Blog Profile / First Read

First Thoughts: Putting things into perspective

Oklahoma disaster puts current Washington politics into perspective… Obama delivers statement on tragedy at 10:00 am ET… That said, there will be an inevitable fight over disaster relief… Three polls, three matters of consensus on the three controversies hitt …

Programming notes

Tuesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing anchors live from Moore, OK and her guests include: Mayor Glenn Lewis, Sen. James Inhofe/(R) Oklahoma, Chris McBee/Storm Chaser, American Red Cross representative as well as corresponde …

Obama agenda: Yet another tragedy

The Oklahoman: “Worse than May 3rd.” Story lede: “The monster returned.” AP: “President Barack Obama has called Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin to express his concern about a monstrous tornado that wreaked havoc in the Oklahoma City suburbs. The White Hous …

Congress: Coburn wants tornado relief to be offset

Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, wants the tornado relief funding to be offset with balancing spending cuts. AP: “The Senate Judiciary Committee hopes to nail down an elusive compromise on high-tech visas and may punt a controversy over gay marriage to the full …

Off to the races: GOP overreach?

Stu Rothenberg warns Republicans of overreach on the trio of controversies: “Let’s not forget: Republicans failed to capitalize on President Bill Clinton’s inappropriate conduct by over-playing their hand and pushing impeachment. Not only did they fail to drive …

Fatigued electorate to make historic choice in Los Angeles

Los Angeles will make history when voters elect a new mayor on Tuesday but the runoff race between two Democratic candidates isn’t drawing much interest as turnout could reach a record low despite the more than $33 million that’s been spent on the nearly two year-lon …

Senate set to grill IRS officials as White House seeks to clarify timeline

As the White House works to contain the political fallout over its knowledge that the IRS had targeted conservative groups applying for nonprofit status, the outgoing agency chief and IRS inspector general will join former Commissioner Douglas Shulman in an appearance Tuesday be …

Conservative talkers, grassroots groups push anti-immigration reform effort

Rand Paul in N.H.: IRS targeting of conservatives 'un-American'

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul continue to stoke speculation about a possible run for president in 2016 during a Monday evening speech in New Hampshire, where he said the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS was "un-American." Paul spoke on Monday in the state which hosts …

Obama, Chinese president to meet in June

NBC News has learned that President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a two-day summit June 7-8 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. This will be Obama's first meeting with Xi Jinping since he took over as China's president. According to a senior official, the two-day summit w …

White House aides learned of IRS details in April, but didn't tell Obama

The White House first learned of a draft report detailing abuses by IRS officials in targeting conservative groups in late April, though the top administration spokesman maintained on Monday that President Barack Obama was not notified of the emerging controversy at that time. W …

Senate panel gives green light to test biometric exit program

Aiming to advance a sweeping immigration reform bill by week’s end, senators on the committee considering the legislation planned marathon sessions to complete its edits, including the approval Monday of a compromise measure to implement a test system for taking foreign vi …

VIDEO: first Read Minute: Competency questions threaten Obama agenda

NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss the controversies surrounding the White House and whether the question of competency could damage Democrats, especially if Republicans use the argument that the government is too big.

First Thoughts: Scandal or bureaucratic incompetency?

What’s worse for the Obama White House: For the controversies to be full-scale scandals that go all the way to the top?... Or for them to be the result of bureaucratic incompetence?... The latest IRS developments… On Obama’s Morehouse speech… Two unions …

Programming notes

Monday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up: Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO, on the IRS and more… A Deep Dive into tomorrow’s L.A. mayoral runoff with the Los Angeles Times’ James Rainey… NBC’s Michael Isikoff with new developments in the DOJ/ …

Obama agenda: Obama approval above 50%, per new poll

The New York Times: “The chief White House lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, learned last month that a Treasury inspector general had concluded an audit of the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups, weeks before the matter became public, according to a s …

Congress: Attack mode

Republicans were in full attack mode on the Sunday shows: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell accused Obama of a "culture of intimidation" on NBC’s Meet the Press. (That very same language was used by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown Friday.) He …

Off to the races: Meet E.W. Jackson

Beth Reinhard: “Florida Sen. Marco Rubio hasn’t popped up in an early-primary state in six months, leaving potential Republican rivals like Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to make the rounds while he carried the torch for h …

Union of immigration enforcement officers to oppose Senate bill

A union representing 12,000 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers will publicly oppose the Senate Gang of Eight immigration plan Monday, giving critics of the overhaul effort additional political ammunition as they work to defeat legislation working its way through …

White House defends IRS handling, McConnell asserts 'culture of intimidation'

A top White House official defended President Barack Obama's handling of information that the IRS had targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status, warning Republicans in Congress against playing politics with the revelations. "There is no question that Republican …