Tag - us-congress

 
 

US CONGRESS

Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 1, 2013
'Not-so-conservative' Republicans may be key to solving U.S. fiscal drama
The most conservative tea party-backed members of the House GOP have been the center of attention in the ongoing fiscal drama, but the key to a solution in the coming days may be a different Republican bloc altogether.
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Sep 30, 2013
Law may lead to disparities
Half a century ago, the creation of Medicare and Medicaid was a triumph of American egalitarianism. Within a decade, the United States went from a country where 1 in 3 people lacked health insurance to a nation where just 1 in 10 went without coverage.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 30, 2013
Slow start expected for system
The White House is downplaying expectations for the first day of the Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplaces.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 30, 2013
Glitches, logistical problems plague exchanges
Buying health insurance will be as easy as purchasing a plane ticket or shopping on Amazon, President Barack Obama has promised.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2013
Shutdown quandary shows Washington's breakdown
Washington once again stands at a moment of crisis — only this time, Democrats and Republicans are not negotiating a way to avoid it. They are not even speaking to one another.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 29, 2013
Looking to 2016, Rubio and Paul rush to join Cruz
Sen. Ted Cruz might have alienated the Republican establishment with his all-night polemic against the Affordable Care Act. But that doesn't mean the caustic Texan didn't win any friends in Washington. As Cruz's 21-hour speech dragged on, GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky were...
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2013
Obama draws line in sand on health law, debt ceiling
To the chagrin of many in his own party, President Barack Obama has almost always been willing to negotiate — on taxes, on spending, even on the social safety net.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2013
Republican hard-liners block plan to avoid U.S. defaulting on debt
The Republican Party's right wing on Thursday blocked a strategy by House Speaker John Boehner for navigating a series of deadlines to keep the government funded and avoid a first-ever U.S. debt default.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 25, 2013
Cruz, party tangle over U.S. shutdown
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz escalated his conflict with fellow Republicans Tuesday when he stepped up his attacks on President Barack Obama's signature health care law, complicating House GOP efforts to pass a funding bill that would avert a government shutdown next week.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 22, 2013
Gun-violence victims often greeted by silence
The survivors took their places onstage from memory, because by now they knew exactly where to go. The shooting victims in wheelchairs entered first, rolling into the front row, wearing bracelets engraved with the words "Aurora," "Oak Creek" or "Virginia Tech." Behind them stood a dozen people in black...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 15, 2013
Conservative Club for Growth targets 'Obamacare'
The first sign that Republican leaders could not control their new majority came on a vote to help Americans who lose their jobs to foreign workers. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor considered the measure routine and in February 2011 put it on a list of bills that were expected to pass without objection....
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2013
Obama risks little by going to Congress
The transfer of authority from the legislative branch to the executive branch has been, on the whole, a terrible thing for the U.S.
WORLD
Sep 3, 2013
2014 elections, specter of Iraq loom over Obama's high-stakes Syria gamble
President Barack Obama's stunning reversal on Syria — deciding to ask Congress to approve the use of force just hours after he seemed set on bypassing the legislative branch — amounts to a massive gamble by the commander in chief.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 3, 2013
Obama shows flexibility on Syrian strike proposal
As the Obama administration launches what it describes as a 'flood the zone' campaign to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Syria, officials say they are willing to rewrite the proposed resolution to clarify that any operation would be limited in scope and duration.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 30, 2013
White House, Republicans give up on budget talks
The Obama administration and a group of Republican senators on Thursday abandoned efforts to hammer out a budget deal and avoid a showdown over the national debt, saying they had failed to resolve their long-standing dispute over taxes.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2013
The perfect excuse for politicians not to govern
It's not just that the Republican tactic of shutting down the government is a bomb that may eventually go off. It's also a perfect excuse for everyone not to govern.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 26, 2013
U.S. government not shrinking fast
After 2½ years of budget battles, the U.S. federal government is on pace this year to spend $3.455 trillion.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 20, 2013
Texas Sen. Cruz vows to renounce Canadian citizenship
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz announced Monday evening that he will renounce his Canadian citizenship, less than 24 hours after a newspaper pointed out that the Canadian-born senator likely maintains dual citizenship.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 15, 2013
Jackson, wife given jail terms
Jesse Jackson Jr., a once-promising Illinois congressman, was sentenced to 30 months in prison Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign money to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 15, 2013
Booker on track to reach Washington
Newark Mayor Cory Booker took another step toward the Senate on Tuesday when he easily won the Democratic nomination in New Jersey. Republican nominee Steve Lonegan isn't expected to be more than an also-ran against Booker, meaning the Newark mayor has basically punched his ticket to Washington.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan