Jun 8, 2011 – Harnessing Reaganomics to the Internet revolution, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty laid out his economic vision for the nation—and his potential presidency—on Tuesday at the University of Chicago, a bastion of conservative economic academia. Pawlenty outlined an approach to fiscal issues that closely tracks the fiscal austerity program of House Budget...

Jun 8, 2011 – What a difference a week makes. I returned home from Memorial Day vacation to read about dozens of reporters chasing former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s caravan around the East Coast—a low-stakes scavenger hunt for a candidate who has shown few signs of seriously planning a presidential campaign....

Jun 8, 2011 – ABC News' Arlette Saenz reports: Five Republican contenders -- Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Gary Johnson, and Rick Santorum -- have signed on to participate in a Tea Party bus tour through Iowa, according to organizers of the tour. The Iowa Tea Party, in conjunction with American Principles in...

Jun 8, 2011 – The Senate's second-ranking Democrat questioned GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty's new economic plan, suggesting his tax cuts were little more than warmed-over Bush administration policies. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) took a shot at Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor who on Tuesday outlined a set of economic reform...

Jun 8, 2011 – (Newser) – Ben Bernanke isn’t worried about a double-dip recession, despite an economy he acknowledged as unexpectedly troubled this year, reports MarketWatch. “I expect hiring to pick up from last month’s pace as growth strengthens in the second half of the year,” the Fed chairman told a meeting of international...

Jun 8, 2011 – A new Quinnipiac poll finds Mitt Romney leads in the race for the Republican nomination with 25%, followed by Sarah Palin at 15%, Herman Cain at 9%, Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul at 8%, Rep. Michele Bachmann at 6% and Tim Pawlenty at 5%. Said pollster Peter Brown: "Whether...

Jun 8, 2011 – It’s called “Night Watch.” That‘s the nickname given to the military’s E-4B 747 airplane. But none of those names stack up to its more ominous descriptor: “doomsday plane.” After learning just a few facts about the aircraft, you realize quickly the name is appropriate. For example, it has an electromagnetic pulse...

Jun 8, 2011 – (CNN) -New GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum continued to tout his conservative credentials Tuesday on CNN’s “John King, USA.” “I’ve been a great, consistent leader of the conservative cause,” said Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator. “I’ve been someone who’s had ideas, fought for those ideas and have been able to...

Jun 8, 2011 – "The federal government’s financial condition deteriorated rapidly last year, far beyond the $1.5 trillion in new debt taken on to finance the budget deficit, a USA TODAY analysis shows. The government added $5.3 trillion in new financial obligations in 2010, largely for retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security....

Jun 8, 2011 – Clear Lake, Iowa (CNN) -- Eight months from now, Iowa will once again lead the nation as the first state to officially vote for a Republican presidential nominee. But as the election nears, some voters say it is too early to be standing firmly behind one candidate at this stage...

Jun 8, 2011 – SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers are "playing with fire" by contemplating even a brief debt default as a means to force deeper government spending cuts, an adviser to China's central bank said on Wednesday. The idea of a technical default -- essentially delaying interest payments for a few days --...

Jun 8, 2011 – Is the United Nations gunning for Americans’ second Amendment rights? In an op-ed for Forbes, University of Houston professor Larry Bell rails against the U.N.’s “Small Arms Treaty.” Bell claims that the international body is passing the measure off as an effort intended to combat terrorists and insurgents. He says the...

Jun 8, 2011 – As President Obama prepares to visit Northern Virginia on Wednesday, the Republican National Committee is making the case that the Commonwealth — as well as a handful of other swing states — have moved away from the incumbent over the past three years. In a memo obtained by...

Jun 8, 2011 – Democrats will often get irritable when some clingy philistine refers to Obamacare as "socialized medicine." It's simply not a precise phrase for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In any event, it's not socialized yet, you ignoramuses! Progress doesn't happen overnight. No worries, though, recent signs portend that Obamacare...

Jun 8, 2011 – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the “frustratingly slow” U.S. recovery warrants sustained monetary stimulus while predicting that growth will gain speed in the second half of the year. “The economy is still producing at levels well below its potential; consequently, accommodative monetary policies are still needed,” Bernanke...

Jun 8, 2011 – Reporting from Washington — A Democratic congressman wants to know if Sarah Palin's bus tour of national treasures ended up draining the Treasury. Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon is concerned that Palin's Paul Revere Plus tour garnered special treatment from the National Park Service last week. He sent...

Jun 8, 2011 – FOR THREE years, under presidents of both parties, the federal government has pumped trillions of borrowed dollars into stimulus, bailout, and recovery spending. The results have been woeful: Two years after the recession formally ended, the country is mired in a bleak economic lassitude from which it seems unable to...

Jun 8, 2011 – Texas Gov. Rick Perry's latest call for a day of prayer is being met by a chorus of boos from critics who say the potential presidential candidate is showing favoritism toward Christianity and violating the separation of church and state. Perry has ordered a day of prayer and...

Jun 8, 2011 – (Newser) – Possessing a half-ounce or less of pot will soon no longer be a crime in Connecticut. After a spirited discussion, the state's House of Representatives has voted to make Connecticut the 14th state in the nation to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, reports the Hartford Courant....

Jun 8, 2011 – PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A pair of U.S. missile strikes hit a vehicle and a compound Wednesday in a tribal region near the Afghan border, killing 23 suspected militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said. The two missile strikes were the fourth and fifth of the week, and the latest sign that...

Jun 8, 2011 – Lawmakers are facing a tough vote in the Senate Wednesday, as they decide whether to block the Federal Reserve from capping fees that stores pay banks every time a shopper swipes a debit card. With consumers caught in the middle, lawmakers are weighing whether to side with the banks...

Jun 8, 2011 – Lawmakers are facing a tough vote in the Senate Wednesday, as they decide whether to block the Federal Reserve from capping fees that stores pay banks every time a shopper swipes a debit card. With consumers caught in the middle, lawmakers are weighing whether to side with the banks or...

Jun 8, 2011 – ATLANTA (AP) — Judges on a federal appeals court panel on Wednesday repeatedly raised questions about President Obama’s health care overhaul, expressing unease with the requirement that virtually all Americans carry health insurance or face penalties. All three judges on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel questioned...

Jun 8, 2011 – Morales and Chris Kacher Stock Tip: Don't Take Stock Tips John Ransom Obama's Top Econ Advisor Out Click the Townhall…

Jun 8, 2011 – Morales and Chris Kacher Stock Tip: Don't Take Stock Tips John Ransom Obama's Top Econ Advisor Out Click the Townhall…