Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof



Poll Shows Public is OK With Tax Hike For Wealthy

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Republican Senators Corker and Colburn Signal Support For Tax Increases on Wealthy - appearing on the Sunday political talk shows, Senators Tom Colburn (R-Okla.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said they would support tax increases on the upper 2% of wage earners so negotiations could shift to entitlement reform.  You can read more here and here.

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IMF Director Lagarde Warns Zero Growth for U.S. if No Deal on "Fiscal Cliff" - Christine Lagarde, the managing director if the International Monetary Fund, appearing on CNN "State of The Union" said “If the U.S. economy was to suffer the downside risk of not reaching a comprehensive deal, then growth would be zero,” she said. “It would be much better to actually have a more comprehensive approach and to deal with all the issues.” You can read more here.

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Booker To Decide on Gubernatorial Bid in Two Weeks - Newark mayor Cory Booker (D), appearing on CBS "Face The Nation" said "I am absolutely considering running for governor as well as giving some other options some consideration," Booker said. "I'm going to be focused on for the next week to 10 days or so, and really come up with a decision that answers my basic question, is where do I believe -- and hopefully later the voters might agree with me -- but where do I believe I can make the best difference for the city I love, for the state I love and the nation that I've pledged my life to."  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) is enjoying record high approval ratings following his actions during and after Hurricane Sandy.

Running for U.S. Senate in 2014 is another option for Booker.  You can read more here.

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U.S. Drone Strike Kills Senior al-Qaida Leader - the strike took place in north Waziristan, Pakistan.  Sheik Khalid bin Abdel Rehman al-Hussainan was killed when missles struck the home he was in.  The use of Drones by the U.S. has angered Pakistan and has caused some in the U.S. to question the legality of their use.

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Egyptian President Morsi Offers Concessions - The president rescinded most of his sweeping Nov. 22 decree that temporarily elevated his decisions above judicial review and drew tens of thousands of protesters into the streets calling for his downfall. He also offered a convoluted arrangement for the factions to negotiate constitutional amendments this week that would be added to the charter after the vote. The NY Times has more here.

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