Dave Boyer

Obama seeks public’s leverage in ‘fiscal cliff’ fight

Forgoing direct negotiations with House Republicans for another week, President Obama surrounded himself Wednesday with middle-class taxpayers and urged Americans to pressure Congress to embrace his plan to end tax breaks for families earning more than $250,000 per year.

November 28, 2012

Critics angry Obama administration won’t label China currency manipulator

On an issue that dogged President Obama during his re-election campaign, the Treasury Department said Tuesday that China's currency remains undervalued, but the administration stopped short of branding the country a currency manipulator.

November 27, 2012

Bypassing Republicans, Obama makes tax argument directly to public

President Obama embarked Tuesday on a tax-hike strategy that avoids direct negotiations with Congress in favor of trying to rally the public to exert more pressure on Republican lawmakers.

November 27, 2012

‘Fiscal cliff’ negotiations stall again on question of raising tax rates

The talks between President Obama and congressional Republicans to avoid looming tax hikes and steep spending cuts regressed Monday to the same old sticking point — raising taxes on wealthier Americans.

November 26, 2012

On ‘Cyber Monday,’ White House presses for middle-class tax cuts

Seizing on one of the biggest shopping days of the year, the White House tried to exert pressure on Republican lawmakers Monday by warning that consumer spending could drop by nearly $200 billion in 2013 if Congress fails to approve an extension of tax cuts for the middle class by the end of next month.

November 26, 2012

Pressure intensifies for GOP to raise taxes on rich

As President Obama and Capitol Hill leaders continue negotiations to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff," top Democrats on Sunday ramped up pressure on their Republican counterparts to accept tax increases on the wealthy as part of a broader agreement.

November 18, 2012

Obama balances attention to Middle East during Asian trip

Escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians on Sunday nearly hijacked President Obama's postelection trip to Southeast Asia — a tour billed as a diplomatic show of force in the region and part of the administration's attempt to pivot U.S. focus to Asia after a decade of war in the Middle East.

November 18, 2012

Obama warns Israel, Palestinians of further escalation

President Obama said Sunday a ground invasion by Israeli forces into Gaza would only raise the death toll of the past week, and he warned Palestinians that a further escalation of violence would set back hopes for peace for years to come.

November 18, 2012

White House says it didn’t edit Benghazi talking points

The White House Saturday refuted testimony by former CIA Director David Petraeus to Congress, saying the administration didn't make changes in its early talking points about the attack of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, to downplay the role of terrorists.

November 17, 2012

Hill leaders buoyed by White House talks on fiscal cliff

Congressional leaders emerged from a meeting with President Obama Friday expressing optimism about a new "framework" for an agreement that would stave off the looming "fiscal cliff" of steeper tax hikes and spending cuts for the federal government by the end of the year.

November 16, 2012

Leaders on Hill ready to bargain on taxes

Top congressional leaders of both parties, eager to avoid the "fiscal cliff," are beginning to show signs of willingness to compromise on the thorny issue of raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as they prepare to meet President Obama on Friday at the White House.

November 15, 2012

Obama urges Israel, Egypt leaders to ‘de-escalate’ Gaza violence

With Middle East tensions rising as Israel launched a major offensive against Palestinian militants, President Obama appealed Wednesday to Israel's prime minister to avoid civilian casualties and asked Egypt's president for help in calming the situation.

November 14, 2012

Obama: GOP resistance may trigger second recession

As he prepares to meet Friday with congressional leaders on finding a way to avert the looming "fiscal cliff," President Obama warned that the U.S. will plunge into a second recession if the GOP refuses to go along with his proposal to raise taxes only on wealthier Americans.

November 14, 2012

Obama: No evidence Petraeus scandal harmed national security

President Obama said he had seen "no evidence" that classified information had been compromised in the wake of David H. Petraeus' stunning decision to resign as CIA director after admitting to an extramarital affair late last week.

November 14, 2012

Obama lays wreath in Arlington, honors veterans’ sacrifice

President Obama observed Veterans Day on Sunday by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and promising the post-9/11 generation of veterans and their families that America will care for them "as long as they walk this Earth."

November 11, 2012

CIA chief Petraeus in shock resignation over affair

CIA Director David H. Petraeus has resigned due to having had an extramarital affair, ending the government career of one of the nation's highest-profile leaders in the decade-long war on terror and adding a question mark to the list of vacancies in President Obama's post-election Cabinet reshuffle.

November 9, 2012

Obama: Extend middle-class tax cuts now

In his first public appearance since his re-election Tuesday night, President Obama called on Congress Friday to extend tax cuts for the middle class immediately as part of a deal on deficit reduction and spending cuts, a move Republican lawmakers have opposed.

November 9, 2012

Obama lies low as calls for fiscal action grow

President Obama's first full day in Washington after his re-election was one of his least visible in memory, even as cries intensified on Capitol Hill for action to deal with the government's looming fiscal disaster.

November 8, 2012

Obama faces a more modest second term

President Obama won re-election in part because his supporters favor bigger government — but a divided Congress virtually ensures the president's initiatives in his second term will be far smaller in scale than Obamacare or an $821 billion plan to stimulate the economy.Divid

November 7, 2012

ELECTION 2012: Democrats keep grasp on control of Senate

Republicans fell short Tuesday night of their goal of winning control of the Senate, after a campaign beset with weak candidate recruitment and self-inflicted gaffes in some of the GOP's most promising races.

November 6, 2012