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Thursday

There's Nothing Funny About Colbert's SuperPAC

On Thursday, the Federal Election Commission gave comedian Stephen Colbert the OK to form a superPAC. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Wilson/Getty Images

There's Nothing Funny About Colbert's SuperPAC

Comedian Stephen Colbert started a political superPAC as a joke. But — his bad — it turned out to raise some basic questions about campaign finance law. On Thursday, the Federal Election Commission gave Colbert most of what he'd asked for.

There's Nothing Funny About Colbert's SuperPAC

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Debt Ceiling Fight Sparks Political Shame Game

After a tongue-lashing from President Obama, the Senate is canceling its recess next week. Lawmakers have yet to strike a deficit-reduction deal to raise the debt ceiling, and they have to act by Aug. 2 to avoid a possible default. The impasse has led to a flood of scolding on Capitol Hill.

Debt Ceiling Fight Sparks Political Shame Game

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National

Growers Nervous As Washington Eyes Farm Subsidies

Federal subsidies for farmers have been an essential element of the U.S. agricultural industry for decades. But as both political parties look for ways to cut the deficit, payments to growers are under the microscope, and farmers are bracing for leaner times.

Growers Nervous As Washington Eyes Farm Subsidies

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Debt Deadlock Chills Consumers

President Barack Obama discusses the debt limit and federal deficit during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 29, 2011. Carolyn Kaster/ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption

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Carolyn Kaster/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Economy

Debt Deadlock Chills Consumers

At Wednesday's press conference, President Obama urged congressional leaders, and particularly Republicans, to be more open to negotiations when it comes to raising the debt limit and cutting the deficit. To learn what the continued standoff between Republicans and Democrats will mean for the U.S. economy, host Michel Martin speaks with NPR's Senior Business Editor Marilyn Geewax and Wall Street Journal reporter Sudeep Reddy.

Debt Deadlock Chills Consumers

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Is GOP Resolve On Taxes Showing Cracks?

Most Senate Republicans voted two weeks ago to end a tax break for ethanol. Some see that vote as a chink in the armor of anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist and the no-new-taxes pledge he's gotten almost every GOP lawmaker to take.

Is GOP Resolve On Taxes Showing Cracks?

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Banks Ordered To Lower Retailers' Debit Fees
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Business

Banks Ordered To Lower Retailers' Debit Fees

Starting in October, banks will only be allowed to charge retailers 21 cents for each debit card transaction, plus an additional 0.05 percent of the purchase price to cover the cost of fraud protection.

Banks Ordered To Lower Retailers' Debit Fees

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Wednesday

Solid Start Puts Bachmann In Front-Runner Territory

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann talks with supporters during a campaign stop in Raymond, N.H., on Tuesday. Jim Cole/AP hide caption

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Jim Cole/AP

Michele Bachmann

Solid Start Puts Bachmann In Front-Runner Territory

A day after her formal announcement that she's running for president, Rep. Michele Bachmann headed to New Hampshire, touting her conservative credentials. And right now, she is the leading alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney.

Solid Start Puts Bachmann In Front-Runner Territory

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Tuesday

A New Generation of 'Dreamers' Goes Public

Young DREAMers including Viridiana Martinez (far right) and David Ramirez (second from right) stand outside the Atlanta Detention Center after they were arrested for publicly displaying their illegal status in Atlanta on April 7. Courtsey of the Immigrant Youth Justice League hide caption

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Courtsey of the Immigrant Youth Justice League

A New Generation of 'Dreamers' Goes Public

In the wake of a journalist's disclosure that he's an illegal immigrant, other young illegal residents feel more comfortable in sending the authorities a pointed message: Come and get me.

In Political Summer, Have Iowans Cooled To Obama?

President Obama greets patrons at Ross' Restaurant in Bettendorf, Iowa, on Tuesday. In 2008, the president's unexpected victory in the state helped propel his campaign. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

In Political Summer, Have Iowans Cooled To Obama?

Part of the president's secret to success in Iowa in 2008 was to win in a lot of places that George W. Bush carried in two previous elections — places like Altoona, Iowa. Today in Altoona, some Democrats have mixed feelings about the president's job performance.

In Political Summer, Have Iowans Cooled To Obama?

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Texas Legislature Approves Anti-Pat-Down Bill

A Transportation Security Administration agent performs a pat-down check on an airline passenger at a security checkpoint at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Jeff Topping/Getty Images hide caption

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Jeff Topping/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Texas Legislature Approves Anti-Pat-Down Bill

The bill makes invasive pat-downs a crime. A previous version of it put Texas at odds with the federal government, which threatened to shut down the state's airports if the bill became law.

$1 Billion In Coins That Nobody Wants

Millions of dollars worth of $1 coins languish in a vault at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Baltimore branch. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption

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John W. Poole/NPR

Presidential Dollar Coin Program

$1 Billion In Coins That Nobody Wants

A joint inquiry by NPR's Planet Money and Investigations teams found that more than $1 billion of unused dollar coins are the wasteful byproducts of another failed congressional effort to replace the dollar bill in everyday commerce.

$1 Billion In Coins That Nobody Wants

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