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The U.S. Wants to Inspect Your Catfish, Twice

Niraj Chokshi | May 21, 2013

The farm bill has a reputation, and it’s not a good one.

Next Stops for Farm Bill: Senate and House Floors

Jerry Hagstrom | May 15, 2013

The House Agriculture Committee prides itself on bipartisanship, but when the panel met Wednesday to consider a new farm bill, the deep cultural divides between its Republican majority and Democratic minority members were in full relief.

Senate Agriculture Committee Plows Forward on Farm Bill

Jerry Hagstrom | May 14, 2013

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday approved a five-year farm bill that reveals a new consensus on crop and nutrition policy, but it emerged over the objections of three Republican senators from the Plains—Pat Roberts of Kansas, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, and John Thune of South Dakota—who offered amendments on food stamps and commodities that a majority of the panel rejected.

A New Life For Chris Christie

Marc Ambinder | May 7, 2013

The political and psychological aftermath of weight-loss surgery -- the skinny from a journalist who's been there.

After the Obama Administration's Morning-After Pill Decision

Margot Sanger-Katz | May 2, 2013

President Obama has made a series of speeches in recent weeks, delighting scientists who work on controversial areas of research and advocates for reproductive and abortion rights.

3 Stories That Will Make You Mad As Hell (But Will You Act?)

Ron Fournier | April 30, 2013

Actions of Obama, Weiner and McDonnell reflect why Americans are losing faith in leadership.

Mitch McConnell Wants to Be the Republican Party's Chief Tech Innovator

Shane Goldmacher | April 29, 2013

The 71-year-old GOP leader's campaign sees closing the data gap with the Democrats as a key to reelection.

Mitch McConnell, Super Populist

Reid Wilson | April 25, 2013

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is a staid, understated politician. He doesn't give pulpit-pounding speeches, and he rarely electrifies an audience. That's what makes this video, released today by McConnell's campaign team, so remarkable. Remember those Tim Pawlenty videos folks compared to...

Agricultural Workers and Farmers Unite to Push Congress on Immigration Reform

Jerry Hagstrom | April 24, 2013

The sight of the head of the United Farm Workers and farmer representatives testifying side by side before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday to promote the farmworker section of the immigration-reform bill was an extraordinary moment in American agriculture.

‘Independent’ in Name Only

Shane Goldmacher and Scott Bland contributed | April 18, 2013

He promised to chart his own course, but a National Journal vote analysis shows that Sen. Angus King of Maine aligns with Democrats.

A Polarized Committee Reflects a Gridlocked Congress

Amy Harder | April 17, 2013

Shortly after Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., won the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in December 2010, he invited all the former committee chairmen and their wives to dinner at Carmine’s in downtown Washington.

Long List of Lobbies Oppose Renewable-Fuels Standard

Amy Harder | April 17, 2013

It’s hard to rival the diversity and sheer number of groups and companies with a vested interest in the renewable-fuels standard, from food and livestock businesses to those in the environmental and energy sectors.

Slow-Motion Gun Battle Plays Out in Senate

Billy House | April 14, 2013

Lawmakers will stage some slow-going drama this week as the Senate proceeds in its deliberations on gun-control legislation with a series of votes on amendments—many of them likely to usher in their own mini-floor fights, or even filibusters.

What Drones Can Do for You

Sara Sorcher | April 11, 2013

Prescription drugs, fast-food delivery, disaster relief—unmanned aerial vehicles can be handy in all sorts of ways.

Why Those Wellness Programs Don't Work

Margot Sanger-Katz | April 11, 2013

Obama's workplace health incentive was supposed to save money and make you fit. Instead it penalizes the poor.

The New Orleans Restaurant That Offers a Life-Changing Experience

Adam B. Kushner | April 8, 2013

Café Reconcile brings at-risk teens into the workforce—and serves the best red jambalaya in town.

How New Orleans Pulled Off an Economic Miracle

Adam B. Kushner | April 7, 2013

A conversation with Mayor Mitch Landrieu on why his city is now a magnet for traditional businesses and startups alike.

America's Chronic Disease

Michael Hirsh | April 5, 2013

The American economy is more than ever like a chronically ill patient suffering from a mysterious wasting disease that physicians would call “idiopathic” (a fancy term that means they have no idea what’s causing it).

Healthy Benefits

Jerry Hagstrom | April 3, 2013

Nonprofit hospitals could reap credit for improving the eating habits of their patients and communities.

