1. 12 Feb


    Tonight, President Obama will address Congress and the nation in his fourth State of the Union address, which is set to begin at 9 p.m. EST. If you won’t be in front of a television — and even if you will be — be sure to follow along via social media. Here’s how:   Before the speech: At 7:30 p.m., chat live with White House reporter Paul Brandus on The Week’s Facebook page. He’ll give you the lowdown on what to expect from tonight’s address. During the speech: On Twitter, subscribe to @TheWeek’s list of key political players, which includes both reporters and politicians who will be tweeting about the address. Separately, you’ll want to follow the hashtag #SOTU.   More: A social media guide to the SOTU

    Tonight, President Obama will address Congress and the nation in his fourth State of the Union address, which is set to begin at 9 p.m. EST. If you won’t be in front of a television — and even if you will be — be sure to follow along via social media. Here’s how:  

    • Before the speech: At 7:30 p.m., chat live with White House reporter Paul Brandus on The Week’s Facebook page. He’ll give you the lowdown on what to expect from tonight’s address.

    • During the speech: On Twitter, subscribe to @TheWeek’s list of key political players, which includes both reporters and politicians who will be tweeting about the address. Separately, you’ll want to follow the hashtag #SOTU.  

    More: A social media guide to the SOTU

     

  2. 25 Jan


    Do you see what I see? I have arrived! The weather is frigid, for the deep south. #dc ~ @lahlauren

    Our multimedia editor Lauren Hansen is in Washington D.C. this weekend, and she’s taken our Instagram account with her. She’s a delight, and you should follow along. We’re @theweekmag. 

     

  3. 31 Jan


    Investigators at Washington state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife are trying to unravel an unusual whodunit: Eight sea lions have been found dead in the Puget Sound region, all with bullet wounds. There have been scattered cases of murdered sea lions before, but it’s rare to find so many in such close proximity. Who would do such a thing?

    Investigators at Washington state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife are trying to unravel an unusual whodunit: Eight sea lions have been found dead in the Puget Sound region, all with bullet wounds. There have been scattered cases of murdered sea lions before, but it’s rare to find so many in such close proximity. Who would do such a thing?

     

  4. 24 Jan


    As Congress and the White House cast about for ways to shrink the yawning U.S. budget deficit, they could do worse than starting with a few stern words for their own staffs. According to IRS data crunched by The Washington Post, almost 100,000 employees of Congress, the West Wing, and several other federal agencies were collectively about $1 billion short in paying their 2010 taxes. That’s “totally unacceptable and disrespectful,” says Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who’s pushing a bill to make tax delinquency a firable offense for federal workers. “If you’re on the federal payroll, the very least you can do is pay your taxes.” Here, a by-the-numbers look at the federal bureaucracy’s tax problem: $114.2 billionUnpaid 2010 taxes, interest, and penalties for all Americans $1.03 billionAmount that 98,291 federal, postal, and congressional employees owe in unpaid 2010 taxes $32 millionIncrease from 2009 to 2010 in delinquent federal employee taxes owed 0.96Tax delinquency rate, in percent, at the Treasury Department, which houses the IRS. That’s the lowest rate of any agency studied. $9.3 millionUnpaid 2010 taxes for 1,181 delinquent Treasury employees More numbers here

    As Congress and the White House cast about for ways to shrink the yawning U.S. budget deficit, they could do worse than starting with a few stern words for their own staffs. According to IRS data crunched by The Washington Post, almost 100,000 employees of Congress, the West Wing, and several other federal agencies were collectively about $1 billion short in paying their 2010 taxes. That’s “totally unacceptable and disrespectful,” says Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who’s pushing a bill to make tax delinquency a firable offense for federal workers. “If you’re on the federal payroll, the very least you can do is pay your taxes.” Here, a by-the-numbers look at the federal bureaucracy’s tax problem:

    • $114.2 billion
      Unpaid 2010 taxes, interest, and penalties for all Americans
    • $1.03 billion
      Amount that 98,291 federal, postal, and congressional employees owe in unpaid 2010 taxes
    • $32 million
      Increase from 2009 to 2010 in delinquent federal employee taxes owed
    • 0.96
      Tax delinquency rate, in percent, at the Treasury Department, which houses the IRS. That’s the lowest rate of any agency studied.
    • $9.3 million
      Unpaid 2010 taxes for 1,181 delinquent Treasury employees

    More numbers here

     

  5. 5 Dec



    Americans understand we’re up to our neck in debt. They know cuts have to be made. But this perception is often in the abstract, and when it comes to specifics, the classic NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) mentality rules. We just don’t want anything cut that directly impacts us.
    — Paul Brandus in his latest Bullpen column
     

  6. 20 Jan



    The successful revolt (in Tunisia) proves that the fortunes of Arab countries don’t depend on what Washington does.
    — The Week Bullpen columnist Daniel Larison, from his latest column, In Tunisia, a less in benign neglect