Scott Horsley

Obama Begins European Trip: G-8 Summit Then Stop In Berlin

Scott Horsley — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:26:00 +0000

President Obama is in Northern Ireland Monday — the first stop on a three-day European visit that includes a G-8 summit meeting and a side trip to Berlin.

The president begins his tour with a speech in Belfast, celebrating Northern Ireland's peace process and urging young people in the country to keep it moving forward.

Later, Obama joins leaders of other industrial countries at a remote golf resort in County Fermanagh for talks on Syria, trade and the global economy.

The G-8 leaders have a working dinner Monday night, and Syria is likely to dominate the discussion.

How Rock 'N' Roll Can Explain The U.S. Economy

Scott Horsley — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:24:00 +0000

White House economic adviser Alan Krueger took some ribbing from his boss this week. President Obama noted that Krueger will soon be leaving Washington to go back to his old job, teaching economics at Princeton.

"And now that Alan has some free time, he can return to another burning passion of his: 'Rockanomics,' the economics of rock and roll," the president said.

Obama's D.C. Court Nominations Heat Up Battle With Senate

Scott Horsley — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:12:00 +0000

President Obama fired a warning shot Tuesday in the battle over Senate confirmations: He nominated three new judges to the powerful federal appeals court in Washington, and he challenged Senate Republicans not to stand in their way.

Obama complained about procedural roadblocks that have tied up many of his previous nominees — sometimes for years.

But Republicans are looking to sidestep the confirmation fight by downsizing the appeals court itself.

Obama To Press Congress On Student Loan Rates

Scott Horsley — Fri, 31 May 2013 07:23:00 +0000
President Obama surrounded himself with college students at the White House on Friday and warned that the cost of student loans is about to go up.
Interest rates on government-backed college loans are set to double July 1 — unless Congress agrees on a fix before then. Obama has threatened to veto a House-passed bill that would let the cost of student loans go up and down with the market.
If the alarm bells over rising student loan rates sound familiar, that's because the same thing happened last year.

White House Addresses Benghazi Emails, IRS Audits

Scott Horsley — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:39:00 +0000
Transcript
MELISSA BLOCK, BYLINE: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.
AUDIE CORNISH, BYLINE: And I'm Audie Cornish.
The Obama administration is doing some intensive damage control this evening. Tonight, the president announced that the acting commissioner of the IRS, Steven Miller, is being pushed out over heightened scrutiny given to Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations.
Earlier today, the White House also released 100 pages of emails in hopes of quieting a lingering controversy over last year's deadly attack at the U.S.

IRS Inspector General Faults 'Ineffective Management'

Scott Horsley — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:02:00 +0000
Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
We have more details today on missteps by the Internal Revenue Service, specifically in the way the IRS processed applications for tax-exempt status by Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations. An Inspector General's report says the problems were not limited to low-level agency employees.
Last week the IRS apologized for targeting such groups for special scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. NPR's Scott Horsley joins us now.

President Asks Moms For Help Promoting Obamacare

Scott Horsley — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:21:00 +0000
Transcript
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
And I'm Audie Cornish. At the White House this afternoon, President Obama enlisted a new ally in his campaign to promote health insurance: moms. Starting this fall, Americans who don't have insurance or who've been buying costly individual policies will be able to shop for coverage through new government exchanges. The White House plans an aggressive campaign to encourage people to sign up.

Democrats Hope For A Bright Future In The Lone Star State

Scott Horsley — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:32:00 +0000
President Obama travels to Texas on Thursday for the second time in as many weeks. He will talk about job training and economic opportunity, but he may have a political opportunity on his mind as well.
Obama lost Texas by more than 1 million votes last year.

The Federal Deficit Is Actually Shrinking

Scott Horsley — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:37:00 +0000
During the housing bust, taxpayers were forced to bail out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But thanks to the real estate recovery, Fannie Mae could end up paying tens of billions of dollars back to the Treasury this summer.
That's just one of the factors behind a better bottom line for the federal government.

Online Retailers Take Opposite Sides On Sales Tax Bill

Scott Horsley — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:42:00 +0000
More online retailers would have to collect sales tax under a bill making its way through the U.S. Senate this week. The measure won strong bipartisan backing on a procedural vote Monday, and President Obama has said he would sign it.
The political battle over the bill pits online retailers against brick-and-mortar stores — and, in some cases, against other online sellers.
Nancy Mashragi of Clearwater, Fla., backed in to online retailing.