As frustration mounts over the war in Syria, senators will prod President Barack Obama to do what he has resisted: arm the rebels. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee takes up a bill today that would authorize the president to provide...
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Photograph by Andoni Lubaki/AP Photo
Free Syrian Army fighters take a break from the front line in Aleppo, Syria.
Senators Take Up Bill to Arm Syrian Rebels
Photograph by Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg
Repairs are made to the USS Bulkeley as it is docked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, on Feb. 28, 2013.
Military Credit Union Offers Sequester Relief
Sequestration is throwing children out of the Head Start program, eliminating meals for seniors and forcing government workers to take unpaid leave. While those effects continue, there’s some relief in sight for a less-discussed, sequester-sparked ill: those annoying overdraft fees....
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Photograph by Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Barack Obama, left, and former President George W. Bush arrive at the opening ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center on April 25, 2013 in Dallas, Texas.
Obama’s Second Term vs. Bush’s Second Term: Job Approval #s
That second term can be a real problem. On May 19, 2005, the Pew Research Center reported that then-President George W. Bush’s popularity was slipping: “Americans are critical of President Bush’s job performance in many policy areas, but negative opinions...
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Courtesy U.S. Navy via Northrop Grumman
The X-47B drone is launched from the USS George H.W. Bush, on May 14, 2013.
George Bush Launches Drone
That’s the USS George H.W. Bush, his grandson is proud to note, that launched the first of many drones the Navy hopes to deploy aboard aircraft carriers. The GHWB making waves today…X-47B makes historic carrier launch cnet.co/128V9f3 via @cnet #gonavy...
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Photograph by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Beyonce and Bibi McGill perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Beyonce: B6 in Marine Corps’ Eyes (‘Funny How the Truth Works’)
As “The Few, The Proud,” the Marines deserve their reputation with the press as mostly quick to respond with facts to a query — be it on Iraq, Afghanistan, the V-22 Osprey or Hurricane Sandy assistance. But when it comes...
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Photograph by Ken Cedeno/Bloomberg
Retired Army General David Petraeus, pictured as the top U.S. commander in Iraq, in 2007.
Petraeus ‘All In’ for Private Equity?
KKR & Co. the private-equity firm run by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, is in discussions with former Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus about a role at the company, according to a person with knowledge of the talks....
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Photograph by Nati Harnik/AP Photo
Employees load a washer and dryer into customer's car at the loading docks of Nebraska Furniture Mart in Omaha, Neb.
Bloomberg by the Numbers: 2.5%
That’s the annualized rate at which the U.S. economy grew in the first quarter, according to an estimate by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. The figure refers to the rise in the gross domestic product — the value...
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Photograph by Marc Rochette/Bloomberg
A Canadian flag flies over the Berens River in Berens River, Manitoba.
Canadian Invasion Not in the Budget
Lawmakers are agreed: We should not invade Canada. Debate over a Senate Democratic proposal to tap “unspent” Afghanistan war funds to cover the cost of halting budget sequestration veered today into the theoretical. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois was on...
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Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
General David Petraeus speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for reappointment and commander of the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan in Washington, D.C.
Crowdfunding Site Offers Professor Petraeus as Prize
First it was Mark Sanford running for Congress. Then it was Anthony Weiner floating a New York City mayoral campaign. Now, David Petraeus is putting himself out there post-scandal — as both a university professor and one lucky philanthropist’s work0ut buddy. Former...
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Photograph by John Moore/Getty Images
U.S. Office of Air and Marine (OAM) pilot Rob Smith performs a pre-flight check on an Astar B-2 helicopter before flying a patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border on April 11, 2013 in McAllen, Texas. The OAM, which assists U.S. Border Patrol agents from the air in locating undocumented immigrants and drug smugglers, has cut back flights drastically due to federal sequestration budget cuts.
Sequestration Not Coming Out in Wash
Today’s Commerce Department report on orders for durable goods may be providing the first hint that sequestration — or the automatic across-the-board federal spending cuts that took effect in March 1 — is starting to filter into the economy. Bookings...
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Contributors
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Al Hunt
is a columnist for Bloomberg View and host of the weekly show "Political Capital with Al Hunt" on Bloomberg TV. -
Mark Silva
is deputy managing editor for government news in Washington and editor of Political Capital. He has covered the White House and national politics. -
Emma Fidel
is political editor for Bloomberg.com in Washington. She previously covered financial regulation as a Bloomberg intern. -
Don Frederick
edits political and government coverage for Bloomberg News. He previously worked for more than a decade at the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. -
Gregory Giroux
analyzes elections, financing of congressional and presidential elections, political advertising and demographics in Bloomberg's Washington Bureau. -
Julie Bykowicz
covers the influence of money and lobbying in Washington, and covered the state legislature and city crime for the Baltimore Sun for 10 years. -
Jonathan Salant
covers campaign finance and lobbying in Washington. He was president of the National Press Club and started in Washington in 1987. -
Richard Rubin
covers federal tax policy. He worked at Congressional Quarterly and The Charlotte Observer before joining Bloomberg News in 2010. -
Julie Hirschfeld Davis
is a senior political reporter for the Washington Bureau. She covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News and previously covered the White House for the Baltimore Sun. -
Lisa Lerer
covers the White House and covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News. She covered Congress, lobbying and the 2008 campaign for Politico. -
John McCormick
is a national political reporter looking forward to the 2016 presidential campaign, which will be the fifth he's covered. He's also reported for The Des Moines Register and Chicago Tribune. -
Julianna Goldman
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Hans Nichols
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Margaret Talev
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and covered the White House for McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered California and Florida politics. -
Cary O'Reilly
is Editor at Large at Bloomberg First Word and is Washington Daybook columnist for Bloomberg Government and Bloomberg News.
