Key findings
In the Texas primary and runoff for U.S. Senate, more than a dozen super PACs and other outside spending groups spent $14.5 million on on ads and other independent expenditures, with about 75 percent...
View ArticleMaryland, California taking action to improve dropout rates
From President Obama to Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, politicians are habitually warning us that high dropout rates among some students are a civil rights issue, and a drag on U.S....
View ArticleDaily Disclosure: Club for Growth Action focuses on Wisconsin
After being the top spender in the GOP U.S. Senate primary and runoff in Texas — in which tea party-favorite Ted Cruz beat establishment favorite, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst — super PAC Club for Growth...
View ArticleU.S. nuclear targeting unaltered since 2008
Behind doors that can be opened only by spins of a combination lock or an electronic scan of fingerprints or eyeballs, Defense Department officials periodically work out the details of America’s plans...
View ArticlePAC profile: Ending Spending Action Fund
Type of organization: Super PACSupports candidate: ConservativeFounded: Oct. 5, 2010Website: http://endingspendingfund.com/Social media: YouTubePrincipals:J. Joe Ricketts (founder): Ricketts is the...
View ArticleNonprofit profile: American Commitment
Type of organization: NonprofitSupports: ConservativeLocation: Washington, D.C.Founded: April 2012Website: http://www.americancommitment.org/Social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTubeFinances: Not...
View ArticleFederal report: Fewer kids are victims of violent crime, but more are poor
Teen pregnancies and the number of kids victimized by violent crime have fallen noticeably, but nearly a quarter of U.S. children are living in poverty and more, not fewer, are being exposed to...
View ArticleSolyndra loan guarantee 'a bad bet from the beginning,' GOP report says
The Department of Energy knew its $535 million loan guarantee to solar-panel maker Solyndra Inc. was “a bad bet from the beginning” but was “determined to make Solyndra a stimulus success story at any...
View ArticleBipartisan group of lawmakers demands better Pentagon auditing
A bill proposed by a bipartisan group of senators Thursday would punish Pentagon agencies for failing to meet a series of deadlines for conducting proper internal audits, marking a major ratcheting up...
View ArticleDaily Disclosure: Dem super PAC wants to avoid Brunner in Missouri
Democrats have decided who they don’t want to face in the Missouri race for U.S. Senate — Republican businessman John Brunner.Majority PAC, a super PAC that supports Democratic candidates for U.S....
View ArticleCapitalism and Corrections: Wall Street loan for youth inmate rehab
Venture capitalists to the rescue of locked-up youth?The world of juvenile justice is abuzz over news that Goldman Sachs will provide New York City with a $9.6 million loan — a so-called “social impact...
View ArticleCounter-IED efforts still beset by poor oversight and duplication
The Pentagon has pumped billions of dollars into programs to counter the dangers of improvised explosive devices over the last decade but still lacks a way to track whether its initiatives are meeting...
View ArticleOPINION: Real-world health insurance math doesn't add up
Aetna’s had a lot to say lately about how business is good. The company disclosed last week that it made $458 million in profits this spring, and said it expected to make more money this year than...
View ArticleDaily Disclosure: RNC, Priorities trade attacks on presidential candidates
Pro-President Barack Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action spent nearly $1.3 million this weekend on an anti-Mitt Romney ad buy, second only to the Republican National Committee, which spent $3.8...
View ArticleSenators suggest new penalties in Chinese helicopter probe
Two senior members of the Senate Armed Services Committee called on Monday for the Defense Department to consider suspending or blocking its ties to a major weapons contractor that admitted illegally...
View ArticleOutside groups spend $2.2 million in Missouri Senate race
Super PACs and nonprofits have spent more than $2.2 million in the race for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Missouri, with nearly 90 percent of the total going toward negative ads, according to a...
View ArticleDaily Disclosure: Man links wife's cancer death to Bain buyout
Today, Priorities USA Action, a pro-President Barack Obama super PAC, released “Understands.” The minute-long ad takes aim at presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, condemning his actions when he...
View ArticleReport: States deal with more female offenders
Violent juvenile crime has fallen over the last decade — good news — but the numbers of American girls getting into trouble have continued to increase, according to a report released Tuesday by the...
View ArticleAkin wins Missouri Senate primary, Dems get their wish
Rep. Todd Akin, a six-term lawmaker and evangelical Christian with the support of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, won a hotly contested Republican U.S. Senate primary in Missouri, meaning he will...
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