They represent what may be the last great hope for a grand compromise on the budget crisis facing America. Their success or failure could mean either a new tone in Washington or a long fight to the finish of the 2012 elections. The fight also includes everything from raised retirement age and Medicare changes to higher taxes. But who are the Gang of Six? With the help of Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, we take a closer look at six men in whose hands the fate of a giant policy resolution may rest.
The lobby of Washington, D.C.'s Mayflower Hotel has seen more than its fair share of presidents and political elite. The hotel's piano bar has become a social scene for presidents within the hotel, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Harry Truman, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter. Our partners at the BBC spoke with the one man who's seen it all go down, and provided the entertainment along the way — Dan Ruskin, the piano man.
The federal deficit is set to top $1.5 trillion this year. It's a huge number, but does it even mean anything anymore? Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich says that competing budget plans are popping up all around the Capitol as lawmakers try to find ways to cut as much as possible. The Republican leadership in the House says they will cut $100 billion from the budget this fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Obama has proposed a $400 billion cut over ten years. As the Republicans look for deeper and deeper cuts, the Democrats warn that this could shock the economy back into a recession.
When the 112th Congress convenes next week, it will be the first class of legislators in nearly fifty years that does not include a member of the Kennedy clan. From Jack to Bobby to Ted to Joseph, and finally to Patrick — who decided against running for reelection this year as representative from Rhode Island — the Kennedys have been a mainstay in Washington D.C. for decades.
Thanksgiving approaches, a holiday full of yearly traditions for families across the country. As Americans begin to prepare turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberries for their Thanksgiving meals, we decided to take look at how our nation's capital celebrates this holiday. It seems that Washington lobbyists have their own special traditions in November, and the food we enjoy each Thanksgiving arrives infused with political influence.
What struck me most about Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear?" The attendees were not the people that Washington thinks they are. Yes, there were plenty of college students, pot smokers, and 20-somethings who rarely vote. But of the 20 people that I spoke to as they passed by me on the National Mall, not one of them fit that description. In fact, only two were younger than 40.
Many politicians (on both sides of the aisle) are comfortable dismissing the Daily Show and Colbert crowd as not serious, and non-voting. I think that's a mistake. The majority of the people I saw were middle-aged or retired, politically active, and fed up with politics.
There's growing concern about the national debt: currently a gulp-inducing $13 trillion... and counting. President Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is tasked with coming up with proposals to begin solving the problem later this year. We speak with Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, and a member of the bipartisan deficit-reduction commission.
For geographic, political and strategic reasons, Pakistan has been a key player in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, new military documents leaked by Wikileaks.org and published by The New York Times have raised the question: just whose side is Pakistan's intelligence agency on?
Less than 48 hours after Rolling Stone’s profile of General Stanley McChrystal went viral on the Internet, President Obama relieved the four-star general of his job as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. General David Petraeus will now take over the post, leaving behind an opening at the Central Command in Iraq. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, was in the Rose Garden yesterday for Obama’s announcement. He explains the political implications of the president's decision and the response it is getting in Washington. Even though the president tried to drive home the point that strategy was not going to change, this personnel upset has reopened the strategy debate in Washington.
After months of debate and attacks from both sides of the aisle, the Senate passed a financial regulatory bill by a 59-39 vote, Thursday. The biggest change in the bill is the creation of an agency whose sole job is to monitor fairness of any product that is bought by the consumer. Next, the Senate and House versions of financial reform have to be reconciled and combined before heading to the president's desk, perhaps as early as the Fourth of July.
Under ordinary circumstances, it can be hard to get young people engaged in politics. But when the political system seems broken, does the job become even harder? For the fourth installment in our series, "Frustration Nation," we turn to a high school civics teacher and two students to hear how the turmoil in Washington plays out in the classroom.
Yesterday, we spoke with media experts about the role of news in politics and its impact on the gridlock in Washington, D.C. We received many comments from listeners who believe strongly that the media are responsible for much of the political divisiveness in the country today.
A new CNN poll finds that 86 percent of Americans think that government is broken. This week, we kick off a series called "Frustration Nation," where we examine the gridlock in the capital and how politics has come to be so divisive in America. For the first installment, we put today's situation in a historical context.
The nation's capital has been shut down this week, again, after receiving more than 50 inches of snow. It's the biggest snowfall ever recorded in D.C. history. The storm has also paralyzed most of the Northeast.
President Obama delivered his State of the Union Wednesday evening addressing jobs, the economy, health care and more. For help analyzing his speech, we talk with former Clinton speechwriter Ted Widmer and our Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich.
Today, the White House releases a huge amount of raw data on how and where stimulus money is being spent. We talk about the numbers we know so far, what listeners have noticed, and what we'll be looking for in the tea leaves. We're joined by WNYC reporter Andrea Bernstein, Pete Herman, a currently unemployed ironworker from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Charlie Dilbert, a construction worker from Cincinnati whose job is being paid for with stimulus money.
Comedian Baratunde Thurston on 'How to Be Black'
Today's Takeaway: Focus on Violence Syria
Today's Takeaway: Big Night for Rick Santorum
In-Depth Look at the Situation in Syria
'Tebow Bill' May Allow Home-Schoolers to Play on High School Teams
Today's Takeaway: Multi-Billion Dollar Foreclosure Settlement Imminent
Newly-Discovered Recordings Shed Light on a Young Malcolm X
Is Our Constitution Out of Date?
Multi-Billion Dollar Foreclosure Settlement Imminent
Contraception Coverage Draws Criticism from Catholic Bishops
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