By TAREK EL-TABLAWY and SINAN SALAHEDDIN The U.S. Defense Department is unable to properly account for over 95 percent of $9.1 billion in Iraqi oil money tapped by the U.S. for rebuilding the war ravaged nation, according to an audit released Tuesday. The report by the U.S. Special Investigator for Iraq Reconstruction offers a compelling look at continued laxness in how such funds were being spent... 

By John McCormick President Barack Obama doesn’t plan at this time to give back almost $1 million in campaign contributions from employees of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. “We make these decisions on a case-by-case basis, and in this case we have not accepted contributions from specific individuals accused of wrongdoing, nor have we advocated for positions that big Wall Street banks generally favor,”... 

By Greg Gordon While Goldman Sachs’ lawyers negotiated with the Securities and Exchange Commission over potentially explosive civil fraud charges, Goldman’s chief executive visited the White House at least four times. Goldman Sachs Boss Visited White House at least four times White House logs show that Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein traveled to Washington for at least two events with President... 

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs denied President Obama took any PAC money from Goldman Sachs, therefore he will not return any of it. GIBBS: “Anybody that contributed to the campaign at any point knew where the President stood on Wall Street.” Watch Video Here Share/Save Read More →

By Connie Hair White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel met with Wall Street investors Sunday, the night before his boss, President Obama, criticized such meetings with Wall Street investors. In Los Angeles trying to help Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) boost her sagging senatorial campaign that is in serious trouble, Obama Monday called such Wall Street meetings “shocking.” “The Senate Republican... 

The Obama administration’s program to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure has posted “disappointing results” in part because its definition of success is “essentially meaningless,” a watchdog said today in a new report obtained by ABC News. In his audit on the administration’s $75 billion Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), bailout watchdog Neil... 

Attorney General Eric Holder failed to tell the Senate about seven legal briefs he signed when lawmakers considered his nomination to his current job, according to a letter released on Friday. Two of the briefs involved appeals to the Supreme Court for Jose Padilla, who sought release from a military prison in South Carolina where he was being held after then-President George W. Bush designated him... 

By John McCormack Tonight, Barack Obama will host ten House Democrats who voted against the health care bill in November at the White House; he’s obviously trying to persuade them to switch their votes to yes. One of the ten is Jim Matheson of Utah. The White House just sent out a press release announcing that today President Obama nominated Matheson’s brother Scott M. Matheson, Jr. to... 

By Peter Baker With much of his legislative agenda stalled in Congress, President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities. Mr. Obama has not given up hope of progress on Capitol Hill, aides said, and has scheduled a session with Republican leaders on health care later this month. But... 

By Michael Goldfarb Several months ago we warned that Tara O’Toole who recently became Under Secretary for the Science and Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security would reward her friends resulting in millions of dollars in gifts to John Murtha cronies who supported her nomination. Share/Save Read More →

By Brad Heath Billions of dollars in federal aid delivered directly to the local level to help revive the economy have gone overwhelmingly to places that supported President Obama in last year's presidential election. Share/Save Read More →