Palin reportedly ignored Fox News chief's advice
Sarah Palin addressing Tucson shooting rampage in Jan. 12, 2011 video.
/ CBSIn the wake of January's Tucson tragedy, Sarah Palin reportedly asked Fox News chairman Roger Ailes for advice on how she should respond to the tragedy - and then promptly ignored his guidance, New York magazine reports.
Palin, who ultimately garnered a slew of national criticism for her now-infamous "Blood Libel" video apparently sought advice from Ailes and other advisers on whether or not to respond to the criticism she was receiving from liberals in the aftermath of the tragedy.
"Lie low," Ailes reportedly told Palin. "There's no need to inject yourself into the story."
New York reports that Palin's lawyer, Bob Barnett, also cautioned her from entering the debate.
Continue »Obama: U.S. must reform "No Child Left Behind"
President Barack Obama gestures during his speech at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Va., Monday, March, 14, 2011.
/ AP PhotoPresident Obama on Monday called for a major overhaul to the Bush-era education policy "No Child Left Behind," emphasizing the need for more effective measurement tools in assessing the success of teachers and schools, and pledging that "we cannot cut [funding for] education" despite the nation's economic woes.
In remarks at an Arlington, Virginia, middle school, Mr. Obama challenged Congress to send him an education bill to sign "before the next school year begins," and outlined a series of proposed reforms that he argued would make American students more competitive in the global arena.
"The best economic policy is one that produces more college graduates," he told the audience at Kenmore Middle School. "We need to make sure we're graduating students who are ready for college and ready for careers."
Continue »Obama to outline education law overhaul
President Barack Obama in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011.
/ AP Photo/Charles DharapakPresident Obama on Monday will outline a comprehensive overhaul of former President George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education policy, emphasizing increased flexibility among states and schools to determine the best path toward educational improvement.
Speaking before students at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia, Mr. Obama will present a timeline for rewriting Mr. Bush's law, which many have criticized for setting inflexible federal guidelines and abandoning schools determined as "failing."
"In the 21st century, it's not enough to leave no child behind," Obama will say, according to an excerpt of his prepared remarks released by the White House. "We need to help every child get ahead. We need to get every child on a path to academic excellence."
Continue »Obama calls for agreement on gun reform laws
CBS/iStockphoto
In his first public comments about gun control since Arizona's mass shootings in January, President Obama on Sunday called for "agreement" on the divisive issue of gun reform laws, and urged the implementation of "sound and effective steps" that would minimize gun violence in the United States.
In an op-ed for the Arizona Daily Star, the president emphasized his support for the right of Americans to bear arms - but emphasized the need to keep the "irresponsible, law-breaking few from getting their hands on a gun in the first place."
"I'm willing to bet they don't think that using a gun and using common sense are incompatible ideas - that we should check someone's criminal record before he can check out at a gun seller; that an unbalanced man shouldn't be able to buy a gun so easily; that there's room for us to have reasonable laws that uphold liberty, ensure citizen safety and are fully compatible with a robust Second Amendment," wrote Mr. Obama, of "responsible, law-abiding gun owners."
Continue »Crowley resigns over Bradley Manning comments
P.J. Crowley speaks to reporters on Sept. 2, 2010.
/ AP Photo/Charles DharapakCrowley, who served as National Security Council spokesman under former President Bill Clinton, came under fire last week after describing the treatment of Manning as "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid" during an academic forum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation," Crowley said in a statement on Sunday.
Proposed GOP cuts target tsunami warning centers
"Tsunami forecast model" map created by the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii predicting the wave height of the tsunami generated by the Japan earthquake
/ APComplete Coverage: Earthquake in Japan
The budget, which proposed about $60 billion in budget cuts, would slash funding for the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That would potentially cripple the effectiveness of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, which issued a series of warnings over the past several days regarding the situation in Japan, where an 8.9 magnitude earthquake triggered a massive tsunami along the nation's east coast. (The PTWC is a part of the National Weather Service, which falls under the umbrella of NOAA - the organization responsible for providing tsunami warnings in the U.S.)
The Republican's proposed "continuing resolution" to fund the government, which was defeated in the Senate this week, aimed to cut $1.2 billion - or 21 percent - of President Obama's proposed budget for NOAA, ClimateProgress.org reports.
Continue »Obama offers aid, condolences to Japan
Updated: 1:33pm ET
President Obama on Friday said he was "heartbroken" in the wake of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, and pledged to offer "whatever assistance is needed" to the country as it attempts to recover from the disaster, which is thought to have killed hundreds of Japanese residents.
Complete Coverage: Disaster in Japan
"I am heartbroken by this tragedy," Mr. Obama said at a press conference on Friday afternoon, emphasizing that "our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan."
Obama: I'm willing to tap U.S. oil reserve
Noting that the 8.9 magnitude earthquake, one of the most powerful on record in Japanese history, was "a potentially catastrophic disaster," Mr. Obama said that America would provide Japan with assistance while working to ensure the safety of American citizens in the country.
Continue »McCaskill billed taxpayers for political trip
Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill asks questions on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2010.
/ AP PHOTO2:49pm ET
Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill billed taxpayers approximately $1,220 for an airplane trip to a Democratic political event, her spokesperson confirmed CBS News.
