Barack Obama News
Read news, analysis, and commentary on Barack Obama, his administration’s legacy, and his continuing impact on national debates.
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- Opinion
Congressional Responses Show Overwhelming Rejection of Obama’s New Cuba Policy
If there was any confusion as to where Congress stood on Cuba, this week definitely put that to rest. From spending bills to legislation, a bipartisan coalition in Congress is pushing back against the Obama Administration. On Wednesday, the House passed the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) spending bill which included a provision prohibiting either…Ana Quintana -
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Why Won’t the Obama Administration Appoint Inspectors General?
It has been 2,292 days since the Department of Interior has had a permanent inspector general in place to serve as a watchdog over the agency. But the Interior Department is not alone; the inspector general position is vacant in seven other agencies as well. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security…Samantha Reinis -
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Americans Fault Obama, Bush Equally for Iraq’s Problems
Six years ago, President Obama ran on a promise to end the war in Iraq. Gearing up for the 2012 election, his campaign ran an ad titled, “Ending the War in Iraq: A Promise Kept.” Two years later, against the context of a fragmented, volatile Iraq, Obama launched a new campaign promising “to degrade and…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
A Revealing Look at Obama’s Propaganda Machinery
The Obama White House has embraced digital communication like none before it. According to The Washington Post, the White House Office of Public Engagement has no less than 14 employees whose job it is to push the President’s message out on new media and social Web sites. After all, this is a president who was…Helle Dale -
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Obama’s Latest Environmental Action: A New Water Rule
In a controversial use of executive power, the Obama administration has finalized a set of environmental regulations expanding its authority over the nation’s waterways. On Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers announced the Clean Water Rule, intended to protect the nation’s streams and wetlands from “pollution and degradation.” In…Alex Anderson -
- Opinion
A Conversation With David Axelrod: What Happened to Bipartisanship Under Obama?
CHICAGO—While serving as a fellow for the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics this month, I had an opportunity to sit down with former White House senior adviser David Axelrod to discuss the current state of American politics. I begin by asking him what he believes is the biggest misconception conservatives have about both President…Genevieve Wood -
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I Had a Transgender Parent. Unlike Obama, I Don’t Think Transgender Parents Should Be Able to Adopt.
Should transgender parents be able to adopt? In April, President Obama made it clear he thinks they should. In a presidential proclamation for National Foster Care Month, Obama wrote, “With so many children waiting for loving homes, it is important to ensure all qualified caregivers have the opportunity to serve as foster or adoptive parents,…Denise Shick -
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Obama Needs to Step Up the Fight Against ISIS
Developments over this last weekend have left many Americans (and many of our allies) wondering about the progress (or lack thereof) of our fight against ISIS. First came news that U.S. Special Operations Forces had conducted a daring raid into Syria, killing a major ISIS leader. Then came word that ISIS had captured the city of Ramadi in…Steven Bucci -
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He Was a GOP Congressman for 14 Years, Then Went to Work for Obama. Ray LaHood’s Take on Politics.
While doing a fellowship at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, I sat down for a chat with Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman who represented Illinois’ 18th congressional district for 14 years before becoming President Obama’s secretary of transportation in 2009. We begin our conversation with LaHood’s take on why the increasing polarization between the…Genevieve Wood -
- News
At President’s Synagogue Speech, American Jews Defend Obama’s Support to Israel
In a step to reassure American Jews that he supports Israel, President Obama today became the fourth president to speak before an audience at a U.S. synagogue. Wearing a white kippah, Obama stood on the bimah of Washington’s Adas Israel—a prominent synagogue of conservative Judaism—and declared that he, and the United States, indeed has Israel’s…Josh Siegel -
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Obama Releases Agenda for More Regulations, Just Before Holiday Weekend
It’s the day before the Memorial Day holiday, and that can only mean one thing: It is time for President Obama to unveil his agenda for new rules he wants to impose on the American people. Required by law to release plans for new regulations twice a year, the administration has consistently chosen to do…James Gattuso -
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Obama Meets With President of Tunisia, Rare Country Where Approval of US Is Rapidly Growing
Today, President Obama will meet with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, who is marking his first trip to the United States since his democratic election to a five-year term in December 2014. Tunisia, which America has had unique diplomatic relations with over 200 years since the first agreement of friendship and trade between the two…Anthony B. Kim -
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Leery of Obama, Conservatives Face ‘Odd’ Debate Over Giving Him Trade Authority
A push by President Obama to earn fast-track authority to negotiate trade deals has conservatives using words like “odd” and “awkward” as they weigh their usual support for free markets with giving power to a president they distrust. “It's difficult to support trade freedom when you have a president who is not a champion of…Josh Siegel -
- Opinion
Fall of Ramadi Raises Questions About Obama’s Strategy to Defeat ISIS in Iraq
The seizure of the city of Ramadi by the Islamic State (or ISIS) on Sunday was a major setback for the Iraqi government and for the Obama administration. Although U.S. officials downplayed the significance of the defeat, saying that Ramadi was not “strategic” in a military sense, Ramadi is a very important political symbol because…James Phillips -
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Unraveling the Poverty Myths Obama Is Promoting
Our class warrior in chief was at it again last week complaining about our “ideological divides that have prevented us from making progress” in solving problems like poverty. Just when you thought you’d heard it all. Our most ideological president perhaps ever is arguing that there is too much ideology in Washington. Wow. Apparently an…Stephen Moore -
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Obama Administration’s Regulations Cost Americans $80 Billion a Year
What do restaurant menus, refrigerators, community banks and escalators have in common? All were subjected to yet more federal regulation last year. No fewer than 184 “major” new rules have been imposed since the start of the Obama administration, costing Americans about $80 billion per year in additional regulatory costs. And many more regulations are…James Gattuso -
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Arab Leaders, Upset Over Iran Deal, Snub Obama
One of the unhappy truths of life is that you can get a pretty good idea of your power and popularity by the number of invited—even more so, uninvited—guests who show up at your personal party. The same might be said of international diplomatic meetings. So you can imagine how Team Obama must feel about…Peter Brookes -
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New Report Strikes Serious Blow Against Obama Administration’s Defense in Executive Amnesty Lawsuit
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, John Roth, has dealt a serious blow against the Obama administration’s defense in the lawsuit filed by 26 states against the immigration amnesty plan announced by President Barack Obama on Nov. 20, 2014. That plan is currently on hold due to a preliminary injunction order issued by Federal…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Students Thrive in D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program Obama Refuses to Fund
The Obama administration has zeroed-out funding for any new scholarships in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, meaning the program, which provides scholarships to children from low-income families to attend a private school of choice, will slowly atrophy over time. On Thursday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the program….Lindsey Burke -
- Opinion
Obama Administration’s Major Regulations Cost More Than $80 Billion Annually
The major regulations imposed by the Obama administration now cost Americans more than $80 billion a year—twice as much as the rules issued by the Bush administration at the six-year mark, according to a Heritage Foundation report released today. Lawmakers must act on a range of reforms in order to stem the massive expansion of…James Gattuso