barack-obama

Mike Huckabee Just Isn't a Very Nice Person

Jim Newell · 03/03/11 11:55AM

Would-be presidential frontrunner Mike Huckabee humiliated himself a few days ago with his bizarre "Barack Obama's childhood in Kenya during the Mau Mau Revolution made him hate America" radio performance. But instead of simply hanging his head in shame for a little while after that, he doubled down on his fictional dog-whistle psychoanalysis of the president during another ugly interview with one of the most insane people in American politics. What a show! What a... show.

Chris Christie Knows He Could Totally Beat Barack Obama

Jim Newell · 03/02/11 04:11PM

It's been a little while since we last checked in on the good Governor Sandwiches of New Jersey, Chris Christie, but he's suddenly become the most popular Republican in the country! And all it took was a few choreographed YouTubes of him screaming at teachers' unions, with his sleeves rolled up (crucially). So why won't he run for president already? Republican operatives, who hate all of the other candidates, demand it.

Julian Assange Scares George Bush Away from Speaking Gig

Jim Newell · 02/25/11 04:13PM

The last decent president we had in this country, George W. Bush, was all set to give tomorrow night's keynote address at the clunky Young Presidents' Organization's Global Leadership Conference, in Denver. But then who shows up at the conference today, via satellite of course, but Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the gravest threat to global civilization since Garfield 2: A Tail of Two Kitties. Can't have that! So Bush has canceled.

Jon Stewart Details President Obama's DOMA Shift

Matt Cherette · 02/24/11 11:21PM

Yesterday, President Obama told federal lawyers to stop defending the "One Man, One Woman" Defense of Marriage Act, a step forward for gays seeking equal rights. Tonight, Jon Stewart detailed the developments, and also unveiled a new Twitter account!

Barack Obama Is Your New Elementary School Basketball Coach

Adrian Chen · 02/19/11 02:28PM

Obama helped coach his daughter Sasha's basketball team this afternoon in suburban Maryland—except Sasha was skiing in Colorado with Michelle. According to the AP, Obama decided to chip in "because a regular parent-coach was unable to attend."

Uprisings Continue Across the Middle East and North Africa

Jeff Neumann · 02/19/11 11:20AM

After killing protesters in their sleep, Bahrain's ruling monarchy says demonstrators can stay in Pearl roundabout and they've offered to hold talks with all opposition members. Yemen is still going off, and Human Rights Watch says 84 people have been killed in Libya over the last three days. Here's a look at what's happening across the Middle East and North Africa.

Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg Wined and Dined by Obama

Adrian Chen · 02/18/11 11:17AM

Steve Jobs, rumored to be dying of cancer, was healthy enough to sit beside Obama at a dinner for tech moguls in San Francisco last night. Also in attendance: Mark Zuckerberg, who was pried out of his hoodie for the occasion, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Yahoo! chief Carol Bartz and Twitter CEO Dick Costolo.

What Will Obama Say to Mark Zuckerberg?

Adrian Chen · 02/16/11 07:36PM

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is going to meet Barack Obama in San Francisco next week, along with other "business leaders in technology and business." Would love to be a fly on the wall in that room. Obama has a sort of complicated relationship with Facebook! On the one hand, college students clicking "like" got him elected in 2008. And Zuckerberg is running a successful business, which Obama likes, even if Facebook probably creates a net-loss in GDP due to hours wasted on Farmville.

President Obama Unveils His Budget Plans

Jim Newell · 02/14/11 02:14PM

The White House released its big budget proposal today for fiscal year 2012, which begins in October. There's been talk about major cuts the administration would be making, and this proposal would supposedly cut $1.1 trillion in deficits over the next ten years. It mostly accomplishes that through a five-year spending cap on non-defense discretionary funding, an area that only accounts for 12% of the budget anyway and isn't related to America's long-term debt problems. But it may make President Obama seem tough to Washington Post columnists, so it must be done!

Boehner Stands Strong in Defense of Stupid People

Max Read · 02/14/11 03:17AM

One of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed to us in the constitution is the freedom to think whatever the hell we want, about anything. It's constantly under attack, from teachers, and schools, and so-called "facts," but at least one politician still believes in it:

Michelle Obama's Top Secret Love Advice

Adrian Chen · 02/13/11 07:30PM

Michelle and Barack Obama's marriage shines like a beacon of hope across our divorce-strewn land. If they can keep it together through grueling elections and harrowing national crises, surely the rest of us can. Now Michelle is spilling the secret to the super-strong love cement that holds them together just in time for Valentine's Day—her Guaranteed Love Cure for Couples. Misery, Begone!

Obama Wants to Cut Heat Aid to Poor in Half

Max Read · 02/10/11 01:05AM

National Journal's Mark Ambinder reports that President Obama's budget proposal—which hits the streets Monday—would cut federal heating assistance to the poor in half for the 2012 fiscal year. I know! Tragic! That's only $2.5 billion in cuts! We'll never teach our citizens about budget discipline at this rate! Luckily, there is an alternative: The Republican spending plan, unveiled on Wednesday, which would "practically eliminate the program's contingency fund" immediately. Hear, hear! I don't understand why anyone lives in Massachusetts in the first place. [National Journal; image via AP]