David Lauter

Q&A: Why unemployment benefits expire for 1.3 million on Saturday

June 18, 2018 at 8:07 p.m.

Some 1.3 million Americans will lose unemployment benefits on Saturday as the federal program to assist the long-term unemployed expires. Here are six things to know about who is affected...

Tea-party backers at odds with majority of Americans on debt limit

June 18, 2018 at 9:32 p.m.

More than half of Americans who identify themselves as supporters of the tea-party movement say the government has no need to ever raise the current limit on the national debt,...

test story terry 2

December 24, 2018 at 11:57 a.m.

More than half of Americans who identify themselves as supporters of the tea-party movement say the government has no need to ever raise the current limit on the national debt,...

test story terry

December 24, 2018 at 11:56 a.m.

More than half of Americans who identify themselves as supporters of the tea-party movement say the government has no need to ever raise the current limit on the national debt,...

Candidates split on best way to treat Medicare

May 23, 2019 at 9:03 p.m.

Medicare poses knotty problems. Not only has the number of recipients increased, the costs per person have gone up as medical care has gotten pricier. The Congressional Budget Office projects...

Romney seeks rollback of rules

May 23, 2019 at 9:02 p.m.

In almost every speech, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney criticizes President Barack Obama for overregulating, and he has made cutting regulations in two areas — the financial industry and the...

Social Security in need of a long-term fix

May 23, 2019 at 9:02 p.m.

The federal government has a long-term budget problem: More than 40 cents of every dollar it spends goes to retirees — mostly for Medicare and Social Security — and as...

Where Obama and Romney stand

May 23, 2019 at 9:02 p.m.

Whoever wins the presidential election in November will confront urgent problems: Should tax cuts scheduled to expire be renewed? Should federal spending be cut to reduce the deficit or would...

Where Obama, Romney stand on the deficit: The differences behind the campaign rhetoric

May 23, 2019 at 9:02 p.m.

Currently, federal revenues cover about two-thirds of federal spending. The government borrows money to fill the gap. The more the government borrows, the bigger the national debt, which began rising...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker addresses a victory rally in Waukesha.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker beats back recall

March 29, 2019 at 5:39 p.m.

MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin's Republican governor, Scott Walker, handily defeated an effort by labor unions and Democratic activists to end his tenure early, surviving a recall contest that capped more than...

All Stories