Margaret Talev

Recent stories written by Margaret Talev

China's growing global influence on display ahead of Obama visit (11/15/2009)

SHANGHAI, China – When President Barack Obama lands tonight in China's largest city, Shanghai, he'll find many of its 20 million people intrigued by him and welcoming, but hardly deferential, and some openly skeptical of his promises of change.

Hate-crimes protection grows (10/29/2009)

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed the first major piece of federal gay rights legislation, a milestone that activists compared to the passage of 1960s civil rights legislation empowering blacks.

Moderate Democrats chilly to public option (10/28/2009)

WASHINGTON – Moderate Democratic senators remained reluctant Tuesday – and in one case, defiant – about backing the government-run "public option" health care plan that party leaders are offering as a compromise, making it highly uncertain whether the plan can become law.

West blasts Iran over plant (9/26/2009)

PITTSBURGH – Western powers and Russia on Friday turned up the heat on Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program after the U.S., France and Britain revealed that the Islamic republic has secretly been building an underground facility that could be used to produce nuclear weapons fuel.

G-20 summit to address recovery (9/24/2009)

WASHINGTON – As the leaders of the Group of 20 nations gather today and Friday for an economic summit in Pittsburgh, they'll be testing two themes:

Compromises on table in Obama health plan (9/10/2009)

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Wednesday laid out a series of compromises he's willing to make to get a health care overhaul through a nervous Congress this year, including diluting his vision for a new public insurance program and embracing ideas floated by Republicans.

Senator key to push for Care reform (8/27/2009)

WASHINGTON – Securing universal health care coverage for Americans was a decades-long quest that eluded Sen. Edward Kennedy. In the wake of his death, however, several key Democrats on Wednesday saw a chance to break what's become this year's stalemate by invoking his legacy and last wishes.