There are rules for issuing and securitizing mortgages. These rules were completely ignored in the peak years of the housing bubble. At every step, there were people who knew they were not following the law, but thought it would not matter.
ISIS, is of course gone and dealt with in the Cruz's fantasy. "In the past year, we haven't simply weakened, we haven't simply degraded, we have utterly and completely destroyed ISIS," he said.
As a nation, we hold strong families among our highest values. Yet for millions of Americans, being a good parent to their children or good children to their parents too often leads to financial disaster. A family and medical leave insurance program will go a long way toward changing that.
Much of the president's speech was about the forces of abject bigotry on the current political stage and how we can't underestimate them. Kim Davis's presence in the chamber served to underscore his warning.
If Sanders wins Iowa with MoveOn's support, then MoveOn could use this to credibly claim that on foreign policy Democratic voters don't value "experience" right now as much as they value "not getting us in more wars" and "peaceful solutions to prevent war," like the Iran deal.
Bernie Sanders versus Donald Trump in the general election? How preposterous an idea! Of course, when writing one of these articles a good rule of thumb is to always point out how speculative the concept all is, which I dutifully did.
The candidate with the least amount of media coverage, and the candidate thought of as unable to win a general election by some pundits (even though he beats Trump in a "landslide of epic proportions"), is the only candidate in 2016 with positive favorability numbers.
What six months ago seemed impossible and two months ago seemed improbable would then become not only possible but probable: Voters' rejection of the governing elite and the donor class in both political parties.
In his State of the Union, President Obama called for "reducing the influence of money in our politics." Fantastic. He has heard the growing cry of the 85 percent of us who want big changes (with almost half of us wanting a complete rebuild!) in how America funds elections.
The Earned Income Tax Credit has long enjoyed bipartisan support because it encourages and rewards the work of low- and moderate-income people.
Those precious moments in the State of the Union when we can be reflecting on innovation, education, healthcare -- we can't. President Obama had to stop and remind everyone that throwing fire bombs into mosques is not okay. This is the America we live in right now.
I'm about as liberal as they come, vote in every election (even the tiny local ones), and almost always cast a straight-ticket Democratic ballot. I'm registered as an independent, however.
With a higher cost of living, reduced social programs, and the distinct possibility of initiating taxes, the Saudi people will start demanding more from their government. By driving down the global price of oil, the Kingdom is risking the future of its regime.
President Barack Obama has yet to win over many Republican or conservative admirers. Yet, there can be little doubt that most of his detractors are doing better today than they were on January 20, 2009 when he was first sworn into office.
As 2015 drew to a close, many in the global energy industry were praying that the price of oil would bounce back from the abyss, restoring the petroleum-centric world of the past half-century. All evidence, however, points to a continuing depression in oil prices in 2016 -- one that may, in fact, stretch into the 2020s and beyond.
I understand that we are at a time of incredible anxiety, frustration and, in many places, anger. But I am also an idealist (and aware of history) who knows that in times like these, with incredible disruption and destruction, we discover new models, new ways and new methods.
Days after reports that Iran has dismantled one of the most dangerous parts of its program by removing the core of its heavy-water reactor in Arak and filling it with cement, Republicans are mounting a new attempt to kill the agreement that has already made the world much safer.
Not that any of the pro-gun, anti-Obama rhetoric was unexpected. But what provoked the greatest amount of attention on both sides of the political spectrum was the discussion at the end of the event when the president derisively dismissed the idea of gun confiscation as a "conspiracy theory" that had no basis in reality or truth.
What the economy needs is a massive program of investment in public infrastructure to provide jobs and domestic growth that is relatively insulated from global trends. Such a program could also accelerate an overdue transition to a greener economy. That would require on the order of about half a trillion in outlays a year, some of it financed by higher taxes on the rich and some of it financed by debt. Try to find a mainstream politician calling for that level of public outlay. Look around you at the appalling state of basic public infrastructure. In New York, the a new subway line is literally taking decades because only a little money is available each year. Our coastal water and sewer systems are sitting ducks for the next surge of sea level rise. Basic roads, bridges, tunnels and electrical systems have deferred maintenance bills stretching into the trillions. Our internet access systems are technically behind those of most of Europe and some in the Third World -- and far more costly to consumers. And don't get me started on Amtrak.