United States

Republican presidential contenders

• Jeb in 2012?
  

  America could use a public reckoning from the Bushes about their role in American life (50)

• • • Is Obama’s ambassador to China planning to run?
    • (9)
  • • How might Haley Barbour play on the national stage?
    • (12)
  • • Mitch Daniels is a likeable wonk. Can he save the Republicans from themselves?
    • (42)
  • • Lexington: The qualities of Sarah Palin
    • (167)

America and Egypt

• 
  Was George Bush right?

  As Egypt erupts, his Arab “freedom agenda” is suddenly looking a little cleverer (120)

• • • When allies tumble
    • (82)
  • • Bush, democracy and the Muslim Brothers
    • (8)
  • • Our Washington bureau chief and Jerusalem correspondent discuss the cautious dance between Israel, America and Egypt
    • (4)

Online media

• 
  Why AOL wants the Huffington Post

  It's all about creating a better class of content farm (29)

• • • Rupert Murdoch's new digital paper tests a new model for news
    • (9)
  • • Some tech start-ups look over-valued
    • (24)

Organised labour

• 
  Do government workers need unions?

  Public-sector unions create an unfair and fiscally risky imbalance of political bargaining power, says our blogger (59)

• • • What's the difference between public- and private-sector unions?
    • (29)
  • • How public-sector unions make the system work for them
    • (69)

The economy

• 
  So this is the new year?

  The first jobs report of 2011 is a very disappointing one (39)

• • • Apart from jobs, the economic news is good
    • (10)
  • • How much longer can corporate America deliver bumper increases in profits?
    • (26)
  • • Falling home prices and rising foreclosures cause a policy quagmire
    • (19)
  • • The suburban sunbelt is the scene of terrible poverty
    • (50)

Health care

• 
  Dead or alive?

  Another blow for Barack Obama’s health reforms is struck by the courts (69)

• • • Over to you, Anthony Kennedy
    • (115)
  • • How to fix the mandate
    • (74)
  • • The government does force you to buy vegetables
    • (57)
  • • There's no avoiding "mixed" modes of constitutional interpretation
    • (62)

Fiscal policy

• Deficit hawkery as farce

  The Republicans' suggested cuts make little sense (68)

• • • Cutting $500 billion is a bit harder than it sounds
    • (53)
  • • Paul Ryan, deficit hawk or dove?
    • (26)
  • • Talk of America defaulting on its debt is just that
    • (21)
  • • Here are those spending cuts you said you wanted
    • (55)

Barack Obama's next two years

• 
  Crunch time

  Despite rising poll numbers and his upbeat state-of-the-union speech, America’s president faces a divided government and a mountain of debt (17)

• • • Leader: The union's troubled state
    • (154)
  • • Our correspondents discuss Mr Obama's lack of audacity
  • • Lexington: The ghost of Gingrich
    • (15)

Business and Barack Obama

• 
  Red tape rising

  The regulatory state is expanding sharply. But Barack Obama hints that there may be moderation ahead (28)

• • • Corporate America is mending fences with the president. Tentatively
    • (21)
  • • Is Obama any more anti-business than Bush? (Sep 2010)
    • (34)
  • • Leader: Obama needs to change his reputation for being hostile to business (Sep 2010)
    • (103)

• Also on this channel

• School food

  No thanks, Jamie

  L.A. can do without naked chefs (8)

• Water worries

  The drying of the West

  The Colorado River and the civilisation it waters are in crisis (19)

• Afghanistan's crucial year

  An orchard of ills

  A stand-off between the president and parliament mocks the challenges Afghanistan faces (15)

• Tax-exempt religious organisations

  God knows

  But the IRS doesn’t (33)

• The state of Michigan

  Send in the nerd

  A novice takes charge of America’s most troubled state (8)

• Health reform repeal

  More of the tasty bits please

  A poll shows the public wants health care reform to go further (42)

• Petrol prices

  A jump at the pump

  Bad news for more than motorists (27)

• The colonias of the Mexican border

  Paving the way

  Texas’s colonias are still desperately poor, but there are signs of progress (5)