Politics

Flanked by legislators and lawmakers, President Obama smiles as he signs the STOCK (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act into law. The STOCK Act bans insider trading among government officials and members of Congress.

THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press SecretaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FORTHURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012In the morning, the President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing. This meeting is closed press.Later, the President and the Vice President meet for lunch. This lunch in the Private Dining Room is closed press. In the afternoon, the…

Medical breakthroughs in curing sickle-cell anemia and treating prostate cancer and HIV/AIDS may dramatically improve life for the millions of people struggling with these diseases, but there are significant barriers that may keep African Americans from receiving this new, high-quality care. This article is the third and last in a series about how health care…

Today, April 4, marks the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the strike by the sanitation workers of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1733 — two events that changed America and forever linked civil rights and workers’ rights. For the members of AFSCME in Memphis,…

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden talk as they walk up a staircase in the West Wing of the White House on April 3.

THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press SecretaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FORWEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012In the morning, the President will host an Easter Prayer Breakfast at the White House, as he has done in previous years. Christian leaders from across the country will join the President at this breakfast for a time of…

In his Washington Post column, Eugene Robinson says that nothing the candidate does will erase some of his worst political mistakes. The problem for Mitt Romney, assuming he eventually wins the GOP nomination, is that a general-election campaign isn’t really like an Etch a Sketch. Alas, traces from the primaries linger. The ghost image that…

Almost a year ago Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote (pdf), “Prisoners retain the essence of human dignity inherent in all persons.” This week in Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of County of Burlington (pdf), Kennedy abandoned the commitment to the inherent dignity of those held in custody by the state and ruled that correctional authorities…

President Barack Obama walks with Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, left, and President Felipe Calderón of Mexico after their joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 2. The three leaders are reflected in the base of flag poles situated on the Colonnade. Like The Root on Facebook. Follow…