Breaking News

IOWA CITY — Nearly every public policy issue that can be named has a direct impact on the very foundation of American society, according to former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty , which is a traditional marriage consisting of one man and one woman. Pawlenty, who told reporters before his public remarks on Monday that he is definitely “leaning toward” at 2012 presidential run, spoke on a litany of issues ranging from the economy to freedom of religion to education to health care, bringing each one back to his primary focus on the family.

Automotive News reports that if GM is forced to declare bankruptcy, the federal government could be forced to take on the burden of paying for the pensions

More fallout from the Martha Coakley debacle comes, via Emily Cadei, in the form of the NRCC targeting two House seats in Massachusetts -- in a state that has

After a jurisdictional mix-up caused the House to re-start the $600 million border security bill this morning, it looked like the bill might be delayed until

As the President considers whether to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a Republican bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would prohibit

According to a recent Brookings Institute report, three big metro areas in Florida — Lakeland, Palm Bay and Miami — are among the 20 weakest-performing cities in the country in the struggle to recover from the recession. The study (.pdf) attributed Florida’s struggles to the housing crisis in the state. Florida, in particular, experienced a housing price boom that was followed by a bust that the state has yet to fully recover from

As Congress weighs its plans for tackling the nation’s enduring jobs crisis, the National Employment Law Project today laid out the stakes of inaction: Nearly

LANSING — Thousands of Michiganders gathered on the East lawn of the Michigan Capitol Wednesday to protest Republican legislative proposals that, in their view, undermine labor rights and budget proposals that balance the state’s budget on the backs of seniors and the poor. “I am here because the Blue Green Alliance is an important player in mobilizing the environmental and labor communities to develop the clean energy agenda,” said former Congressman Mark Schauer, who now runs the Blue Green Alliance. “Those jobs will help us compete in the global competition for jobs — and it is global

The congressionally chartered commission on wartime contracting is meeting today, and one of its witnesses is Danielle Brian, the Project on Government

The presser is still going on, but here’s Defense Secretary Bob Gates’ statement about what defense programs he’s cutting, halting and continuing. Big news:

The 2012 nomination calendar appears to have once again survived various states jockeying for position, but the drama isn’t quite over. Speaking with ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl , Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus indicated there would be no forgiveness for Florida’s 2012 leap-frog that tossed the calendar set by the national political parties into chaos.

NASHVILLE - At an alternately blunt and blustery press conference, National Tea Party Convention organizers Judson Phillips and Mark Skoda declared that they

It’s not considered a swing state, but Sen. John McCain’s home state of Arizona may open a window into the state of the national race. Another poll released

Just released from the Senate Armed Services Committee staff: Today’s Senate Armed Services Committee briefing on the shooting incident at Fort Hood, Texas,

In its latest appeal for donations, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is calling on supporters to fund a new campaign that targets U.S. Rep. Ileana

Over at The New Republic, Noam Scheiber counts the votes for Elizabeth Warren, the current head of the Congressional Oversight Panel over the Troubled Asset

But, Gary Bauer argues, Republicans in name only can be important in the Senate.

According to The Hotline’s latest whip count, Michael Steele continues to fall behind former Wisconsin GOP chair Reince Priebus in his bid to maintain his

Iowa politicians from across the spectrum agree religion is exploited for political gain. Faith plays an important role in politics across the nation, but maybe more so in Iowa.

Some good news on the birther front: a Deseret News/KSL-TV poll finds that only 9 percent of Utahns (13 percent of Republicans) don’t believe the president

The Occupy Columbus movement left a small contingent at their forward operating base, located on a busy downtown street directly in front of the Statehouse, as

For five years, the reasoning behind the U.S. occupation of Iraq has been that the Iraqi government believes that a U.S. military presence is needed to