Star Spangled Staggers

US politics from outside the beltway

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Rand Paul's 13-hour filibuster against drone strikes sets Senate alight

By Alex Hern - 07 March 9:59

The junior senator from Kentucky is now getting some much-needed rest.

2 Comments

Can the Republicans gerrymander their way into the White House?

By Tim Wigmore - 12 February 13:50

Republicans should stop focus on winning more support, not changing the electoral rules.

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Gabrielle Giffords with her husband Mark Kelly at the hearing.

Gabrielle Giffords on gun violence: "Too many children are dying... We must do something."

By Caroline Crampton - 31 January 9:30

The former Democratic Congresswoman, who was severely injured after being shot in the head at a political rally in 2011, delivered a moving speech at the start of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence.

1 Comment

Barack Obama during the 57th Presidential Inauguration.

Barack Obama's inauguration speech: full text and video

By New Statesman - 21 January 22:23

Read and listen to the US president's second inaugural address.

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A vendor sells newspapers at the 57th Presidential Inauguration

Watch: Obama's second inauguration

By New Statesman - 21 January 16:35

Watch President Obama get sworn in for a second term.

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Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet the audience.

Obama must make poverty reduction a priority for his second term

By Steven Akehurst - 20 January 14:02

To be a truly transformative president, Obama must bring the issue of urban poverty out from the political fringes.

3 Comments

The platinum coin is killed as America careens toward default

By Alex Hern - 14 January 11:50

The platinum coin is dead, long live the debt ceiling.

2 Comments

Jon Stewart: we can have gun control, or we can fight "imaginary Hitler" (VIDEO)

By Alex Hern - 09 January 12:28

Watch the Daily Show segment here.

25 Comments

Krugman backs minting a $1trn platinum coin

By Alex Hern - 08 January 9:16

The real funny story's the debt ceiling.

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Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner. Photograph: Getty Images

Austerity averted in US

By Alex Hern - 02 January 11:51

Country hauled back from the fiscal cliff.

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Senate passes fiscal cliff deal

By Caroline Crampton - 01 January 10:25

Bill would prevent middle class taxes from rising.

1 Comment

Stop sharing 30 year old stats. Use these instead

By Alex Hern - 17 December 17:19

"West Germany" really should be a clue.

28 Comments

Barack Obama speaks to Sandy Hook vigil

By Alex Hern - 17 December 9:24

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So, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, how old IS the earth?

By Alex Hern - 19 November 16:39

He's not a scientist, but he does know how to tell them when they're wrong.

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Dronestagram: the locations behind America's secret drone war

By James Bridle - 12 November 12:04

These are the places most of us will never see. We do not know these landscapes and we cannot visit them.

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Rachel Maddow: this election restores hope for a working American democracy

By Alex Hern - 09 November 17:33

"The Republicans got shellacked. And they had no idea it was coming."

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The Republican Party's future: evolve or die

By Lola Adesioye - 09 November 16:29

If the GOP is to avoid becoming completely irrelevant, it needs to embrace people who actually understand modern America.

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Watch: President Obama's thank-you speech to his Chicago campaign staff

By Alex Hern - 09 November 11:28

The president seems like a nice sort of guy, really.

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The fiscal cliff isn't scary except to republicans

The fiscal cliff isn't scary to anyone but Republicans

By Alex Hern - 08 November 14:17

Taxmageddon could be a blessing in disguise.

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Video: Jon Stewart describes Fox News election night coverage as "crisis on bullshit mountain"

By Caroline Crampton - 08 November 9:59

The insane moment of panic on the network when Obama was re-elected “will… live forever", Stewart says.

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Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Mali and Shasa.

Obama's disunited states

By Ben Fox - 08 November 0:18

It would be a mistake to regard the result as a sweeping endorsement of the Obama presidency.

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"I don't want to kill Big Bird; I love Big Bird." Photograph: Getty Images

8 phrases from the election we'll probably never hear again

By Martha Gill - 07 November 13:11

Obama, Romney, and some odd moments.

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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The Republicans must accept that they can't rely on white votes to win

By Sunder Katwala - 07 November 13:04

With whites now accounting for only 72 per cent of the electorate, the party's election strategy is bust.

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Stephen Colbert was definitely a winner in the US election. Also he dressed as a

The winners and losers of the US election

By Caroline Crampton and Helen Lewis - 07 November 11:40

From Elizabeth Warren and memes, to glum Fox News pundits and Paul Ryan's biceps.

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Mitt Romney acknowledges the cheers of his supporters at his rally in Boston

5 Pictures Of Mitt Romney Looking Sad

By Caroline Crampton - 07 November 10:53

The Republican candidate was gracious at the end, but couldn't help looking a bit sad at his defeat.

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Barack Obama arrives in Florida. Photograph: Getty Images.

The lessons for Labour from Obama's lacklustre campaign

By Anthony Painter and Marcus Roberts - 07 November 10:28

The US president owes his victory to his political machine, not his campaign strategy.

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Donald Trump calls Obama's victory a "disgusting injustice"

By Caroline Crampton - 07 November 10:11

The tycoon is not a gracious loser.

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Barack Obama arrives on stage in Chicago, Illinois. Photograph: Getty Images

Barack Obama's acceptance speech: video and full text

By New Statesman - 07 November 8:47

"I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests."

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The photo tweeted by Barack Obama after he secured re-election.

Obama re-elected as Romney concedes defeat

By George Eaton - 07 November 7:28

US president wins decisive re-election after securing key swing states.

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A damaged house in Beach Haven, New Jersey

Is New Jersey in any state to vote tonight?

By Michael Tracey - 06 November 18:17

The legitimacy of the election result in New Jersey will be undermined as residents are still struggling to cope with the damage and devastation of SuperStorm Sandy.

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