded groups like Americans for Prosperity to air campaign ads attacking Barack Obama during the last presidential campaign. ...

Republicans Informed of IRS Investigation Last Year

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:56:15 -0400

Much has been made of the fact that senior Treasury Department officials were told about the investigation into the treatment of tea party groups in June 2012 — months before last year’s the Presidential election. Republicans who requested the investigation were also told about it...

Tea party tax returns show activism on a budget

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:35:37 -0400

Dozens of tea party groups and other conservative organizations of the kind subjected to improper scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service operated with small budgets and rarely displayed overt partisan ...

Why You Should Feel Sorry for the IRS

Fri, 17 May 2013 06:36:35 -0400

Yes, the Internal Revenue Service was wrong to target dozens of conservative groups for extra scrutiny, even if it was accidental. Everybody agrees on this point. But lost in the frenzy is a bigger question: If the IRS screwed this up so royally through incompetence, rather than political malfeasance, is it possible we’re asking too much of the agency?

Obama walking a familiar path on IRS allegations

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:25:22 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service controversy dogging President Barack Obama is hardly the first time a White House and the tax agency have been accused of political meddling and bias. Nor is it the first time that political and social advocacy groups have searched for and exploited loopholes and fine points in the federal tax code.

News Summary: IRS process a nightmare for groups

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:14:26 -0400

LONG WAITS: It often takes a year or more for nonprofit organizations known as "social welfare organizations" to get tax-exempt status, which requires them to prove they're not primarily devoted ...

IRS Not So ‘Independent’

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:45:18 -0400

The Internal Revenue Service is not exactly an “independent agency,” as President Obama claimed during a May 13 press conference. In fact, it is a bureau of the Treasury Department, an executive agency within the federal government. And it is the president who nominates the head or chief executive of … More

In Defense of the IRS

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:15:13 -0400

A strong meme is developing among conservatives about the IRS, expressed most directly in the headline of a piece in the Washington Examiner by Tim Carney, "The IRS is Deeply Political and Very Democratic." The idea is that the IRS would by its very character and nature target conservatives and Republicans. ...

Tea party groups call IRS process 'nightmare'

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:10:42 -0400

Anger over President Barack Obama's policies drove businessman Tom Zawistowski to file paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service nearly three years ago to create the Ohio Liberty Coalition. His nonprofit ...

Books, Media Interviews, and Phone Calls: Tea Party Groups Describe to Us the Detailed Information Demanded by the IRS

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:34:10 -0400

"We knew they were playing games with us at that point."

Five ways the IRS scandal will change Washington

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:07:37 -0400

Toss a pebble into a lake and the ripples spread far and wide. Lob a scandal, in which the anti-tax tea party is under attack by its nemesis, the Internal Revenue Service, into the shark-infested waters of Washington, and well, the political ramifications are huge.

Jewish Group: IRS Targeted Us Because ‘They Thought We Might Be Funding Terrorism’

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:52:13 -0400

"Because terrorism happens in Israel."

Joe Scarborough Is Outraged the White House Followed His Advice on Leaks

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:07:40 -0400

If there is one clear lesson to the story over the Department of Justice seeking the phone records of Associated Press reporters, it's that no one should ever take the advice of Joe Scarborough. The MSNBC host is in high dudgeon because people who might leak confidential info to reporters will clam up because they fear a federal investigation into leaks that he called called for last summer.

A Brief History of Slimy Dem Snoops and Dumpster Divers

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:00:00 -0400

It's always the "low-level" peon's fault, isn't it? When Democrats get caught red-handed abusing government powers and bullying their political enemies small and large, nobody at the top knows nuttin'. The buck stops ... in the janitors closet or something.

Watchdog blasts U.S. IRS over 'Tea Party' targeting

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:25:07 -0400

By Kim Dixon and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A government watchdog sharply criticized the U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday for singling out conservative groups for extra scrutiny and warned that the agency's actions gave the appearance that it was not politically impartial. Citing poor management and substantial delays in processing of applications from groups for tax-exempt status, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) said the IRS used "inappropriate criteria" for screening applications. ...

