It's not always easy to tell who's coming or going as the Obama administration starts its second term, but multiple agencies have quietly commissioned artists to paint official portraits of Cabinet secretaries and other top appointees — an expenditure often seen when officials are on the way out the door or already gone.
The Agriculture Department grudgingly extended the life of the nation's largest produce-safety testing program on Monday, just as the initiative was slated to be shut down.
The Agriculture Department grudgingly extended the life of the nation's largest produce-safety testing program on Monday, just as the initiative was slated to be shut down.
Creditors of the bankrupt wireless company Open Range Communications, which closed in October owing more than $70 million in unpaid federal loans, say the Justice Department is refusing to turn over records as part of a court-ordered investigation, including details from a meeting between two top Obama administration officials and the White House.
Wireless provider Open Range Communications recently filed for bankruptcy owing U.S. taxpayers more than $70 million from a loan awarded in the waning days of the George W. Bush administration, but now creditors are faulting the Obama administration's handling of the loan.
