For the first time since 2009, the U.S. economy is shrinking. Defense cuts, fewer exports, and sluggish growth in company stockpiles all played a role.
Ylan Mui, financial reporter for The Washington Post, discussed that and other issues with Capital Insider.
Republican senators put Defense Secretary Nominee Chuck Hagel on the spot Thursday. He was challenged over his past statements on Israel, Iran, Iraq, and nuclear weapons.
J.D. Gordon, executive director of Protect America Today, discussed Hagel's chances for confirmation and other top defense issues on Capital Insider.
On Monday, President Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama congratulated him on a successful re-election campaign.
Netanyahu's party won a majority in parliament but they lost some momentum to centrists like Yair Lapid.
Matthew Brodsky, director of the Jewish Policy Center, discussed the election with Capital Insider.
The taxpayer-funded Medicare program paid more than $120 million from 2009 to 2011 -- in violation of federal law -- for medical services for inmates and illegal immigrants.
The Department of Health finds the program was billed more than $33 million for inmate care and more than $91 million for illegal immigrant care.
David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, discussed that and other top tax topics with Capital Insider.
Every year, the Office of Personnel Management runs a charity called the Combined Federal Campaign. This year, they want to make some changes.
Joe Davidson, "Federal Diary" columnist at The Washington Post, discussed that and other issues with Capital Insider.
In 2014, the U.S. Air Force plans to increase its cyber workforce by 15 percent. That's roughly 1,000 new employees.
Amber Corrin, national security correspondent for FCW, discussed the trend with Capital Insider.
Republican Strategist Jack Burkman and Democratic Strategist Richard Fowler discuss President Obama's inaugural address, Beyonce-gate, the White House cabinet shuffle, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's final hearing.
Here's their debate on Capital Insider.
The White House calls North Korea's plan to conduct another nuclear test, "needlessly provocative." Spokesman Jay Carney says it will only increase the country's isolation.
J.J. Green, national security correspondent for WTOP Radio, discussed that and other top defense topics with Capital Insider.
Mary Jo White built her reputation as a prosecutor on the backs on white-collar criminals, terrorists, and mobsters. Now, President Obama wants her to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Francis Rose, host of "In Depth with Francis Rose" on Federal News Radio, discussed that and other issues with Capital Insider.
Last February, the Government Accountability Office studied a possible transition from dollar bills to dollar coins. They discovered it would save taxpayers $4.4 billion over 30 years.
Despite this study, the change-over was never enacted.
Lorelei St. James, director of physical infrastructure issues at the GAO, discussed the study with Capital Insider.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the Pentagon will lift a ban on women serving in combat. He believes women have become an integral part of the military's ability to succeed.
Jonathan Broder, senior editor of defense and foreign policy for CQ Roll Call, discussed that and other top defense topics on Capital Insider.
This month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture tallied recent losses. They discovered that the federal crop insurance program will cost at least $14 billion in 2012.
Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, discussed that and other top tax topics on Capital Insider.
A dispute between China and Japan -- over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea --escalated this month, and raised fears of an armed confrontation.
On Tuesday, China welcomed a Japanese envoy for talks as both sides took steps to cool tensions.
Col. Douglas Macgregor (U.S. Army, retired) discussed that and other top defense issues on Capital Insider.
Note: This interview erroneously includes footage of the Dokdo and Takeshima islands -- the source of a different dispute between Japan and South Korea. Capital Insider regrets the error.
Here the list of President Obama's top five first-term achievements, according to Democratic Strategist Nicole Williams:
1. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
2. Repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell"
3. The targeted killing of Osama Bin Laden
4. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
5. Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Watch her discussion with Capital Insider here:
On Monday, Democrats and Republicans put partisan matters on the shelf. But big challenges await. They include three looming fiscal deadlines, comprehensive immigration reform, and new gun laws.
Philip Joyce, Ph.D. -- a professor with the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland -- discussed President Obama's second-term battles with Congress on Capital Insider.
Tom Fox, with the Partnership for Public Service, discussed the history of presidential inaugurations and other issues on Capital Insider.
During his inaugural address, President Obama touched on some of the tax-related challenges of his second term.
"We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time," he said. "We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher."
David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, discussed the speech and other issues on Capital Insider.
Republican Strategist Jack Burkman and Democratic Strategist Richard Fowler discuss the NRA's controversial new ad, the GOP's debt ceiling retreat, and Congressional term limits.
Here's their debate on Capital Insider:
This week, top military leaders issued a stark warning to Congress: "You've pushed the Pentagon to the brink of a crisis."
The letter -- signed by the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard, and Joint Chiefs of Staff -- says the threat of automatic budget cuts and the failure to pass a 2013 defense budget put the Pentagon at risk of a "hollow force."
John Donnelly, senior writer and editor of "Executive Briefing Defense" for CQ Roll Call, discussed the issue with Capital Insider.
In December, the EPA released a controversial study. It says exporting natural gas would represent an economic win for the U.S.
Margot Thorning, senior vice president and chief economist for the American Council for Capital Formation, discussed the issue with Capital Insider.
George Jackson
Producer
.jpg)
Morris Jones
Anchor
