Daily Democratic Wire 2-15-2010

George Wenschhof

Today, President Barack Obama will be at Camp David - he will return to the White House late this afternoon. Camp David is the presidential retreat located in the Catoctin mountains near Thurmont, Maryland.

---

Proposed 39% rate increase by California Health Insurer comes under fire - Anthem Blue Cross's proposed rate increase has provided more support for health care reform. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius expressed her concern when she noticed the company reported 2.7 billion in profits in the 4th quarter alone. Congressional hearings have been scheduled and Anthem Blue Cross has agreed to delay the increases until May. TPM.com has more here.

---

Republicans lead in defending open seats in the House races - while Democratic retirements have gained a lot of media attention, it is the Republicans who now have 18 open seats to defend and the Democrats have 13. CNN.com has more here.

Republicans will need to win a plus 40 seats in the House in the Fall Elections to gain a majority. Early indications are all of the incumbents may feel the voters wrath as their dissatisfaction with Congress is at a very high level.

---

Attorney General Eric Holder and White House have a "meeting of the minds" - Holder has been under pressure after the decision to use the public courts to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

Holder has agreed to work more closely with White House staff and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has agreed to give more media exposure to Holder.

Let's see how this arrangement works as the White House now has indicated the location of the KSM trial will be released within weeks. The NY Times has more here.

---

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fears Iran is heading toward a "military dictatorship" - she made the remarks while speaking to students at the Carnegie Mellon's Doha campus in Qatar. Earlier, she had expressed her concern of Iran's lack of respect of Human Rights. Politico.com has more here.

---

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.