US moves toward full Iran trade embargo AsiaTimes - Jim Lobe The United States Congress has stepped closer to a full trade embargo on Iran with legislation intended to increase support for Israel. If it is passed into law, President Barack Obama would lose his waiver rights that ensure countries with historic trade and financial relations with Tehran continue cooperating with Western efforts to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.The House bill, it noted with approval, would impose a de facto commercial embargo against Iran and would "maximize the effectiveness of American economic and diplomatic efforts as Iran nears a nuclear weapons capability." 

 The IRS Scandal Isn't About Taxes—It's About Disclosure  Norm OrnsteinTea party groups could have registered as nonprofit 527 political committees, but they didn't. How the GOP love of secret donations has fueled the growth of 501(c)(4)s.

Vice President Biden: Jewish leaders, pop culture drove gay marriage acceptance What a mensch. Vice President Joe Biden praised Jewish leaders in the media Tuesday night, crediting them with helping to change American attitudes on gay marriage TV shows like "Will and Grace" and technology

Just Say No (Special Prosecutor) by Michael Tomasky He should also—and this won’t placate the right; far from it, in fact, but so be it—explain to the American people the reasons this controversy is being overblown. But there is one thing that he absolutely must not do, and that is pay the least bit of attention to these calls for a special prosecutor. That will be the end, either literal or metaphorical, of his presidency, because of the ceaseless bad faith of the people trying to elevate this thing to Watergate proportions. Just say no, and say it firmly.

The reality is Americans aren't that concerned about drones Harry J Enten Few Americans pay attention to the drone program, and the few who have largely support targeted killings abroad.

Thomas B. Edsall: Kill Bill Political techniques may have changed, but lobbyists still deliver a terrific return on investment.According to statistics United Republic assembled, the prescription drug industry spent $116 million lobbying for legislation to prevent Medicare from bargaining down drug prices — legislation that enabled drug companies to make an additional $90 billion annually. That amounts to an extraordinary 77,500 percent return on investment. Oil companies, in turn, had a return on investment of 5,900 percent, and multinational companies, 22,000 percent.

Democrat raises prospect of special prosecutor for IRS By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington TimesA Democrat on the House’s investigative committee raised the specter of a special prosecutor on Wednesday to investigate political targeting of conservative groups at the IRS from 2010 to 2012.

Official at Heart of IRS Tea Party Scandal Spiked Audits of Big Dark-Money Donors Andy Kroll  In 2011, the IRS killed audits of five big-time donors. Inside the IRS mess you haven't heard about. In 2011, under pressure from House and Senate Republicans, Miller, then the IRS' deputy commissioner, spiked audits investigating whether five big donors to 501(c)(4) groups—the type of nonprofit that can get involved in campaigns and elections but can't make politics its "primary activity"—avoided paying taxes on their donations. Miller's decision erased any worry that wealthy donors might have had about giving millions to nonprofits during the 2012 campaign season.

Questioning Obama on Press Freedom by John CassidyThe President still has a lot to explain regarding his Administration’s views on the First Amendment in leaks cases…The issue of just how far the Obama Administration is willing to go to pursue leakers gets murkier and murkier. 

Obama's Escape Plan By Margaret Hartmann Obama will renew his effort to close Gitmo by restarting the transfer of detainees. The prison still holds 166 detainees, and 86 have been cleared for transfer. That includes 56 from Yemen, but the administration suspended transfers to the country in 2010 after it was revealed that the attempted underwear bomber was trained there by Al Qaeda. Since the election of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi last year, Yemen has increased cooperation with the U.S. on counterterrorism. The Journal reports that officials from the two countries have been negotiating in recent weeks about restarting the transfers, and the Yemeni government says it will monitor detainees released from Guantánamo and provide programs to help them reintegrate into society.