Seth McLaughlin
Articles by Seth McLaughlin
Caroline Kennedy ‘humbled’ by nomination as U.S. ambassador to Japan
Caroline Kennedy appeared to be well on her way Thursday to become the first woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to Japan, after members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee showered her with praise and said she is well-suited for the job. Published September 19, 2013
IRS spied on tea party after granting tax-exempt status
Republicans investigating the IRS targeting scandal said Wednesday that the agency continued to conduct secret surveillance on tea party groups even after approving them for tax-exempt status. Published September 18, 2013
Rand Paul: Misguided sentencing laws hurt black defendants
Sen. Rand Paul told his Senate colleagues Wednesday that the nation's mandatory minimum sentencing laws disproportionately affect the black community and need to be changed — putting the Kentucky Republican at the front of a push on Capitol Hill to move away from decades of punitive drug policies. Published September 18, 2013
GOP wants Justice to change ruling on Louisiana vouchers
House GOP leaders came to the defense of school-choice advocates Tuesday, calling on the Justice Department to reconsider its legal opposition to a popular school voucher program in Louisiana that gives some students from low-income families the chance to escape failing education systems. Published September 17, 2013
Health law foes ready Alamo-style stand
For some hard-line conservatives, there is no war analogy too big when it comes to rallying people against Obamacare. Published September 16, 2013
Emails show IRS’ Lois Lerner specifically targeted tea party
Lois G. Lerner, the woman at the center of the Internal Revenue Service scandal over special scrutiny of conservative groups, specifically targeted tea party applications and directed that they be held up in 2011 in order to come up with an agency policy, according to several of Ms. Lerner's emails released by a House committee Thursday. Published September 12, 2013
Obama ‘far too hawkish’ on Syria, ‘far too dovish’ on Iran, Cruz says
Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday that the Obama administration is failing to protect U.S. national security in the Middle East and is falsely peddling the notion that the threat of Muslim terrorism has faded. Published September 11, 2013
Rep. Paul Ryan opposes Obama’s Syria plan
Rep. Paul Ryan announced Wednesday that he opposes President Obama's push for military strikes in Syria, saying that the administration has bungled the situation and damaged the nation's credibility on the global stage. Published September 11, 2013
Tea party-linked lawmakers shun strike on Syria
Tea party-aligned lawmakers are standing up in almost universal opposition to President Obama's push for military action against Syria — distancing them from the foreign interventionism that defined the George W. Bush-era and providing some insight into how the tea party movement views the role of the military and America's role in the world. Published September 10, 2013
Rep. Steve Israel: 2014 election will not be a referendum on Syria
The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Tuesday that it is too early to tell whether his party can take over the House in the 2014 election but that he is confident the issue of Syria will not stand in its way. Published September 10, 2013
U.N. envoy: U.S. has ‘exhausted the alternatives’ to Syria strike
Seeking to rally support for military action against Syria, President Obama's new ambassador to the U.N. said Friday that the administration has "exhausted the alternatives" and that Americans should agree that there are "lines in this world that should not be crossed and limits on murderous behavior that must be enforced." Published September 6, 2013
Syrian rebel slams Putin over attack claim
A leader of the Free Syrian Army said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to deceive the international community into thinking it was someone other than the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad who launched a chemical weapons attack that killed more than a thousand people last month. Published September 6, 2013
In about-face, GOP lawmaker opposes Syria strike over Obama ‘bungling’
Rep. Michael Grimm was for a military strike against Syria before he was against it. Published September 6, 2013
House Judiciary Committee chair skeptical of Syria strike
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said he is skeptical of using force against Syria, but said he is withholding judgment until President Obama makes his case and he sees the final details of the congressional resolution that he will vote on. Published September 6, 2013
Sen. Chris Murphy warns Syria strike could drag U.S. into long conflict
Sen. Chris Murphy said Friday he is worried that the Syria resolution making its way through the Senate could drag the United States into a broader conflict that could last a decade. Published September 6, 2013
Shadow of Benghazi clouds Obama’s Syria push on Capitol Hill
Lingering frustration over the way President Obama handled the attacks in Libya that led to death of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans has colored the debate over whether to launch military strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad. Published September 5, 2013
Ex-Sen. Rick Santorum opposes U.S. strike in Syria
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the runner-up in the 2012 GOP presidential race, said Thursday that Congress should oppose President Obama's push for military strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad. Published September 5, 2013
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates backs Obama’s push for Syria strikes
Robert M. Gates, a Republican who served as secretary of defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, is calling on lawmakers on Capitol Hill to back the Obama administration's plan to launch a military strike against the Assad regime, Politico reported. Published September 5, 2013
McConnell’s silence on Syria creates an opening for Bevin
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has remained silent on whether he supports President Obama's calls for military strikes against Syria, saying only that he wants more information as he tries to calibrate his views with those of his colleagues in Washington and voters back home in Kentucky. Published September 4, 2013
GOP’s libertarian wing sees opportunity to push for less intervention
The debate over whether the U.S. should launch airstrikes against Syria is testing the willingness of rank-and-file Republicans to get involved in another military conflict and giving the party's libertarian wing a chance to push the party toward adopting a less interventionist approach to foreign policy. Published September 3, 2013