CA-CANADA Summary

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:48:43 -0400

Canada's Liberals win Newfoundland seat in early test for Trudeau OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's Liberals regained a seat in the House of Commons on Monday in a race viewed as an early test of the popularity of the party's new leader, Justin Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Liberal candidate Yvonne Jones had 50.8 percent of the vote and incumbent Conservative Peter Penashue only 29.1 percent, with 86 of the 91 polls reporting. ...

IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:29:55 -0400

How the tables have turned: The Internal Revenue Service is the one under the microscope now, as revelations emerged Friday that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. The revelations quickly amounted to a scandal that has taken a partisan turn, threatening to derail bipartisan efforts on guns, immigration reform, and the federal budget.

IRS chief: Agency lacked sensitivity in screenings

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:14:32 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS acting chief acknowledged Tuesday that the agency demonstrated "a lack of sensitivity" in its screenings of political groups seeking tax-exempt status, but he said those mistakes won't be repeated.

Top IRS official didn't reveal tea party targeting

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:07:55 -0400

CA-BUSINESS Summary

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:48:07 -0400

TSX drops as China data fuels resources dip TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index declined on Monday after sluggish Chinese economic data hurt commodity prices and dampened enthusiasm for shares of materials and energy companies. China's factory output growth was surprisingly feeble in April and fixed-asset investment slowed, rekindling concerns that the recovery is stalling. Barclays wins dismissal of U.S. ...

IRS: Top official first told of targeting in 2012

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:57:55 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Steven T. Miller failed to tell Congress that tea party groups were being inappropriately targeted, even after he had been briefed on the matter.

Obama's Struggles Hampering Democratic Recruitment

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:27:13 -0400

Imagine you’re a red-state Democrat contemplating a run for Senate. Here’s what you’ve seen during the opening months of President Obama’s second term: A still-tepid economic recovery, a culturally polarizing agenda on immigration and guns, and fears of the health care law's possibly haphazard implementation.

Obama Tells Harvey Weinstein, Justin Timberlake to Blame Rush Limbaugh

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:28:43 -0400

President Obama told donors like Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake (who was wearing hipster glasses), and Tommy Hilfiger that Washington gridlock is pretty much Rush Limbaugh's fault on Monday evening at a fundraiser at Harvey Weinstein's house in New York's Greenwich Village. Obama admitted that his theory — that after the 2012 election, the Republican "fever" would break, and they'd decide to co-sign some of his agenda — was wrong. ...

IRS assured Congress Tea Party not targeted

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:04:57 -0400

When members of Congress repeatedly raised concerns with the Internal Revenue Service about complaints that Tea Party groups were being harassed last year, a deputy IRS commissioner took the lead in assuring ...

Obama says he won't tolerate political bias at IRS

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:09:09 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — When members of Congress repeatedly raised concerns with the Internal Revenue Service about complaints that Tea Party groups were being harassed last year, a deputy IRS commissioner took the lead in assuring lawmakers that the additional scrutiny was a legitimate part of the screening process.

Carney: White House counsel told of IRS review

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:29:18 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House spokesman Jay Carney says the IRS inspector general notified the White House counsel's office during the week of April 22 that it was completing a review of the IRS office in Cincinnati that targeted conservative political groups for special examination. Carney says the counsel's office was not given details about the review.

Sierra Leone opposition politician released

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:14:33 -0400

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Authorities have released a prominent opposition politician in Sierra Leone who was accused of making statements that could undermine state security.

IRS tea party scandal: How bad for Obama?

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:03:17 -0400

The Internal Revenue Service applied special scrutiny to applications for tax-exempt status from tea party and other conservative groups, according to a draft inspector general’s report obtained by the Associated Press.

Donations, lobbying by high-speed traders on the rise: report

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:02:39 -0400

By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - High-frequency trading firms increased their campaign contributions to federal lawmakers by 673 percent from the 2008 to the 2012 election cycle, according to a report that sheds light on their political connections in Washington and efforts to impact policymaking. The report by the Washington-based nonprofit watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) comes as U.S. financial market regulators mull whether new rules should be adopted to rein in high-speed traders, whom some critics accuse of harming smaller investors. ...