Ryan Grim
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Ryan Grim is the Washington bureau chief for The Huffington Post. He is a former staff reporter with Politico.com and Washington City Paper. He won the 2007 Alt-Weekly Award for best long-form news-story for "The Painmaker," a December 2010 Sidney Hillman Award for "The Poorhouse" and a 2011 Maggie Award for Behind The Assault On Planned Parenthood. His article on lobbying over swipe fees will be included in the 2012 Columbia Journalism Review's Best Business Writing anthology. He is the author of the book This Is Your Country on Drugs.

Blog Entries by Ryan Grim

Romney Argues Big Spending Cuts Would Cause 'Depression,' Contrary To Tea Party Activists

(16878) Comments | Posted May 25, 2012 | 1:24 PM

Republican House Speaker John Boehner and GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney have, in the course of the past week, pushed starkly different approaches to fiscal policy and economic recovery, a window into a broader rift within the GOP between the Tea Party and less absolutist conservatives.

Boehner, carrying the Tea...

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Bain Capital Explained By Tony Soprano (VIDEO)

(10395) Comments | Posted May 24, 2012 | 11:56 AM

The national debate over private equity so far has hinged on the question of whether experience in the field qualifies Mitt Romney, the former Bain Capital executive, for the presidency. But a more vexing, and largely unanswered, question lies just beneath the surface: How is it, exactly, that an investment...

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Gregory Jaczko Resigns: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Steps Down

(2878) Comments | Posted May 21, 2012 | 10:05 AM

WASHINGTON -- Under a withering assault from the industry, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko is stepping down, effective upon the confirmation of his successor, according to a statement from Jaczko.

The resignation follows months of bureaucratic knife-wielding by the four industry-backed members of the five-person panel. Like something out...

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Nancy Pelosi: Speaker John Boehner 'Wants To Go Over The Edge'

(14965) Comments | Posted May 20, 2012 | 11:13 AM

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accused House Speaker John Boehner on Sunday of "want[ing] to go over the edge" when it comes to negotiations to keep the government from defaulting on its debts.

The federal government will hit its debt limit sometime around the November election, but...

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Eduardo Saverin Bill Backed By John Boehner

(4056) Comments | Posted May 20, 2012 | 10:31 AM

WASHINGTON -- Eduardo Saverin's decision to renounce his United States citizenship in order to avoid paying taxes on his Facebook stock was "absolutely outrageous," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told ABC's George Stephanopolous on "This Week."

Boehner said that his move was "already against the law," likely referring to...

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Nancy Pelosi Confident Of Taking Back House

(6976) Comments | Posted May 20, 2012 | 9:57 AM

WASHINGTON -- Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) struck a confident chord Sunday in an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

"If the election were held today, you think the Democrats would win?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"Yes, I do," Pelosi, the Democratic minority leader, said. Pelosi noted that current House Speaker...

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Mitt Romney To Mock New Hampshire Bridge Backed By His Supporters

(2454) Comments | Posted May 18, 2012 | 12:01 AM

Mitt Romney will campaign Friday in New Hampshire, looking for his own "bridge to nowhere." The Romney camp thinks they have found it in a 19th century bridge no longer used for traffic that was restored with state and federal funds.

Romney's attack on the $288,000 bridge restoration will run...

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House VAWA Bill Picks Up Unhelpful Ally: National Coalition For Men (UPDATE)

(669) Comments | Posted May 16, 2012 | 2:15 PM

WASHINGTON -- The House Republican version of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, which has been decried by women's rights groups as a dramatic rollback of protections for domestic violence victims, has picked up the backing of a group that may prove to be an unhelpful ally: the National Coalition...

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U.S. Politicians Eye Europe Warily As Austerity Fatigue Ousts Governments

(7543) Comments | Posted May 16, 2012 | 12:05 PM

Ned Simons reported from London, Alexandre Phalippou from Paris, and Ryan Grim from Washington.

When Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke ventured to the Senate last Thursday for a closed-door gathering, he found a nervous Democratic caucus. One senator put their anxiety into words: How worried should we be about Europe?...

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Peter Peterson Spent Nearly Half A Billion In Washington Targeting Social Security, Medicare

(2620) Comments | Posted May 15, 2012 | 2:31 PM

WASHINGTON -- Peter Peterson, a Wall Street billionaire who has been calling for cuts to Social Security and other government programs for years, is hosting a "fiscal summit" Tuesday that brings together Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, former President Bill Clinton, Rep. Paul Ryan, House Speaker John Boehner, Tom...

