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Joseph Curl

Joseph Curl

jcurl@washingtontimes.com

Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at josephcurl@gmail.com.

Columns by Joseph Curl

FILE - In this June 2, 2015 file photo, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid of Nev. attends a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Reid is at it again, meddling in Nevada home-state politics to help his Democrats and undermine GOP presidential candidates. Even heading into retirement and blind in one eye, Reid is serving notice that Republicans will have to go through him if they want to win Nevada in 2016 as well as pick up the Senate seat he is vacating. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

REID: ‘WE’RE HEADED FOR ANOTHER SHUTDOWN’

Sen. Harry Reid, who repeatedly bemoaned threats by Republicans to shut down the government when he was Majority Leader, is now delivering his own warning: "We're headed for another shutdown." Republicans now control the Senate, meaning that the GOP can move forward with its own agenda. But Democrats are vowing to filibuster spending bills, holding up funding for various federal agencies.

June 10, 2015

Iowa caucuses to go high-tech in 2016

The Iowa caucuses are a throwback to the old days of politics: candidates stumping across the state and meeting thousands of people, who then gather in churches and schools to select delegates -- a lively process that takes hours. But this time around, technology is going to force its way into the process.

June 9, 2015
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum talks with Bob Crowl, of Panora, Iowa, during a stop at Panora Telecom Solutions, Monday, June 8, 2015, in Panora, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Just one supporter shows up for Santorum lunch

Rick Santorum, who won the Iowa caucuses in 2012 and went on to take 11 state primaries and nearly 4 million votes -- more than any other candidate except Mitt Romney -- was down to just one supporter in Iowa on Monday.

June 9, 2015

BUSH IN BERLIN: STEP OFF, VLAD

Republican Jeb Bush on Tuesday warned Vladimir Putin to back off in Ukraine and eastern Europe, vowing that if he is elected president, the United States will take a harder line on Russian aggression. "Russia must respect the sovereignty of all of its neighbors. And who can doubt that Russia will do what it pleases if its aggression goes unanswered? Our alliance, our solidarity and our actions are essential if we want to preserve the fundamental principles of our international order... an order that free nations have sacrificed so much to build?" Bush said during a visit to Berlin.

June 9, 2015
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of the G-7 summit at Schloss Elmau hotel near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, Monday, June 8, 2015. The two-day summit  addressed such issues as climate change, poverty and the fight against terrorism. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

‘WE DON’T YET HAVE A COMPLETE STRATEGY’

President Obama on Monday said his administration does not yet "have a complete strategy" on what to do in Iraq, where the Islamic militia ISIS has swept through cities, taking control and slaughtering civilians. Holding a press conference in Krun, Germany, where he is attending the G-7 meeting, Obama said that even though the U.S. has been training Iraqi forces to run security efforts in the country for 12 years, there still isn't a plan on just how to achieve results.

June 8, 2015
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio waves to supporters with his wife Jeanette, after he announced that he will be running for the Republican presidential nomination, during a rally at the Freedom Tower, Monday, April 13, 2015, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

NY TIMES GOES AFTER RUBIO, WIFE — FOR TRAFFIC TICKETS

The New York Times, which targeted its most feared Republican candidate last year when it tarred New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for a scandal he had nothing to do with, is now going after the new top opponent of the Grey Lady's favorite candidate, Hillary Clinton.

June 5, 2015
Lois Lerner is the former IRS official at the center of a controversy over how the agency treated conservative political groups. (Associated Press) **FILE**

IRS official: ‘Lois Lerner was the tip of the iceberg’

The IRS's director of privacy, governmental liaison and disclosure division testified Wednesday that the tax agency set up a special committee with hundreds of lawyers to handle the probe into whether Tea Party groups were targeted, but repeatedly said she had no idea how it operated.

June 3, 2015
The legacies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush loom large over the campaigns of HIllary Clinton and Jeb Bush. (Associated Press)

POLL: Voters won’t hold George W., Bill against Jeb, Hillary

While Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley says the presidency isn't a crown to passed between two families, Iowa voters don't seem to care much if the next president has the same name as a former one -- or if he or she consults with Presidents No. 43 or 42.

June 3, 2015
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, left, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam attend a press conference before a state Republican Party fundraising dinner in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, May 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

Harry Reid intervened on Nevada proposal to switch to primary

Sen. Harry Reid personally intervened to shut down a move to switch Nevada elections from caucuses to a statewide primary, which political analysts say is a blow to Jeb Bush, who is making the state a key part of his yet-to-be-announced presidential run.

June 2, 2015
Senator Elizabeth Warren meets with members of the Berkshire Brigades and takes a selfie with BCC student Jacob Robbins before delivering the commencement address at the Berkshire Community College graduation ceremony at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass,  Friday, May 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Stephanie Zollshan/The Berkshire Eagle via AP)

Run Warren Run To Close, Close, Close

A MoveOn.org-run organization to encourage Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for the Democratic presidential nomination has finally decided to throw in the towel.

June 2, 2015
This Jan. 23, 2013, file photo shows Secretary of State Hillary Rodham as she testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) ** FILE **

POLL: Hillary Clinton dishonest, untrustworthy

Nearly 6 in 10 think Hillary Clinton is dishonest and untrustworthy, a new poll finds. In just two months, the number of people who say Hillary can't be trusted has risen 8 points to 57 percent, according to a new CNN/ORC poll on the 2016 race. Exactly half agreed that she does not inspire confidence, also up 8 points.

June 2, 2015
President Barack Obama passes then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before delivering a policy address on events in the Middle East at the State Department in Washington on May 19, 2011. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Hillary to kick off campaign June 13 — in NYC?

"Hillary Clinton's official campaign launch will occur Saturday, June 13th, starting with a major speech in New York City and continuing with a nationally webcast organizing meeting in Iowa. Her launch will continue with a swing through all four early primary states," according to a press release Monday.

June 1, 2015