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Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation which eliminates the state’s Michigan Business Tax and Surcharge, replacing it with a six percent tax on businesses

Influence comes in many forms. Often, influencing the influencers is a smart strategy. Free food never hurts, either. The head of public relations for

Massey Energy, the owner of the West Virginia mine where 29 miners were killed in a blast last month, has shocked its critics today, urging federal officials to

Lehman Bros. CEO Richard Fuld, in a written statement for the House oversight committee, portrays himself as a victim of mortgage-market forces beyond his

Zachary Roth has the scoop on Dr. David McKalip, a conservative activist who opposes Democratic health care plans, who sent a Tea Party listserv a doctored

BP is setting up a new division within the company to ensure safe operations. The New York Times: Dudley announced that BP would set up a new global safety

Prayer-goers who attended Gov. Rick Perry’s Response in August may have been surprised to find themselves on a mailing list encouraging them to take part in

Franklin Roosevelt knew the Great Depression offered an opportunity to do more than rescue a sick economy. It was a unique chance to pursue a higher purpose for government -- to make life less risky for future generations. If Roosevelt is the standard, Obama will be judged not just on how he deals with the economic crisis, but on how he uses it.

The fringe right-wing Website that became a lot less obscure this year is out with a Top-10 list marking its groundbreaking reports. Five (and a half if you

Line-item vetoes combined with a lack of leadership by Gov. Terry Branstad have resulted in unmanageable situations for Iowa families, the unemployed and prison inmates and staff, a state union leader asserted Wednesday afternoon while calling on lawmakers to demand a special session to deal with the ongoing fallout.

As the second funnel week of the legislative session looms two weeks from today, Iowa lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are identifying priorities for the next two weeks. But disagreements and passionate-fueled controversy, however, could put bills on hold until the next year. Lawmakers could either pass or stall a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks in Iowa as early as next week

For a certain anti-Obama crowd, thoughtful responses from GOP lawmakers to queries about the validity of president-elect’s right to office fuels their fire.

This week, the National Association of Realtors announced that home sales in July slumped 27 percent to a 15-year low. The annual pace of sales for existing

The same concerns being voiced at occupy rallies across the country can be heard at coffee shops, grocery stores and kitchen tables in rural Iowa, 4th Congressional District candidate Christie Vilsack says. “I think there’s this frustration with Congress not doing anything about the job issue and a lot of partisan fighting, and I certainly want to be a a problem solver, not a partisan fighter,” she said. Vilsack , an Ames Democrat and former first lady, said every family is having those conversations, and the occupy demonstrators are just expressing that in a more “vocal” way

“Dangerous levels” of radiation will not reach American soil from Japan and nuclear power remains “an important part of our energy future,” President Obama said in remarks at the White House today.

Fellow TPM alum, Kate Klonick has joined us to blog the remaking of the Department of Justice, including Eric Holder’s Senate confirmation hearings Thursday.

Just off the phone with the offices of both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), where spokespeople

The EPA just issued a statement announcing that they have extended the review period for 79 surface mining permit applications in Appalachia. This means that

Anti-abortion activist Gary Boisclair announced on Saturday that he is challenging Rep. Keith Ellison for the DFL primary

610 South Blvd., Tampa (Pic by Phil Bardi) A little over a year ago, no-party gubernatorial candidate Bud Chiles stood outside an off-white single-story building with a carefully manicured lawn in suburban Tampa and said , “This building behind me is ground zero for what’s wrong with Florida politics.” The building’s address: 610 South Blvd., a designation found on the financial disclosure forms of countless political committees in Florida and all over the country. The unassuming building nestled in an unassuming neighborhood is a veritable political action committee mill , churning out millions of dollars and influencing elections all over the country. The kicker: What is happening at 610 South Blvd.

I don’t know if I believe this, but The Guardian is reporting that President-elect Barack Obama might put out feelers for direct U.S. talks with Hamas. The