Daily Democratic Wire 6-26-2009

George Wenschhof

Today, President Barack Obama will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel - they will meet at the White House and are expected to discuss a wide range of issues such as Afghanistan, the global economy and climate control. A press conference is scheduled for 11:30 AM ET. Reuters.com has more here.

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Energy and Climate vote expected today in House - while the House is overwhelmingly made up of Democrats, this bill is expected to pass by a narrow margin. Many compromises have taken place in the effort to reduce emissions by 17% by 2020. The Washington Post has more here.

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Health care reform legislation reduced to 1 Trillion over ten years - this legislation resembles the making of sausage as so many details are constantly being negotiated and changed. The latest effort at reaching consensus is an announcement by the senate finance chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that the cost had been reduced from the estimated 1.6 to 1.8 Trillion to 1 trillion over ten years. MSNBC.com has more here.

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The slow dance to replace Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) begins - Edward Kennedy has been Senator since 1962 and now at his age and battling brain cancer, the quiet shuffle to position oneself for the position begins. Kennedy's term ends in 2012 and in a Democratic party controlled state, the question becomes who will succeed him? Politico.com has a good read here.

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Lack of minority hiring on Capitol Hill scrutinized - in the Senate only two chiefs of staff are minority. Under consideration is the NFL's so called Rooney rule - named after the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The rule requires the owners of professional football teams to interview at least one minority for each vacant head coaching position. TheHill.com has more here.

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Gallup Poll shows differences between Republicans and Democrats on Economy - Republicans are concerned about increasing the federal deficit, increasing federal income tax, and problems states have with funding their budgets. Democrats are worried about rising unemployment, the rising cost of health care and those who are without health care. Gallup.com has more here.

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Democratic News Chatter 4-3-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama continues his whirlwind trip to Europe arriving in Strasbourg, France - He will meet with President Nicolas Sarkozy whose wife Carla Bruni along with Michelle Obama have captured the media attention away from the world leaders.

This morning he attended a French town hall and received questions from students at the Rhenus Sports Arena in Strasbourg. ThePage.time.com has more on this town hall meeting here. An ambitious statement made by Obama is a hope for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama also plans to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Baden-Baden Germany today. Next up is the NATO summit.

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Yesterday, the G-20 Summit was very productive as measures were taken to help stabilize the world economy - in addition to the 1.1 trillion pledged to provide loans and guarantees, agreements was reached on financial market regulation and rules on compensation and bonuses. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Yesterday the House and Senate passed non-binding resolutions on President Obama's 3.55 trillion budget - No Republican in either chamber voted for the budget. The House vote was 233-196 and the Senate was 55-43. The Budgets passed were similar to what had been proposed by the president and now further discussion will take place prior to the expected passage later this month. Politico.com has more here.

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Federal Prosecutors reveal 19 count indictment of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich - as expected the charges relate to "pay-to-play" politics. Also charged were five associates of the former Governor, including his brother and former chief of staff. The NY Times has more here.

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Unemployment now at 8.5% - latest news from the Labor Department is not good. There have been 2 million in job losses this year alone and since the beginning of 2008, 5.1 million have lost jobs. CNN.com has more here.

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