HOT BUTTON BLOG

An examination of events surrounding daily news topics.

• Liberal actress says tea parties were racist

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published April 17, 2009 Comments

  Liberal actress and political activist Janeane Garofalo said activists who attended tea parties are racists with dysfunctional brains in a recent prime-time television appearance.

• The anti-EFCA top 10

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published April 15, 2009 Comments

  The Workforce Fairness Institute has compiled a list of newspaper editorial boards, Democrats and moderate Republicans who oppose the Employee Free Choice Act

• Private sector beats recovery.gov in tracking stimulus cash

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published April 10, 2009 Comments

  Onvia, a Seattle-based company that employs roughly 200 people, has created a free application that allows the public to search what Obama's $787 billion stimulus is paying for on their websites, recovery.com and recovery.org.

• Stimulus site still being planned

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published April 8, 2009 Comments

  Obama said the website would publish "information about how the funding secured in this legislation will be spent in a timely, targeted and transparent manner" but those details are not available now.

• Obama's stimulus-spending Web site short on details

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published April 2, 2009 Comments

  Concerns are piling up that www.recovery.gov, the Obama administration's online clearinghouse for stimulus- spending information, isn't producing the kind of transparency it promised.

• Government watchdogs tell Treasury to talk

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published April 1, 2009 Comments

  The Treasury department has spent more than $303 billion of the $700 billion in TARP funds, yet lacks a communications officer among its 113 staff in charge of releasing the money.

• Obama turns grassroots group against Bayh

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 25, 2009 Comments

  Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh is being targeted by President Obama's grassroots campaign, Organizing for America.

• Specter announces opposition to 'card check'

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 24, 2009 Comments

  Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter announced his opposition to a contentious bill to make union organizing easier called The Employee Free Choice Act Tuesday afternoon.

• House GOP obtains e-mails from Countrywide's VIP loan program

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 23, 2009 Comments

  The ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee releases a report on "Friends of Angelo" loan program.

• Palin miffed at Obama's Special Olympic gaffe

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 20, 2009 Comments

  Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, mother to a child with Down's Syndrome, took issue with a comment President Obama made on "The Tonight Show."

• 11 percent of Obama's top staff are former lobbyists

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 20, 2009 Comments

  Study shows 30 out of 267 administration officials have lobbied over the past five years.

• AIG has pulled one over Geithner before

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 18, 2009 Comments

  AIG spent tax dollars on spa treatments and retention bonuses that were routed to the insurance firm under Geithner's New York Federal Reserve

• Hasn't Geithner been here before with AIG?

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 18, 2009 Comments

  AIG spent taxdollars on spa treatments and retention bonuses that were routed to the insurance firm under Geithner's New York Federal Reserve

• Bayh launches group for moderate Dems

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 18, 2009 Comments

  Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh announces a new, moderate working group in the Senate.

• Dodd reaped campaign cash from AIG

  By Amanda Carpenter — Published March 17, 2009 Comments

  Banking Chairman Chris Dodd (D.-Conn.) received more than $280,000 on donations from AIG over the past 10 years.