Earlier this week, McCaskill wrote a check for more than $88,000 to the Treasury Department, after reports surfaced that she had, over the course of four years, billed to taxpayers $76,000 for 89 flights on a charter plane she co-owns with her husband and other investors.
A spokesperson for the congresswoman, who has throughout her Senate career made a point of pushing for increased government oversight into congressional expenditures of taxpayer dollars, insisted that the flights did not violate any laws or Senate rules. She added, however, that McCaskill was was happy to reimburse the funds for the sake of "the optics of the bigger picture."
Continue »Pawlenty blasts Obama's Middle East response
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition Event March 7, 2011 in Waukee, Iowa.
/ Photo by Steve Pope/Getty Images"On Libya, we have a confirmed terrorist, a psychopath, somebody who has killed Americans and has American blood on his hands," Pawlenty said, referring to the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland that killed 270 people, the Minnesota Post reports.
"I think if there is a plausible way to implement a no-fly zone, we should," Pawlenty continued. "If there is a plausible way to help those who are trying to take out Muammar Qaddafi, we should. The president, he's thinking about it and thinking about it, but I would be more forward-leaning."
Continue »Tears and tension at Muslim radicalization hearings
In a lengthy, emotional, and at times contentious hearing on Thursday, members of Congress and a panel of experts testified before the House Homeland Security Committee on the theme of radicalization in the Muslim American community - and whether or not that topic merited such a discussion in the first place.
The hearing, led by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), aimed to investigate what was described as "the extent of radicalization" among Muslims in America. Evidence came in the form of the testimony of family members of young men who became radicalized Islamists, as well as the founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser.
But the hearing - which King says will be the first in a series - was the subject of a slew of criticism from those who believe that Muslim Americans were being unjustly targeted as a community.
Continue »Dem. breaks down in radicalization hearings
Updated: 12:41pm ET
In testimony before the Homeland Security Committee's hearing on radicalization in the Muslim community Thursday, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, one of two Muslim members of Congress, broke down in tears while delivering an emotional tribute to a young Muslim-American who lost his life in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - and whose reputation was later maligned due to his faith.
Ellison, who argues that the hearings unjustly target the Muslim-American community for the acts of a few Islamic terrorists, closed his remarks with the story of 23-year-old Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a paramedic who died trying to save lives in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
"Mr. Hamdani bravely sacrificed his life to try and help others on 9/11. After the tragedy some people tried to smear his character solely because of his Islamic faith," Ellison said, his voice breaking. "Some people spread false rumors and speculated that he was in league with the attackers only because he was Muslim. It was only when his remains were identified that these lies were fully exposed."
Continue »Obama, Australia PM stress unity, spar on Vegemite
In a high school visit on Monday, President Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (who was formerly Australia's education minister) emphasized the close friendship between the United States and Australia, citing a shared "frontier spirit" and a "premium on individualism and freedom." (The two leaders did, however, disagree on the merits of Vegemite.)
After remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, the two leaders headed to Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia - the site of Mr. Obama's address to students on Sept. 8, 2009 - to stop in and chat with an 11th grade history class.
Continue »Over 1,000 waivers granted for health care law
CBS/ AP
The waivers, which are typically granted to "mini-med" organizations that provide limited coverage and cannot meet the annual coverage limits mandated by the health care reform law, were meant as a stopgap measure to prevent a disruption in the insurance market upon implementation of the new legislation.
But many Republican lawmakers are pouncing on waivers as evidence of the argument that the law, which Obama signed into law in March 2010, is fundamentally flawed.
Continue »Sarah Palin's parents: We sleep with guns
From left, Track, Piper, Willow, Bristol, Sarah, Trig, Trip and Todd Palin.
/ TLC/Gilles MingassonUpdated: 1:22PM ET
Sarah Palin's parents said they fear for the safety of their daughter and her family, and that they sleep with guns as a precaution, the BBC reports.
In a recent interview with BBC's "Newsnight," which explored the former Republican vice presidential nominee's prospective presidential bid for 2012, her parents Chuck and Sally Heath spoke about threats against the family.
Sarah Palin: Kathy Griffin is a bully"As a mother I do have concerns about her safety and that of the kids... she knows how I feel, that it's risky," Sally Heath told the network.
Citing a recent incident in which a man from Pennsylvania reportedly sent the family and others copies of the receipt of a gun he had purchased, as well as that of a one-way ticket to Anchorage, Chuck Heath said the family had legitimate safety concerns.
Continue »Daley sidesteps query on jail for Wall St. execs
White House Chief of Staff William Daley.
/ Getty ImagesIn a Sunday interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Daley, who served as a JP Morgan executive during the 2008 crisis, argued that Mr. Obama had demonstrated his dissatisfaction with Wall Street by fighting for financial reform legislation, and said it would be irresponsible for a politician or the president to press for the prosecution of individuals.
Daley, the former Midwest chairman and head of corporate responsibility for JP Morgan, joined the bank in 2004 and served there until he was appointed to the Obama administration in January 2011. The New York Times reports that he earned $8.7 million in that capacity during 2010 and the first week of 2011.
