Iraq has approved plans to run a natural gas pipeline through its territory from Iran to Syria. The move that may prove to be a game-changer in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s two-year-long savage civil war against opposition fighters. It also extends and strengthens Iran’s grip on the region. The announcement Tuesday by the Iraqi Cabinet, said Iraq’s […]
Supporters of President Obama’s continued obstruction of the Keystone XL pipeline and more government controls to prevent climate change attended a “Forward on Climate” rally on February 17 in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Sierra Club and other environmentalist groups. The pipeline would transport oil from Canada to the gulf coast. The Center for Industrial […]
Federal budget cuts called “sequestration” are scheduled to hit in just 10 days. The sequestration cuts are not perfect—they’re a blunt instrument to cut spending, rather than a deliberative plan that sets priorities, trims entitlements, and cuts other spending. But they are law. It would be better to replace them with smarter cuts, but the […]
What’s next for Stanley Fischer, who is stepping down as governor of the Bank of Israel? Washington officials are already talking about tapping Fischer for Federal Reserve Chairman. The Washington Post explains in-depth why that scenario’s not so far-fetched. In this post-crisis era, the job of a central banker requires someone who is simultaneously a […]
A rigorous and large-scale experimental evaluation, conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), finds that the federal Head Start program has essentially no lasting cognitive or behavioral benefits. The results clearly call into question the federal government’s $8 billion per year commitment to the program. Far from growing skeptical about Head Start, […]
Economist Nouriel Roubini warned late last month at the World Economic Forum that economic growth in the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) is at risk: Their past successes were “hyped up,” and the futures of the BRICs are at risk due to rising statism. This rising risk can be seen in the […]
You’re busy. So busy you barely have time to read these words. So why should you care about the U.S. debt? Does it affect your life? Unfortunately, high government debt is having more of an impact on each of us than we realize. Heritage’s Romina Boccia explains that high levels of federal debt are linked […]
With current funding for government operations scheduled to run out March 27, the House is beginning work on another Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year. As they do this, they must take firm steps toward their commitment to balance the budget in 10 years. That means delivering […]
President Obama’s refusal to balance the budget will soon leave Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security bankrupt. That’s according to Representative Tom Price (R-GA), who spoke at The Bloggers Briefing yesterday and sat down for an interview with Heritage’s Jackie Anderson. Price and other congressional leaders have been advocating a strategy to balance the budget and save […]
New Capabilities for the Military? During his speech tonight, President Obama, in a brief passage, pledged to provide the military with new capabilities. This pledge was brief because it included no specifics about the kinds of new capabilities he has in mind. This is not surprising for two reasons. The first reason can be found […]
