Billions of dollars in federal tax credits are flowing to illegal immigrants thanks to a loophole in the tax code that allows them to reap government dollars without authorization to work. A report issued last year by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration estimated claims of $4.2 billion in 2010.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) projected that through the Additional Child Tax Credit, illegal immigrants could procure about $7.4 billion this year, more than quadruple what was paid out four years ago and a startling sum more than the $161-million payout in 2001. While illegal immigrants are not eligible for similar tax credits, a dubious provision in the law grants them eligibility to receive the child tax credit — even if they paid no taxes.

Expanding nationwide August 24, a controversial new film, entitled 2016: Obama’s America, is already the No. 2 grossing documentary this year, raking in a remarkable $1.2 million the weekend starting August 17 for a total gross of $2 million. Upping its theater count last weekend from 61 to 169, the film is already the No. 12 grossing political documentary of all time.

A federal appeals court has put the kibosh on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest regulatory scheme to curb soot- and smog-forming air pollution. The rule, which was shot down Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, was set to impose a greater regulatory burden on coal-fired power plants while potentially boosting electric rates for consumers.

Much of the focus on the student-loan debt crisis has been placed on new graduates, but according to a new report, the federal government has been honing in on another demographic of debtors: retirees. The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 granted the federal government authority to withhold a fraction of their Social Security payments if retirees owe defaulted debt to the government — including student loans.

The Obama campaign, hailed in 2008 for its unparalleled coherence and fundraising strategies, is enduring a range of political feuds and personal disagreements that has left it in severe disorder. Differences in ideology, along with an array of personal disputes, have overshadowed the efficacy of Obama’s 2008 campaign, according to a number of current and former Obama advisers.

Combatting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) flurry of new regulations on coal and other energy resources has become a campaign platform for Republicans in key battleground states. GOP contenders in states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are directing their focus to the Obama administration’s seemingly anti-coal agenda, while blaming their Democratic rivals for bolstering the EPA’s intrusive regulatory efforts.

A four-star general and former head of the U.S. Africa Command is under investigation for allegedly misspending hundreds of thousands of dollars on hotels, travel, and a host of lavish amenities. Gen. William “Kip” Ward, who has been under investigation for about 17 months, retired but was retained on active duty in Virginia to serve as an assistant to the vice chief of the Army.

The allegation by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney paid no taxes for a decade has spurred quite the controversy, which only intensified after Reid refused to disclose the anonymous source of his charge. Of course, the debacle magnified further after questions about the senator’s own personal wealth were resurrected.

A new proposal by the Obama administration to expand drilling to half of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) has attracted criticism from the oil industry, as the plan still leaves a broad area off limits to new oil development. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said new development will be permitted in an 11.8 million-acre geographical area, which purportedly holds about 549 million barrels of oil, while coastal regions such as Kasegaluk Lagoon and Peard Bay — where there is a higher concentration of seals and polar bears — will receive “special protection.”

In an effort to curb “high priority” environmental problems along the U.S.-Mexico border, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked with Mexican officials last week to launch the "Border 2020 U.S.-Mexico Environmental Program." But while the program seeks to abridge pollution in many areas, it neglects to mention the 1,000 tons of trash abandoned by illegal immigrants crossing the border into the United States.