The massive economic stimulus package approved by Congress dramatically ramps up spending for a broad array of social programs for needy Americans in a way not seen since the launch of the Great Society programs. ...more

February 15, 2009

Economists are likely to debate the causes and solutions of the financial crisis and economic recession for a long time to come. ...more

February 6, 2009

Summoned to remove a fish bone agonizingly stuck in a rich man's throat, British surgeon Joseph Lister did so. When the grateful patient asked the charge for this service, Lister replied: "Suppose we settle for half of what you would be willing to give me if the bone were still lodged in your throat." The point - that the price one will pay depends on the urgency of the purchase - is pertinent to the president's "stimulus" proposal. ...more

January 30, 2009

Today is the final rehearsal for 62 members of Northeast High School's marching band before they travel to Washington, D.C., next week to perform in the Presidential Inaugural Heritage Music Festival, one of the activities leading to Barack Obama taking the oath of office. ...more

January 6, 2009

Among the outtakes we're left to ponder after the presidential election is this one: candidate appearances on late-night talk shows reached a new high. For the record, there were a total of 110 candidate-appearances on the late-night comedy shows, according to the Center for Media and Public Affairs. Accounting for nearly three quarters of such on-set appearances were "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," the "Late Show With David Letterman" and "The Colbert Report" with Stephen Colbert. In contrast, there were 25 such appearances in 2004 (an election year with an incumbent). ...more

January 5, 2009

It proved to be more than a joke when David Letterman said in late September that "the road to the White House runs through me." ...more

December 29, 2008

Enthusiasm among blacks and Democrats for Barack Obama's candidacy pushed voter turnout in this year's elections to the highest level in 40 years. ...more

December 15, 2008

Places that presidents call home often become major tourist attractions, from estates at Mount Vernon and Monticello, to Hodgenville, Ky., where Abe Lincoln's log cabin once stood, to Bill Clinton's boyhood home in Hope, Ark. ...more

November 23, 2008

Back in the days of the hanging chad, Highlands County voters turned out in record numbers for Bush and Gore: 68.3 percent. ...more

November 1, 2008

The woman who oversaw a federal report documenting voter disenfranchisement during Florida's disputed 2000 presidential election is asking the Democratic Party to settle a fight with Florida and Michigan before the party harms itself. ...more

February 5, 2008