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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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
Photograph by Getty Images
A P2V Neptune U.S. patrol plane flies over a Soviet freighter during the Cuban missile crisis in this 1962 photograph.
Some Sunshine: Tale of Two FOIA’s
The last day of “Sunshine Week”’ — celebrating the Freedom of Information Act and not the Age of Aquarius from “Hair” — rings kinda hollow to this defense reporter. Like many scribes, I was overjoyed — maybe too giddy —...
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Photograph by John Moore/Getty Images
Homeless U.S. military veterans stand in line for free services at a 'Stand Down' event hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Denver, Colorado.
VA Technology Chief ‘Can’t Take Another Four Years’
Roger Baker, the Department of Veterans Affairs chief information officer, says his decision to resign on March 8 isn’t tied to a better offer — he just needs to “recharge some batteries.” Baker, who’s overseen some of the VA’s most...
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Photograph by Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. Marines 2nd Batallion, 1st Marines Regiment with Female Engagement Team Sargeant Savanna E. Malendoski, center, and Sargeant Patricia A. Aquino, left, talk to Afghan villagers during a visit to a village in Gamser, Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.
When Will Women Be Drafted for War? — When Congress Says So
So women will go to war. But when will they be drafted? The Defense Department’s decision to lift the ban against women on the front lines of combat leaves open the question of the draft. Men were drafted for the...
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Photograph by John D McHugh/Reportage by Getty Images
U.S. medics from Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion 82nd Aviation, General Supprot Aviation Battalion, tend to two Afghan women on a Blackhawk UH-60 helicopter as they fly to Bagram Air Field, from Parwan province, Afghanistan.
Women in Combat: Reality Catches Up
Written with David Lerman With word that the Pentagon is lifting a ban on women serving in direct combat roles, women who have served in the military — including some who have come home with Purple Hearts — are hailing...
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Photograph by L'Osservatore Romano-Vatican Pool via Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI meets with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the end of the General Audience at the Paul VI Hall on Jan. 16, 2013 in Vatican City.
Pope to Panetta: ‘Thank You’
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is asking for a little divine intervention as he wraps up his service at the Pentagon. Panetta is spending this week on a trip to western Europe, with the official purpose of thanking NATO allies for...
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Photograph by Mark Murrmann/Zuma Press
Senator Chuck Hagel speaking with then senator Joe Biden in this file photo.
Washington Daybook: Hagel, Brennan
President Barack Obama will announce his choice of Chuck Hagel for defense secretary today, setting up a showdown with an ad hoc coalition that opposes the former Republican senator, including members of his own party who advocate muscular defense policies,...
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Photograph by Mandel Ngan/AFP via GettyImages
President Barack Obama greets troops after delivering remarks inside the 1st Aviation Support Battalion Hangar on Aur. 31, 2012 at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Military: Obama Tops Romney Almost 2-1 in Campaign Donations
President Barack Obama is taking in almost twice as much in campaign contributions from U.S. military personnel as Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is collecting, despite Romney’s promises to boost defense spending and his campaign attacks over military cuts set...
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Photograph by Everett Collection
Big Bird, who lists taxable wages of about $280,000, may not get much of a tax break if Romney gets elected.
Big Bird’s Taxes: Little Relief Promised in Romney’s Tax Cuts
If Mitt Romney gets elected president, Big Bird and his Sesame Street colleagues may have to go out and hustle donations to keep stations airing their show operating. Big Bird, who lists taxable wages of about $280,000 on the IRS...
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Photograph by Sebastiano Tomada/Sipa USA via AP Images
A U.S. Army gunner in the turret of an armoured vehicle scans the surrounding grounds during a mounted patrol in the village of Sanjeray in Kunar's Pech Rive Valley.
U.S. Defense Cuts = `Dire Straits,’ Obama Campaign Adviser Says
The United States would be in “very dire straits” and forced to redraw its national security strategy, if the Pentagon’s budget is cut by $500 billion over the next decade, according to Michele Flournoy, an Obama campaign adviser. President Barack...
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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.
