First Mark Sanford, now Anthony Weiner. In political rehabilitation after scandals, political makeup often reigns supreme. We've got a list of other comeback stories to watch in the next election cycle. Read More
Obama tries to refocus on legislative agenda

It's a pivotal moment for the president who needs to keep his second term moving forward. The IRS scandal is still simmering, and the national security speech didn't assuage all his critics--or even his supporters. Read More
The woman who brought us the IRS scandal
For over a year before the IRS controversy broke, one well-connected Washington insider led the charge to stoke the story. And she has no intention of letting up. "There's a very good chance that it will lead to people who are very highly placed politically," Cleta Mitchell tells MSNBC. Read More
Voices
Melissa Harris-Perry3:15 PM on 05/19/2013
My advice to graduates: Be ignorant, make mistakes
Tulane professor--and MSNBC host--Melissa Harris-Perry had some advice for the class of 2013 in her Sunday Footnote. … Read More
Jon Soltz3:37 PM on 05/22/2013
Senate bill to arm Syrian rebels must be rejected
A new bill seeking to arm and train rebel groups in Syria just cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a move that could undermine everything America sacrificed in Iraq. … Read More
Editor's Picks
Anti-abortion bill goes before all-male House panel. Déjà vu, anyone?
Emma Margolin, Thomas Roberts
America’s teen birthrate takes another dive
Geoffrey Cowley, Andrea Mitchell Reports
Hedge fund billionaire: Babies are ‘killer’ to women’s focus in business
It’s not that women aren’t capable, the billionaire investor said in April at a University of Virginia panel discussion in front of students, “they are very capable,” but babies are a “killer” to a trader’s focus. Read More
Too Young to Die: Nigel Hardy
As a first-time cheerleader when he moved to the West Coast last November, Nigel Hardy learned in a week what other athletes take months to perfect. Read More
IRS official Lerner placed on administrative leave
Lois Lerner, the Director of Tax-Exempt Organizations at the Internal Revenue Service, now on administrative leave, took the 5th on Wednesday at a House hearing about the IRS targeting of Tea Party groups. Read More
Obama’s speech leaves human rights questions unanswered
The president evoked the suffering of detainees at Gitmo and the moral hazard of continuing to hold them----but didn't offer a real plan to close the prison or promise to end the practice of indefinite detention. Read More
Gun safety: Progress—and then pushback
A bill that designates school employees to act as armed school marshals on public campuses advances in Texas, while gun rights advocates file a lawsuit in federal court against Connecticut's new gun control law. Read More
WATCH: Heckler interrupts Obama drones speech
"This is part of free speech, is you being able to speak, but also you listening, and me being able to speak," the president said after more than a minute of interruptions. Read More
Abandon ship: Budget cuts force Fleet Week to skip NYC
Missing from the streets of New York City this week: A sea of men in uniform. The city's famed Fleet Week, scheduled to run May 23-30 this year, was canceled due to sequestration. Read More
Sen. Ted Cruz: ‘I don’t trust Republicans’
Sen. Ted Cruz brought Republican Party infighting to the public stage on Wednesday, slamming his colleagues as untrustworthy on the matter of spending. Read More
Time scores Obama’s 1979 Hawaiian prom photos
Time has obtained exclusive photos of President Barack Obama at senior prom. And they definitely don't disappoint. Read More
Germany’s Angela Merkel named world’s most powerful woman in 2013
First lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also made the Forbes list, which is comprised of 100 women from around the world. Read More
Watch: Oklahoma Sen. Coburn argues for cuts to fuel disaster aid
Oklahoma’s Sen. Tom Coburn believes any aid given to his state following the deadly and destructive tornadoes that devastated his home state must be offset by spending cuts. Read More
Over a thousand activists sign full-page ad to close Guantanamo
More than 1,300 activists and politicians signed a call to close the Guantanamo internment camp in an ad featured in Thursday's New York Times on the morning of the president's national security speech. Read More
RNC Chair accuses Obama administration of ‘political warfare’
“If you’re in my shoes and you have the IRS targeting conservative groups, tea party groups, and any person critical of the White House, what would you think? Give me a break!” Reince Priebus said on Thursday's Morning Joe. Read More
State shopping? Not a successful strategy for pols
State shopping usually doesn't work out well for a hopeful pol, with carpetbagger charges writing themselves, and tenuous ties to a state are easy for opponents to attack. Read More
A London attack raises fears of terrorism
In a "barbaric" attack, a man walking near a military barracks in south London was hacked to death by two assailants. Read More
Pennsylvania gov can’t ‘find’ any Latinos to work for him
Asked about possible Latino staffers, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said,"If you can find us one let me know." Read More
Obama faces opportunity on Gitmo and drone strikes
In his national security speech on Thursday, the president will explain his counterterrorism strategy--which may ultimately define his legacy on human rights. A preview of the speech: Read More
Oklahoma relief funding splits GOP
Will Republicans demand offsets for the relief spending needed for Moore, Ok., residents digging out from Monday's tornado? After all, many GOPers opposed the Sandy relief bill. Read More
US killed four Americans with drone strikes, administration discloses
In a letter addressed to Congressional leaders, Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged that the U.S. killed four Americans, including Anwar al-Awklaki, in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen. Read More





