MSNBC: Politics

Obama to speak on the economy
President Barack Obama is to visit a state-of-the-art fire station in a Washington suburb on Friday.

House ready to consider insider trading ban
With members of Congress convinced their political survival depends on their image, the House is wasting no time in considering a Senate-passed bill that would ban insider trading by lawmakers and thousands of executive branch officials.

Industries in limbo as Congress mulls expired tax breaks
Dozens of American industries and businesses, from biodiesel producers to stock car racing facilities, are urging Congress to quickly revive 60 targeted tax breaks that expired on Dec. 31.

Boehner downplays report of tensions with Cantor
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, denies report that he had to call a "truce" with House Marjority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.

Obama emboldened by Republican primary race
President Barack Obama has long relished a dragged-out Republican primary contest that would leave the eventual Republican nominee battered before the fall election.

Obama signals an end in Afghanistan
First Read: Republicans criticize the public stance but Obama may be able to declare an effective end to a second war before November’s election.

Obama hones pitch to independents amid GOP battle
The bruising Republican primary has given President Obama and his campaign an opportunity to craft his message for the general election, especially as it relates to winning over independents.

Trump: It's an 'honor and privilege' to endorse Romney
Donald Trump formally endorsed Mitt Romney for president on Thursday, describing the former Massachusetts governor as "tough" and "smart" and the best pick in the GOP primary.

Obama prepares to battle Romney
First Read: President stresses fairness, housing and the auto industry success as he eyes a general election race against Mitt Romney.

Romney poised to win another state Saturday
Republican front-runner Mitt Romney, a Mormon with close ties to church leaders, is expected to carry an overwhelming majority of votes Saturday from Nevada members of the church.

Partisan reaction to jobs data mixes carping and cheering
In what’s likely to be a boost to President Obama’s chances of winning a second term, nonfarm payroll employment jumped by 243,000 last month as the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since February of 2009.

Gingrich takes a while to react to jobs report
Newt Gingrich had no comment about January's jobs figures at an event late Friday morning in Nevada because, the former House speaker explained, he hadn't seen them yet.

Congress may OK short-term stimulus to avoid problems
Right after Election Day, a lame-duck Congress will face a horrific fiscal train wreck: sharp tax increases, combined with automatic spending cuts.

Fact check: Did Obama make the economy worse?
Mitt Romney likes to say on the campaign trail that President Obama's policies made the recession worse, but most statistics don't bear that out.

Komen reversal illustrates political battle over Planned Parenthood
A weeklong firestorm over the Susan G. Komen foundation's decision to cut off -- and, on Friday, restore -- a grant to Planned Parenthood marked one of the high points in political battle targeting the finances of the nationwide network of reproductive health clinics.


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