Michael Isikoff

Obama's liberal base takes aim over terror policies.

The Obama Administration is pressing the Libyan government to explain the reported prison death of a former CIA detainee—an incident that U.S. officials fear could reopen questions about the agency's "extraordinary rendition" program and further complicate the president's plans to shut down the Guantánamo Bay detention center.

The reported suicide of a prisoner who falsely linked Saddam Hussein to Al Qaeda surprises human-rights workers and lawyers for other top terror detainees.

On national security, Obama's task will get even tougher.

How Ali Soufan, an FBI agent, got Abu Zubaydah to talk without torture.

A new Senate report says Bush officials quickly abandoned 'humane' interrogation techniques.

Torture is a complicated business, and the real world is never as neat as the imagined one.

Despite a recent spate of killings, the president and fellow Democrats choose not to wage war on assault weapons.

What happened to terror suspects Washington turned over to foreign governments?

Rod Blagojevich's run as Illinois governor may be over, but the political fallout from his 16-count corruption indictment last week is just beginning. Blago's trial is likely to feature a number of high-profile figures, including White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and convicted political fixer Antoin (Tony) Rezko.

Attorney General Eric Holder wants to release classified Bush-era interrogation memos. But U.S. intel officials are fiercely lobbying the White House to block him from moving forward.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now the second member of President Obama's cabinet to get shot down by the White House over the politically sensitive issue of assault weapons.

Why is Attorney General Eric Holder backing away from an assault weapons ban?

There was plenty of outrage on Capitol Hill last week over the executive bonuses paid out by AIG after getting federal bailout money. But another money trail could make voters just as angry: the campaign dollars to members of Congress from banks and firms that have received billions via the Troubled Asset Relief Program.A NEWSWEEK review of recent filings with the Federal Election Commission found that the political action committees of five big TARP recipients doled out $85,300 to members in...

After years of being held by the Bush administration as an enemy combatant, Ali Saleh al-Marri gets his day in court as an important test of the Obama Justice Department's new strategy.

Outcry in Congress derails Dennis Blair's choice for top post.

A firefighters' suit could trouble the Obama administration.

An internal Justice Department report on the conduct of senior lawyers who approved waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics is causing anxiety among former Bush administration officials.

Despite his clear declaration during his confirmation hearing that "waterboarding" is torture, new Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. has seemed reluctant to order criminal probes into alleged rough treatment of detainees during the Bush presidency.

Why Obama may be abandoning Bush's favorite phrase.

Speaking to reporters, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week invited Iran to show its willingness "to engage meaningfully" with the international community—language that seemed to signal the Obama administration was open to a dialogue with Tehran's leaders.

Bush lawyer directs Rove not to talk to Congress—once again

The AG nominee says he won't go after Bush-era interrogators—maybe

A new Pentagon report may complicate Obama's plans for Gitmo.

Obama banishes Bush's interrogation tactics

Bush uses clemency powers sparingly to the end

Tension is building behind the scenes among Barack Obama's advisers over whether the new administration should investigate allegations of torture and other Bush administration misdeeds.

Will new disclosures on detainee abuse force criminal probes?

How the U.S. government mishandled the case of a bombing suspect—and what lessons Team Obama can learn from it.

Invoking his wartime commander-in-chief authority, NEWSWEEK Editor Jon Meacham has granted yours truly, a lowly investigative correspondent, sweeping subpoena power to demand that President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team answer all my questions about their dealings with Illinois Gov.