Topic “Thom's Blog”

Tonight, President Obama delivers his fifth State of the Union address, and his first since beginning his second term in office. The major points of Obama's speech will likely highlight gun control, immigration, and an economic vision for job creation and economic growth – with another call for Congress to prevent the sequester.

There are less than 20 days until the March 1st Sequester deadline. And Washington is gearing up for a major fight. If politicians can't come to a compromise, the looming $85 billion of Republican austerity is set to make devastating cuts to programs many Americans depend on.

President Obama’s nominee to head up the CIA, John Brennan, faced off with Senators on the Intelligence Committee on Thursday, as part of his confirmation hearing. He was asked several questions about the drone warfare program, and its lethal targeting of American citizens abroad. As the architect of this program, Brennan defended the use of drones to kill Americans who are deemed “imminent threats,” and can’t be captured.

After NBC news obtained a memo outlining some of the legal justifications for killing American citizens abroad with drones, the White House has given in to pressure from Congress and turned over the DOJ’s classified legal justification for the drone warfare program.

On Tuesday, President Obama urged Congress to put off the looming sequester of nearly a trillion dollars in spending cuts. But if he wants to find a suitable replacement to reduce the deficit, and stimulate the economy – he should look to the left-wing of his own party: the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

NBC News has obtained an official White House memo, which lays out the legal justification behind using drones for the targeted killing of American citizens abroad.

If the NRA, and its foaming-at-the-mouth leader, Wayne LaPierre weren’t scary enough, it turns out the gun-happy organization has now created an enemies list.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continues to screw over working people in his state. Earlier this week – he vetoed legislation to increase the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour. But, that’s not the only way Christie has denied help to the middle class. He also vetoed to key housing assistance bills, which would have brought much needed relief to struggling homeowners.

Welcome to America, where half the nation lives right on the razor’s edge. A shocking new report out of the Corporation for Enterprise Development, finds that 44% of Americans are just one financial shock away from complete ruin. Nearly half the nation doesn’t have enough savings to keep them out of poverty for more than 3 months, should they suffer a job loss, an accident, a sickness, or other financial shock.

For the first time since 2009, the U.S. economy shrank last quarter. New numbers out of the Commerce Department, show that the economy shrank in the fourth quarter of 2012 by point-1 percent. That’s a complete reversal from the robust 3.1% growth rate, which we saw in the third quarter of 2012.