Scott Horsley

Obama Begins European Trip: G-8 Summit Then Stop In Berlin

Scott Horsley — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:26:00 +0000

President Obama is in Northern Ireland Monday — the first stop on a three-day European visit that includes a G-8 summit meeting and a side trip to Berlin.

The president begins his tour with a speech in Belfast, celebrating Northern Ireland's peace process and urging young people in the country to keep it moving forward.

Later, Obama joins leaders of other industrial countries at a remote golf resort in County Fermanagh for talks on Syria, trade and the global economy.

The G-8 leaders have a working dinner Monday night, and Syria is likely to dominate the discussion.

Obama Urges Congress Not To 'Block' Immigration Bill

Scott Horsley — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:05:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Linda Wertheimer.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne. The U.S. Senate has opened debate on a sweeping immigration bill. And President Obama says it's the best chance in years to fix what he calls a broken immigration system. The measure took a step forward yesterday when a big, bipartisan majority of senators voted to take up the bill.

Obama's D.C. Court Nominations Heat Up Battle With Senate

Scott Horsley — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:38:00 +0000

President Obama fired a warning shot Tuesday in the battle over Senate confirmations: He nominated three new judges to the powerful federal appeals court in Washington, and he challenged Senate Republicans not to stand in their way.

Obama complained about procedural roadblocks that have tied up many of his previous nominees — sometimes for years.

But Republicans are looking to sidestep the confirmation fight by downsizing the appeals court itself.

Obama To Challenge GOP With 3 Federal Appeals Court Picks

Scott Horsley — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:30:00 +0000
Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
President Obama will nominate three new judges this morning to the powerful Federal Appeals Court in Washington D.C. The announcement is expected to come in the White House Rose Garden, and as NPR's Scott Horsley reports, there could be a few thorns.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: On their face, none of the nominees is particularly controversial. Patricia Millett is a veteran appellate lawyer who worked in both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.

Report To Detail IRS Conference Spending

Scott Horsley — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:14:00 +0000
Transcript
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
The IRS is on the receiving end of another critical audit. This one finds that the agency spent nearly $50 million on training conferences over a three-year period. The IRS was already on the defensive for giving extra scrutiny to conservative groups seeking tax exempt status.
NPR's Scott Horsley reports.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: A watchdog report, to be made public tomorrow, says the IRS hosted more than 200 employee training conferences between 2010 and 2012.

Obama To Press Congress On Student Loan Rates

Scott Horsley — Fri, 31 May 2013 07:23:00 +0000
President Obama surrounded himself with college students at the White House on Friday and warned that the cost of student loans is about to go up.
Interest rates on government-backed college loans are set to double July 1 — unless Congress agrees on a fix before then. Obama has threatened to veto a House-passed bill that would let the cost of student loans go up and down with the market.
If the alarm bells over rising student loan rates sound familiar, that's because the same thing happened last year.

White House Economic Advisers To Leave

Scott Horsley — Wed, 29 May 2013 09:56:00 +0000
Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
One of President Obama's top economic advisors is leaving the White House later this year to return to his teaching job at Princeton.

Powerful Tornado Struck Moore, Okla., 1 Week Ago

Scott Horsley — Mon, 27 May 2013 08:50:00 +0000
President Obama toured the wreckage Sunday, promising federal help for the people of Moore during what's sure to be a long rebuilding process. The president's message was not overtly political. He did, however, take the opportunity to highlight the important role the government can play — and not just when disaster strikes.

Obama: Sexual Assault Has No Place In The Military

Scott Horsley — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:26:00 +0000
President Obama delivered the commencement address at Annapolis on Friday, challenging the U.S. Naval Academy graduates to help redefine national defense in the 21st century.

Unclear Laws May Have Contributed to Tax-Exempt Controversy

Scott Horsley — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:52:00 +0000
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Let's turn to another story for now: The acting head of the IRS has resigned, but is still facing questions about the agency. Lawmakers continue their probe into the federal tax agency targeting Tea Party groups seeking tax exemption.
Late last week, the House Ways and Means Committee demanded answers from top IRS officials to find out why the agency singled out conservative groups for scrutiny. Well, now, the Senate Finance Committee gets its chance to grill the outgoing commissioner.

Why Congress Has Reasons Not To Be Bipartsan

Scott Horsley — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:06:00 +0000
Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Now let's look little more deeply at this narrative of scandal. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: When President Obama gets frustrated with the gridlock in Washington, he sometimes looks back wistfully to the decades after World War II.

White House Addresses Benghazi Emails, IRS Audits

Scott Horsley — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:57:00 +0000
Transcript
MELISSA BLOCK, BYLINE: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.
AUDIE CORNISH, BYLINE: And I'm Audie Cornish.
The Obama administration is doing some intensive damage control this evening. Tonight, the president announced that the acting commissioner of the IRS, Steven Miller, is being pushed out over heightened scrutiny given to Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations.
Earlier today, the White House also released 100 pages of emails in hopes of quieting a lingering controversy over last year's deadly attack at the U.S.

'Ineffective Management' Blamed For IRS Tax-Exempt Scandal

Scott Horsley — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:46:00 +0000
A Treasury Department Inspector General's report criticizes the IRS for inappropriately flagging some conservative groups for additional scrutiny on their applications for tax-exempt status. President Obama says those responsible must be held accountable.

IRS Inspector General Faults 'Ineffective Management'

Scott Horsley — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:02:00 +0000
Audie Cornish talks to Scott Horsley about the IRS Inspector General's report on the agency's audit of conservative groups.

Democrats Hope For A Bright Future In The Lone Star State

Scott Horsley — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:32:00 +0000
President Obama travels to Texas on Thursday for the second time in as many weeks. He will talk about job training and economic opportunity, but he may have a political opportunity on his mind as well.
Obama lost Texas by more than 1 million votes last year.