David Sherfinski
Articles by David Sherfinski
Democrats round out statewide ticket in Virginia
Democrats were poised to fill out their slate of statewide candidates in primary elections Tuesday ahead of a fall contest sure to draw heaps of national attention, outside money and national political tea-leaf reading. Published June 11, 2013
White House presses GOP to confirm ATF chief; Grassley says more answers needed
The White House and former law enforcement officials on Monday urged the swift confirmation of B. Todd Jones to be the permanent director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), renewing a largely dormant battle over gun control six months after December's school shootings in Connecticut. Published June 10, 2013
Winning Va. lieutenant governor would give Democrats leg up
The race to win a job that pays $36,000 a year and requires skills hardly more demanding than the ability to stand for long periods of time is attracting an inordinate amount of attention this year in Virginia. Published June 9, 2013
Whistleblower behind leak emerges as intel chiefs in Congress defend NSA surveillance
The chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees on Sunday defended a recently disclosed government surveillance program as the whistleblower behind the bombshell leak about the program willingly revealed himself to the public and spoke proudly of his actions. Published June 9, 2013
Sen. Rand Paul eyes lawsuit, Supreme Court action over surveillance
Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, said Sunday he is looking into whether he can take the recent battle over government surveillance programs to the U.S. Supreme Court. Published June 9, 2013
New IRS chief sets out to win confidence
The new acting IRS commissioner pledged Thursday to work to safeguard citizens' private information and tax dollars and ensure that the agency acts impartially as it looks to move forward after a bruising few weeks. Published June 6, 2013
‘Spock’ gets starring role at hearing on IRS waste
An IRS manager who starred as "Mr. Spock" in an ill-fated Star Trek motivational video for agency employees was on the hot seat Thursday morning over a recent inspector general's report detailing a $4.1 million IRS conference in California several years ago. Published June 6, 2013
Rep. Darrell Issa’s tough oversight part of a long tradition
As congressional Republicans' chief investigator, Rep. Darrell E. Issa is following in the footsteps of his predecessors at the helm of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, who often used the post to keep the pressure on presidents of the opposite party. Published June 5, 2013
Va. gubernatorial candidates spar on transparency
Terry McAuliffe and Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II used a forum in Richmond on Thursday hosted by an open-government watchdog group to ding one another on, perhaps fittingly, on a purported lack of transparency thus far in the Virginia governor's race. Published May 30, 2013
McDonnell’s decision to restore felons’ civil rights a switch for GOP
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says he will automatically restore civil rights to nonviolent felons in Virginia on a conditional, case-by-case basis, signifying an evolution of sorts on criminal justice policy among some factions of the Republican Party. Published May 29, 2013
Virginia governor’s race turns harsh with McAuliffe’s soft campaign ad
A senior Virginia state senator on Tuesday blasted a campaign ad from Democrat Terry McAuliffe as a misleading "example of self-puffery" — a development that comes as Mr. McAuliffe and Republican Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II try to soften their public images early in the high-stakes gubernatorial contest. Published May 28, 2013
Battle over gun rights shifts to state courthouses; challenges to new laws mounting
The gun control battle has shifted from Capitol Hill to the states, where both sides have gone to court to challenge laws passed in the wake of December's school shooting in Connecticut. Published May 27, 2013
Eric Holder signed off on DOJ affidavit for Fox reporter: report
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. approved a search warrant identifying a Fox News reporter as a potential co-conspirator in an espionage case, NBC News reported. Published May 24, 2013
Rumsfeld: ‘There is clearly going to be a use for drones’
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday he expects that the use of drone planes will continue to play a significant role in the global "War on Terror," and that the prison at Guantanamo Bay should remain open. Published May 23, 2013
John Boehner: ‘Really is inconceivable’ Obama wouldn’t have known about IRS woes
House Speaker John A. Boehner says it "really is inconceivable" that President Obama wouldn't have known about the unfolding IRS scandal before learning about it from reporters, as the White House has claimed. Published May 23, 2013
White House: More than 2,200 Oklahoma victims registered with FEMA for assistance
As of Wednesday night, more than 2,200 individuals impacted by the tornadoes in Oklahoma had registered with FEMA for direct assistance available through the major disaster declaration provided Monday night, a White House official said. Published May 23, 2013
Conservatives propose compromise of balanced budget, higher debt limit
Conservative Republicans said Wednesday that they will demand that Congress produce a budget that balances in 10 years in exchange for agreeing to raise the federal debt limit, and that House Speaker John A. Boehner promised as much during a GOP retreat this year. Published May 22, 2013
Rep. Tom Cole: Oklahoma has ‘done this before, sadly, so we’re pretty good at dealing with it’
Rep. Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican, said Wednesday that he was confident Oklahoma will get the help it needs in the wake of the deadly tornado that swept through the state, adding that "these are awfully tough people, and we've done this before, sadly, so we're pretty good at dealing with it." Published May 22, 2013
Napolitano to survey tornado response efforts Wednesday
As of Wednesday morning, FEMA had more than 400 personnel on the ground supporting the response to the tornado that swept through Moore, Okla., earlier this week and claimed at least 24 lives, including those of nine children, while injuring more than 230. Published May 22, 2013
Fox anchor: Justice Department seized phone records for reporter James Rosen’s parents
Fox News anchor Bret Baier says that in addition to seizing the phone records of Fox reporter James Rosen, the Department of Justice seized the records of his parents as well in another twist to the still-unraveling saga. Published May 22, 2013