Daily Political Wire 4-13-2010

George Wenschhof

Nuclear Summit in D.C. continues - It almost seems President Obama is meeting individually with the head of state of each of the 46 countries represented, but that is not the case. Diplomatic talks continue with high level staff and Obama is meeting individually with some of the heads of state. The NY Times has more here.

Good news was announced by Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych saying he had agreed to eliminate all nuclear stockpiles in his country by 2012. What wasn't reported heavily is the U.S. agreed to store them.

The fear today is the use of nuclear weapons by a rogue state or by terrorists. So, the elimination of or safely storage of nuclear materials is vital for worldwide security.

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First Lady Michelle Obama off to Mexico for 3 days - this is being billed as her first trip abroad by herself without the president or the children. She will be speaking about the importance of engaging the youth around the world. The Washington Post has more here.

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Andrew Stern to resign as President of SEIU - the Service Employees International Union is one of the strongest unions and was influential in helping health care reform to pass congress. No early speculation as to why the resignation but three names have already surfaced as to who might replace Stern. They are Anna Berger, Gerald Hudson and Mary Kay Henry. Stay Tuned.... Politico.com has more here.

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A handful of Republicans join Democrats to send unemployment benefits extension to vote - the filibuster was broken when tea party activist darling Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and fellow Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine along with George Voinovich of Ohio joined Democrats in a 60-34 vote. TheHill.com has more here.

The extension bill will now be able to hit the senate floor for an up or down vote after 30 hours of debate so expect passage late tomorrow or early Thursday.

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Federal deficit 8% lower than one year ago - senior officials in the Obama administration are saying this is a result of higher revenue from taxes and due to reduced spending from the bailout bill. They are now projecting the deficit for the current fiscal year to be 300 billion less than originally projected or 1.3 trillion as opposed to 1.6 trillion. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Watch for results from special election in Florida today - the House seat held by Robert Wexler (D). This is the first federal election since the health care reform bill was passed and the 19 district is a primarily Democratic district. However, 40% of the voters are elderly who may have been swayed against the passage of health care reform due to the misinformation campaign by Republicans. CNN.com has more here.

Republican Ed Lynch who is for repeal of health care and against the Stimulus bill will face Democrat Ted Deutch. The winner will serve the remainder of Wexler's term and have to run for reelection in November. Stay Tuned....

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