On the Move: March 23, 2013

Christopher Snow Hopkins and Mike Magner | March 21, 2013

Kelly Nallen is American Crossroads' new director of digital. Former Hillary Clinton collaborator Kris Balderston is a senior partner at Fleishman-Hillard. Onetime DeLay policy director Juliane Sullivan heads the House Education and the Workforce staff.

Organic-Food Champion’s Departure From USDA Sows Seeds of Concern

Jerry Hagstrom | March 20, 2013

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan’s upcoming departure has raised a lot of questions about the Obama administration’s commitment to organic and local food production, but she said in an exclusive interview Wednesday that it will have almost four more years to institutionalize the changes she has made at the department.

Upton, Waxman Launch Debate on Biofuels Mandate

Amy Harder | March 20, 2013

For the first time since President Obama won the White House in 2008, the top Republican and Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are working collaboratively on a controversial piece of energy policy: the renewable-fuels standard.

NFL Linebacker Helping Veteran Lawmaker Tackle ‘Superbugs’

Christopher Snow Hopkins | March 14, 2013

Borrowing from her background in microbiology, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., has made a signature issue out of battling “superbugs,” strains of bacteria that have mutated from overexposure to antibiotics and become resistant to the very drugs meant to block their growth.

Humility or Cynicism? Whatever is Driving Obama is Better Than Nothing

Ron Fournier | March 12, 2013

Obama’s sudden burst of public outreach coincides with a drop in his approval ratings.

Mr. Obama Goes to Israel (In the Spring)

Ross Gianfortune and Government Executive | March 6, 2013

Fast forward to 2:50 to see Colbert relate food to Obama’s Israel trip.

Filmmaker Lori Silverbush Tackles Nation’s Hunger Problem in ‘A Place at the Table’

Mike Magner | March 4, 2013

While she was mentoring a young girl in East Harlem, N.Y., filmmaker Lori Silverbush received a disturbing call from a teacher who said the 12-year-old was spotted foraging through the trash at school for food.

A Bitterly Divided Congress (video)

National Journal Staff | February 21, 2013

In this week's cover story, National Journal's Alex Roarty discusses NJ's new annual vote rankings for members of Congress, from most conservative to most liberal.

Live Blogging the State of the Union Address

Niraj Chokshi and Brian Fung | February 12, 2013

10:40.Florida Senator Marco Rubio takes a break from delivering the Republican response to take a drink of water… 10:38. Rubio said that the economy shrank during the last three months of 2012. And, according to the government’s first read, it did. But first reads are almost always revised, a...

The Scary Truth About How Much Climate Change is Costing You

Coral Davenport | February 7, 2013

While policymakers fiddle, the threat of economic harm posed by rising sea levels, devastating storms, and drought is growing every day.

Mitch McConnell Wants to See the Hemp Ban Go Up in Smoke

Elahe Izadi | February 1, 2013

Senate Republican leader says hemp production would create jobs, not encourage illegal drug use.

Why Ashley Judd's Breakup Is Bad News for Mitch McConnell

Michael Catalini | January 30, 2013

Actress Ashley Judd and Indy Car driver Dario Franchitti are ending their marriage after 11 years, and, yes, it affects Mitch McConnell.

Expect Few Ultimatums in Obama Immigration Speech

Fawn Johnson and George E. Condon Jr. | January 29, 2013

President Obama will make no ultimatums in his immigration speech on Tuesday other than to insist that any legislation must be comprehensive, according to administration officials.

The Human Cost of Fruits and Vegetables

Rosa Ramirez | January 14, 2013

At least one farmworker in the U.S. dies each day while picking fruits and vegetables, according to a new study.

Hotline Sort: Mass Interest

December 20, 2012

On Wednesday, we looked at the small field of possible GOP contenders in a Massachusetts special Senate election if Sen. Scott Brown opts against running. Today, we'll look at the much larger field of potential Democratic candidates – expect a crowded primary. The delegation: The first names to...

The People, Not Washington, Will Solve America's Everyday Problems

James Oliphant and Stacy Kaper and Catherine Hollander and Adam Mazmanian and James Kitfield and Ben Terris and Fawn Johnson | December 6, 2012

Beyond the fiscal cliff, entitlement reform, and a tax overhaul, a host of other issues continue to vex Americans. They include burgeoning traffic, the shrinking pool of affordable housing, escalating gun violence, and the rising invasion of online privacy.

Hot Ticket

Lara Seligman and Michelle Bloom | September 18, 2011

Get your kid off the couch with Coca-Cola’s “Get the Ball Rolling” reception.

NJ Topics Food And Nutrition