About Albert R Hunt Albert R. Hunt is the executive editor of Bloomberg News, directing coverage of the Washington bureau, which includes more than 250 reporters and editors. He hosts the weekly television show "Political Capital with Al Hunt" and writes a weekly column for Bloomberg and the International Herald Tribune. More about Albert R Hunt For more than half a century, the Kennedys were a force in U.S. politics. Their dominance began with John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential run and lasted until the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy in 2009. The family’s return as a major political presence isn’t imminent; it may not be that far off, though. A candidate for a Massachusetts seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is Joseph P. ... Continue reading →

Enlarge image Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and Mitt Romney Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, and Mitt Romney during a Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park on April 16, 2012. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, and Mitt Romney during a Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park on April 16, 2012. Photographer: Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images Enlarge image New York Jets Owner Woody Johnson New York Jets owner Woody Johnson contributed $2500 to Mitt Romney and is raising money for his campaign. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson contributed $2500 to Mitt Romney and is raising money for his campaign. Photographer: Rob Carr/Getty Images Enlarge image New York Jets ... Continue reading →

Enlarge image Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and Mitt Romney Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, and Mitt Romney during a Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park on April 16, 2012. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, and Mitt Romney during a Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park on April 16, 2012. Photographer: Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images Enlarge image New York Jets Owner Woody Johnson New York Jets owner Woody Johnson contributed $2500 to Mitt Romney and is raising money for his campaign. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson contributed $2500 to Mitt Romney and is raising money for his campaign. Photographer: Rob Carr/Getty Images Enlarge image New York Jets ... Continue reading →

Enlarge image Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and Mitt Romney Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, and Mitt Romney during a Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park on April 16, 2012. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, and Mitt Romney during a Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park on April 16, 2012. Photographer: Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images Enlarge image New York Jets Owner Woody Johnson New York Jets owner Woody Johnson contributed $2500 to Mitt Romney and is raising money for his campaign. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson contributed $2500 to Mitt Romney and is raising money for his campaign. Photographer: Rob Carr/Getty Images Enlarge image New York Jets ... Continue reading →

Tea Party favorites such as Stephen Fincher of Tennessee were swept into Congress on a wave of anger over government-funded bailouts of banks. Now those incumbents are collecting thousands of dollars for re-election campaigns from the same Wall Street firms whose excesses they criticized. They have taken no significant steps to curb them or prevent future taxpayer-financed rescues. Republican freshmen have made clear their disdain for expanding government, and openly opposed a financial regulatory overhaul enacted by Democrats in 2010 before the newcomers arrived in Washington. Their ranks include ten Tea Party-backed freshmen on the House Financial Services Committee, part of a force that won election in a populist backlash to government spending that included emergency lending to major banks and bailout of firms including ... Continue reading →

Tea Party favorites such as Stephen Fincher of Tennessee were swept into Congress on a wave of anger over government-funded bailouts of banks. Now those incumbents are collecting thousands of dollars for re-election campaigns from the same Wall Street firms whose excesses they criticized. They have taken no significant steps to curb them or prevent future taxpayer-financed rescues. Republican freshmen have made clear their disdain for expanding government, and openly opposed a financial regulatory overhaul enacted by Democrats in 2010 before the newcomers arrived in Washington. Their ranks include ten Tea Party-backed freshmen on the House Financial Services Committee, part of a force that won election in a populist backlash to government spending that included emergency lending to major banks and bailout of firms including ... Continue reading →

Hunt: How to Make Sense of Election Polls April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Al Hunt takes a look at election season polls and cautions to take each one--along with their margins of error--with a grain of salt. (Source: Bloomberg) TV Channel Finder ZIP is required for U.S. locations Bloomberg Television in change Continue reading →

April 18 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Al Hunt discusses Citigroup shareholders' vote to reject the company's executive pay plan. (Source: Bloomberg) Continue reading →

Priebus Says Gender Battle as Fictonal as Caterpillar War By Kristin Jensen - Thu Apr 05 10:00:00 GMT 2012 Enlarge image Priebus Says Gender Battle as Fictonal as Caterpillar War Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus before speaking at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago on Nov. 16, 2011. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus before speaking at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago on Nov. 16, 2011. Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images The leaders of the two political parties clashed over the role of gender in U.S. elections, with the Democrat saying her opponents have been “shockingly out of touch” on women’s issues and the Republican saying Democrats and the media have created ... Continue reading →

Harold Simmons built a West Texas dump for radioactive waste that is bigger than 1,000 football fields and he can’t fill it. To turn it into a profitable enterprise, the Texas billionaire hired lobbyists to urge the Obama administration to expand the types of nuclear waste, including depleted uranium, the dump can accept and award his company disposal contracts. If the Nuclear Regulatory Commission changes the rule, it could open access to a market worth billions. The deadline for a decision is in 2014. Simmons now is spending money in a new way that could improve his business prospects: He’s invested $15.9 million this election cycle in various groups to help elect Republicans, who advocate easing regulations on the nuclear industry. The largest chunk of ... Continue reading →