Politics

On Saturday, former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin brought her folksy charm to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland with a speech in which she made fun of President Obama for his support of gun control and background checks, reports USA Today. During her address to the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC,…

(The Root) — If you don’t know who T.W. Shannon is yet, you will. Sworn in as speaker of the Oklahoma State House of Representatives in January, Shannon will appear at the annual Conservative Political Action Committee convention Saturday on a panel of “10 Conservatives Under 40” as part of conservatives’ efforts to broaden their…

(The Root) — If Wayne LaPierre’s claim that “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” were true, Master Trooper Junius A. Walker of the Virginia State Police would be alive and well today. Instead, the 40-year veteran officer known for his gentle demeanor —…

(The Root) — In her best-seller Dead Aid, noted African economist Dambisa Moyo said that what is needed for many poor countries suffering from corrupt, incompetent or ineffective leadership is a “benevolent dictator,” whom she defined as someone who is brave and powerful enough to push through necessary reforms. Despite the debate that ensued after…

On Saturday night, President Obama rubbed shoulders with Washington’s elite, joking that if his remarks weren’t funny, it was because he’d lost some key players thanks to the sequester, reports CNN. This is the second time Obama has attended the dinner as president but the first since 2011. “As you know, I last attended the…

(Special to The Root) — It seems the telecom industry is nervous that its days of simply informing the government how it prefers to conduct its own affairs may finally be numbered. With current Federal Communications Commission Chair Julius Genachowski reported to be stepping down, and buzz building around a potential nominee likely to serve…

(The Root) — First lady Michelle Obama enjoyed a rare girls’ night out to see Sweet Honey in the Rock at Washington, D.C.’s Howard Theatre, according to a source who did not wish to be identified. She was spied with fellow Chicagoan Valerie Jarrett, who is senior adviser to the president, catching the 7 p.m.…

(The Root) — “There are more black men in jail than in college” is a line that has transfigured our understanding of persistent problems among black men in the United States. Many activists and scholars recite it to invoke urgency to fight unjust social structures, while culture critics say it to condemn the social failings…

(The Root) — Here’s yet another very good reason to rejoice over Barack Obama’s triumph in last year’s presidential election: Mitt and Ann Romney are not our first family. We have thus been spared four years of hyperexposure to the self-absorbed utterances of this shockingly out-of-touch political couple. From now on we can ignore them.…