Daily Democratic Wire 7-22-2009

George Wenschhof

Tonight at 8:00 PM ET, President Barack Obama will hold a nationally televised news conference - he will deliver remarks on health care reform and the status of the economy. The president will also answer questions from reporters afterward. The NY Times has more here.

Listen to see if Obama sticks to his August timetable for approval from Congress or signals a fall approval date would be acceptable. Remember also, due to the parliamentary procedure used to approve the budget, the president can use what is know as budget reconciliation to gain approval for health care reform. This approval process would only require a simple majority.

This afternoon President Obama will meet with Iraq Prime Minister Maliki. A 3:00 PM ET press conference is planned. The Wall Street Journal has more here.

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Vice President Joe Biden is in the Republic of Georgia - where he will hold two days of talks with President Mikhail Saakashvili. Georgia tried to reclaim South Ossetia about one year ago by military force only to be repulsed by Russian troops. Saakashvili has come under harsh opposition from Georgians who did not agree with his actions. You can read more here.

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Honduran talks continue - Costa Rica President Oscar Aria will hold a third round of talks today between representatives of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and interim President Roberto Micheletti. Zelaya continues to vow to return to his country. You can read more here.

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On the home front, outgoing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin hits the news again - this time for ethics violations - seems a legal defense fund to pay for the mounting legal costs for all of the various claims against Palin may have been set up illegally. Seems the only potential GOP presidential candidate for 2012 who hasn't been dragged through the coals lately is former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Banks and Auto companies spend heavily on lobbying the Hill - over the first six months of this years, the same companies that received money from the 700 Billion Bailout bill and the 800 Billion Stimulus bill spent 20 million lobbying Congress. TheHill.com has more here.

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