Political News
Obama Delays Asia Trip To Press For Health Care Bill
The White House said his trip would be pushed back to March 21, with the president returning on March 26. Earlier, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs had insisted that Congress needed to act on health care by March 18 — Obama's original departure date.
Black Leaders Ask: Where's Our President?
From President Obama on down, a new wave of black politicians who eschew identity politics has risen across the country. But that has many in the black community feeling that a historic opportunity to address urban issues is slipping away.
Obama Postpones Trip To Indonesia
President Obama is delaying his trip to Asia next week to focus on his big push on health care. The White House tweeted the announcement. His family was going to go with him but they will not now. The White House wanted Congress to act on the health care bill by March 18, Obama's original departure date.
Obama Considers Janet Yellen For No. 2 Fed Post
President Obama intends to nominate Janet Yellen, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, to take over as vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, a person familiar with the selection says. She served as a top economic adviser to President Clinton.
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Administration Turns Eye Toward Big Agribusiness
Top Obama administration officials launch a series of workshops Friday delving into agriculture antitrust issues. Some big agribusiness firms say the forums will showcase a well-functioning, free market, but some producers think the probe will expose a system increasingly hostile to traditional family farms.
Sen. Reid's Wife, Daughter Seriously Hurt In Crash
The Senate majority leader's wife, Landra, suffered a broken back and neck after the minivan she was riding in with her daughter, Lana Barringer, was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer truck on a highway in suburban Virginia. Neither woman's injuries appeared to be life-threatening, Reid's aides said.
N.Y. Attorney General Steps Aside In Governor Probe
Andrew Cuomo said he has appointed an independent counsel to probe whether Gov. David Paterson illegally took World Series tickets or had improper contact with a woman who accused an aide of domestic violence. He said he is being cautious because of heated politics that have raised concerns about a conflict of interest when he says none exists.
NY Gov. David Paterson To Be Probed By Independent Counsel
NPR's Russell Lewis tells us that in a Thursday afternoon teleconference, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo "says according to his preliminary findings, there are 'credible issues to review in a probe' of the governor. He has recused himself and appointed former Chief Judge Judith Kaye to oversee that review as an independent counsel."
GOP Targets Democrats On Ethics, Earmarks
House Republicans have launched a full-blown ethics offensive against the Democratic majority. The issues are ethics violations and spending earmarks, two lines of attack Democrats employed when they won control of Congress four years ago.
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Ill. Democrats Accept Lt. Gov. Applications Online
The man who won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in Illinois vacated the seat after he was accused of beating his wife. Democrats now have to fill the slot and are accepting online applications from anyone interested. Two candidates: state Rep. Arthur Turner, who came in second in the original race, and Jill Jaffe, an unemployed certified medical assistant with no political experience.
Advocates Aim To Revive Immigration Overhaul
President Obama met Thursday with senators who are trying to craft a bipartisan immigration bill. The meeting comes less than two weeks before immigrant rights activists are planning a march on Washington to draw attention to their cause, but so far the White House has been reluctant to put the issue on the front burner.
House Leaders Ban Earmarks To Corporations
With midterm elections approaching, Democrats and Republicans are battling to claim the clean-ethics crown. That's one reason Rep. David Obey (D-WI), chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said he's killing off one of lawmakers' most lucrative perks: corporate earmarks. Most of the earmarks come from the subcommittee that oversees defense spending.
Obama Campaigns For Heath Overhaul In Missouri
President Obama says the time for talk is over and that Congress needs to take an up-or-down vote on the health care overhaul plan. He traveled to St. Charles, Mo., to sell his plan Wednesday. It was his second trip outside of Washington this week to try to win congressional support for the plan. He also helped raise some cash for Democrats made vulnerable by the long legislative fight.
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Insurance Mandate May Need Strict Penalties
The health care plans before Congress require individuals to purchase insurance. But the penalty for violating the individual mandate may be so low that healthy people might be tempted to pay it instead of buying insurance. That would leave insurers with less healthy customers, prompting companies to raise their rates, prompting more people to drop out, and so forth.
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Overhaul Rules Stuck On Financial Protection Agency
Senate Democrats and Republicans are trying to work out differences over how to overhaul financial regulations following the financial crisis. One of the big sticking points is the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Democrats, including President Obama, want a separate and independent agency. Republicans want it to be part of an existing agency but Democrats say that's been tried and didn't work.
Status Report: Obama And The Middle East
Less than one year ago, President Barack Obama delivered a speech in Cairo in which he promised to redefine the relationship between the U.S. and the Islamic world. The speech was well-received across the Middle East, but it's unclear if perceptions or policy have changed.
'Al-Qaeda 7' Controversy: Detainees And Politics
Justice Department attorneys who once helped represent terrorism detainees are at the center of a raging dispute. Conservatives say that the politically appointed lawyers are influencing U.S. policy to help their former clients.
Expert: House, Senate Democrats Have Trust Deficit
The divide on Capitol Hill is commonly depicted as Democrats versus Republicans and for good reason — the greatest rift in Congress is indeed partisan. But there's also a cleft between members of the same party, Democrats specifically, with a split between House and Senate members.
Obama: Time To Crack Down On Health Care Fraud
The president denounced waste, inefficiency and downright fraud in the government's health care system on Wednesday as he sought to rally public support for his revamped overhaul plan.
Senate Approves Measure To Extend Jobless Benefits
The legislation would give months of continued jobless checks to people who have been out of work for more than half a year and help the unemployed pay for health insurance. The 62-36 vote came over protests from conservatives who say the bill adds too much to the $12.5 trillion national debt.
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