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IRS official Lois Lerner placed on administrative leave
May 23rd, 2013
05:45 PM ET
4 minutes ago

IRS official Lois Lerner placed on administrative leave

Washington (CNN) – The Internal Revenue Service official overseeing the unit that targeted conservative groups for several years beginning in the spring of 2010 has been placed on administrative leave, according to Congressional sources in both parties.

Lois Lerner was the director of exempt organizations when the agency filtered applications for tax exempt status for words such as "patriot" and "tea party."
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Filed under: IRS
House immigration plan's near death experience
May 23rd, 2013
05:22 PM ET
13 minutes ago

House immigration plan's near death experience

Washington (CNN) - A House bipartisan immigration plan survived a near collapse Thursday, after negotiators reached agreement on a controversial sticking point over health care costs for undocumented workers.

Last week four House Democrats and four House Republicans who have been working for months on a comprehensive immigration reform plan announced an "agreement in principle," but in recent days that deal appeared to be in jeopardy. A partisan split emerged over how to ensure taxpayer dollars at both the federal and state level would not be used to cover the health care for undocumented immigrants who can't afford to pay for it on their own.
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Filed under: House • Immigration
Democrat seeking to replace Levin gets his support
May 23rd, 2013
04:44 PM ET
1 hour ago

Democrat seeking to replace Levin gets his support

(CNN) - The Democratic frontrunner to replace the retiring Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan on Thursday picked up the support of Levin and the state's other Democratic senator, Debbie Stabenow.

Rep. Gary Peters, a three-term Democrat whose district includes parts of Detroit, got a boost after Democratic activist Debbie Dingell, wife of a veteran congressman, and former two-term Gov. Jennifer Granholm each announced they would sit out the race.
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Filed under: Carl Levin • Debbie Stabenow • Michigan
CNN's GUT CHECK for May 23, 2013
May 23rd, 2013
04:37 PM ET
2 hours ago

CNN's GUT CHECK for May 23, 2013

CNN's GUT CHECK | for May 23, 2013 | 5 p.m.
- n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

OBAMA, TERRORISM AND THE FUTURE: President Barack Obama in a major counterterrorism speech Thursday defended the American drone program, saying that despite the controversies around it, the strikes are legal and save lives. – Jamie Crawford and Joe Sterling

ON DRONES: “America does not take strikes when we have the ability to capture individual terrorists – our preference is always to detain, interrogate, and prosecute them. America cannot take strikes wherever we choose – our actions are bound by consultations with partners, and respect for state sovereignty. … And before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured – the highest standard we can set.”

ON GUANTANAMO: “When I ran for President the first time, John McCain supported closing GTMO. No person has ever escaped from one of our super-max or military prisons in the United States. Our courts have convicted hundreds of people for terrorism-related offenses, including some who are more dangerous than most GTMO detainees. Given my Administration's relentless pursuit of al Qaeda's leadership, there is no justification beyond politics for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened.”

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Filed under: CNN's Gut Check
The face of Code Pink
May 23rd, 2013
03:55 PM ET
31 minutes ago

Obama heckled by Code Pink leader

Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama's solemn remarks on drones and counterterrorism were interrupted at length Thursday by a protester who loudly advocated for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison – the same position Obama was stressing in his speech.

The woman shouting was identified as peace activist Medea Benjamin of the group Code Pink, whose members have been loudly interrupting congressional hearings and official speeches for years.
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Filed under: President Obama
This time, he's running as a Republican
May 23rd, 2013
03:55 PM ET
29 minutes ago

This time, he's running as a Republican

(CNN) - It's take two for Tom Tancredo.

After making a bid for Colorado governor as a third party candidate in 2010, the former GOP congressman known nationally for his outspoken and hardline stance on illegal immigration, Thursday announced he's running for governor again, in 2014, but this time as a Republican.
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Filed under: Tom Tancredo
Obama, 'troubled' by leak investigations, asks for review
May 23rd, 2013
02:50 PM ET
1 hour ago

Obama, 'troubled' by leak investigations, asks for review

(CNN) – Justice Department probes leading to the seizure of journalists' phone and e-mail records have prompted a review of the government's practices in investigating leaks of secret information, President Barack Obama said Thursday.

In a speech that also detailed the government's use of drones to kill American citizens – acts which were originally made public through leaks of classified information – Obama said reports of investigations targeting journalists had him worried for the future of a watchdog press.
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Filed under: President Obama
Weiner says more photos may come out
New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner rode the New York subway Thursday enroute to the WNYC radio interview.
May 23rd, 2013
02:38 PM ET
2 hours ago

Weiner says more photos may come out

(CNN) - Normally, the disclosure of lewd photos and messages exchanged in a sexting scandal would derail a campaign. But for Anthony Weiner, that would be old news.

He said as much in an interview Thursday, repeating a statement he made prior to yesterday's launch of his New York mayoral campaign. Weiner acknowledged it is possible that more photos from the scandal which led him to step down from Congress in 2011 could come out.
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Filed under: Anthony Weiner • New York
Full Remarks: Obama announces changes to counterterrorism policy
May 23rd, 2013
02:13 PM ET
2 hours ago

Full Remarks: Obama announces changes to counterterrorism policy

(CNN) – President Barack Obama announced changes to American counterterrorism policy Thursday in a speech at the National Defense University in Washington. Below are his remarks, as prepared for delivery.
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Filed under: President Obama • Terrorism
First on CNN: Bill Clinton's $106 million speech circuit windfall
May 23rd, 2013
01:01 PM ET
3 hours ago

First on CNN: Bill Clinton's $106 million speech circuit windfall

Washington (CNN) – As former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embarks on her new career as a paid speaker, she joins a lucrative family business that already has earned her husband more than $100 million since leaving office in 2001.

And despite the sluggish economy, business is booming.
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Filed under: Bill Clinton • Hillary Clinton
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