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Rand Paul Searching For Support On Amendment Barring War With Iran And Syria

(386) Comments | Posted May 9, 2012 | 10:29 AM

WASHINGTON -- Presidents of both parties, over the past several decades, have shown a willingness to interpret Senate resolutions in the broadest imaginable way when it comes to war, whether it's to launch a 10-year land-war in Southeast Asia or Afghanistan, to torture detainees picked up in foreign countries or...

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Nancy Pelosi Defended By House Progressives In Tussle With Russ Feingold

(99) Comments | Posted May 8, 2012 | 5:56 PM

WASHINGTON -- Leading members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are coming to the defense of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California after former Sen. Russ Feingold challenged her commitment to protecting Social Security and Medicare.

"Let's remember that we are on the same team," reads a...

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Medical Marijuana: Obama's War On Pot Ramps Up In Colorado, Key Swing State

(4589) Comments | Posted May 8, 2012 | 12:35 PM

In its official party platform, the Colorado Democratic Party endorses the legalization of marijuana.

In March, 56 percent of the Denver County Republican Assembly voted to support legal and regulated pot, a question which will be on the November ballot.

And the state's Department of Revenue has announced...

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GOP's Violence Against Women Act Would Open Up Undocumented Victims To More Abuse

(4944) Comments | Posted May 4, 2012 | 2:49 PM

WASHINGTON -- The House Republican version of the new Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) would dramatically roll back confidentiality protections for abused immigrant women, make it more difficult for undocumented witnesses to work with law enforcement officials, and eliminate a pathway to citizenship for witnesses who cooperate with police on...

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Obama's Perception As 'Dictator' Cost GOP Lobby Shop Cash, Says Founder

(1189) Comments | Posted May 3, 2012 | 1:00 PM

WASHINGTON -- A top Republican lobbying shop lost major business over the past few years because clients thought "Obama was going to be dictator," and only firms closely aligned with the administration would have access, Ed Rogers, the head of BGR Group, said in a deposition taken in January.

...
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Russ Feingold: Nancy Pelosi Needs To Stand Strong

(456) Comments | Posted May 3, 2012 | 11:27 AM

WASHINGTON -- A leading national progressive figure is taking a rare step on Thursday, challenging House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on her commitment to protecting Medicare and Social Security.

Russ Feingold, the former senator from Wisconsin, said in an email to supporters that Pelosi "has signaled a disturbing...

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Foreclosure Victims Aim To Take Over County Courthouses

(716) Comments | Posted May 2, 2012 | 5:31 PM

Solutions to the ongoing foreclosure crisis are virtually absent from the national political debate, but in Florida, one of the states hardest-hit by the housing crunch, several homeowners who have seen crisis firsthand are running for local office on anti-Wall Street platforms.

Lisa Epstein, a foreclosure victim-turned-activist, has

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Robert Caro: GOP Abuse Of Filibuster 'Unconscionable,' Harry Reid Has Done 'A Terrific Job'

(8426) Comments | Posted April 30, 2012 | 2:46 PM

WASHINGTON -- Harry Reid, as majority leader of the United States Senate, has done "a terrific job," according to the most celebrated historian of the institution in a generation. Robert Caro, author of "Master of the Senate," the Pulitzer Prize-winning volume of his Lyndon Johnson biography, said that Reid's opponents...

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Nancy Pelosi Says She'd Back Simpson-Bowles Plan (VIDEO)

(3840) Comments | Posted April 27, 2012 | 4:15 PM

WASHINGTON -- Two progressive organizations have found themselves in the unusual position of being on the opposite side of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Over the course of the past two years, the former House Speaker has been the most significant obstacle to the ongoing effort to slash entitlements and...

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John Raese Calls Ted Nugent A Patriot After Obama Threat (VIDEO)

(2044) Comments | Posted April 24, 2012 | 11:19 PM

Republican West Virginia Senate candidate John Raese came to Ted Nugent's defense at a campaign event, calling the rocker a "patriot" and saying that "it's a concern" that the Secret Service investigated after Nugent's inflammatory speech threatening President Barack Obama.

Nugent, said Raese, according to video of the candidate's recent...

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