Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof 

Obama Sends Thoughts to Families of Firefighters Killed in Arizona - President Barack Obama said Monday that his thoughts are with the families of 19 firefighters who were killed battling a blaze in Arizona.
 
"Yesterday, nineteen firefighters were killed in the line of duty while fighting a wildfire outside Yarnell, Arizona," he said in a statement. "They were heroes -- highly-skilled professionals who, like so many across our country do every day, selflessly put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet. In recent days, hundreds of firefighters have battled extremely dangerous blazes across Arizona and the Southwest. The federal government is already assisting, and we will remain in close contact with state and local officials to provide the support they need. But today, Michelle and I join all Americans in sending our thoughts and prayers to the families of these brave firefighters and all whose lives have been upended by this terrible tragedy."  TPM.com has more here.

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Snowden Stuck in Russia - Three weeks after Snowden revealed himself as the source of leaked top-secret documents on U.S. intelligence gathering, the former intelligence contractor is stuck in legal limbo in Russia. Although he has not been seen publicly in days, he is thought to be inside a transit area of a Moscow airport.

On Sunday, two of his strongest supporters — Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and President Rafael Correa of Ecuador — said it was unlikely that Snowden would leave there anytime soon.

“The United States, by canceling his passport, has left him for the moment marooned in Russia,” said Assange, whose anti-secrecy organization has aided Snowden in his flight.  The Washington Post has more here.

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Strong Democratic Support for Hillary Clinton in 2016 - Early supporters of Barack Obama in 2008 are embracing the prospects of a Hillary Clinton run in 2016.

Several House Democrats who endorsed Obama over Clinton in the 2008 primary said that all signs point to widespread Democratic support for a second presidential bid for the former secretary of State.

One of Obama’s earliest supporters, Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), said that if Clinton chooses to run, she will be the favorite.

Fattah’s sentiments come on the heels of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) contention that Democrats are coalescing behind a Clinton candidacy.

Pelosi recently told USA Today, "There's a great deal of excitement about the prospect that she would run. I don't know why she wouldn't run. She's prepared. She's well-known. She's highly respected. She knows she could do the job very, very well.”  TheHill.com has more here.

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Unemployment Hits Record high in Eurozone - Euro zone unemployment was at a record high in May, but consumer prices rose in June for a second month in a row and staved off the threat of deflation in the bloc's sickly economy.

The ECB holds a monetary policy meeting on Thursday, though it is expected to hold interest rates at the current record lows for the foreseeable future.

In a sign of the weak economy, unemployment in the bloc stood at a record 12.1 percent, a touch above the revised figure of 12.0 percent in April, but below Eurostat's earlier reading of 12.2 percent. It was lower than a forecast by economists polled by Reuters, who saw a reading of 12.3 percent in May.  Reuters.com has more here.

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Justice Kennedy Denies Motion to Halt Gay Marriage - Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has denied a request from Proposition 8 supporters in California to halt the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses in the nation's most populous state.

Kennedy turned away the request on Sunday with no additional comment.

Same-sex marriage opponents asked him to step in on Saturday, a day after the federal appeals court in San Francisco allowed same-sex marriages to go forward. Numerous weddings were performed at San Francisco City Hall following the court decisions.

The opponents said the appeals court had acted about three weeks too soon. Proposition 8 supporters could continue their efforts to halt gay marriage by filing their request with another Supreme Court justice.  Politico.com has more here.

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GOP Begins Program to Recruit Female Candidates - With a stagnant number of women in its caucus, the House GOP’s campaign organization announced a new program Friday, Project Grow, to recruit, mentor and elect more female candidates in 2014.

“We need more women to run,” Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said. “Project Grow will plant that seed that will get them thinking of doing it.”

CQ Roll Call reported earlier this week that the National Republican Congressional Committee was in the early stages of formalizing a female candidate recruitment program for the upcoming midterm cycle. The NRCC’s announcement was part of a joint event with six GOP committees that are making an new organized effort to help female candidates.

The “Women on the Right UNITE” effort is run by the Republican National Committee, NRCC, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Republican State Leadership Committee, College Republican National Committee and Republican Governors Association. The goal is to help female candidates ascend to all levels of government.  RollCall.com has more here.

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Protesters Demand Morsy Step Down - Egyptians who helped overthrow a 29-year dictatorship in a widely hailed revolution have now given the country's first democratically elected president one day to step down from office.

In a statement posted Monday on its official Facebook page, Tamarod (the "rebel" campaign") demanded that if President Mohamed Morsy doesn't leave office by Tuesday, the group will begin a civil disobedience movement, call for nationwide protests and march on the presidential palace, where Morsy's administration is running affairs.

 

On Monday, protesters stormed the main headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the party that Morsy led before his election. Armed with Molotov cocktails, the mob set the office on fire, shouting, "The people have toppled the regime."

 

At least 16 people were killed and more than 780 were wounded Sunday and Monday during the unrest in Egypt, the nation's health minister said, according to the official Egypt News agency.  CNN.com has more here.

 

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Obama Approval Drops to 45% - A majority of Americans disapprove of the job President Barack Obama is doing and his approval rating has slipped eight points in the last month, according to the latest CNN/ORC International poll released Monday morning, a sign that the recent swirl of controversies has taken a toll on his public standing.
 
Fifty-four percent of respondents said they disapprove of Obama's job performance, while 45 percent said they approve. It's the lowest approval rating for Obama in more than a year and a half, according to CNN, and a significant drop in the span of a month. In the previous CNN/ORC survey just a month ago, Obama boasted a 53 percent approval rating while 45 percent said they disapproved of his job performance at that time.  You can read the poll results here.
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Hillary Clinton To Address Michigan Business Group Today - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday will address an annual dinner of a Michigan-based business group that has attracted high-profile guests in the past.
 
Clinton will be the guest of honor at the Economic Club of Grand Rapids' annual dinner. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, as well as former President George W. Bush have each spoken at the event.  TPM.com has more here.

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Britain/U.S. Spied at International Summits - British and U.S. spy agencies monitored the e-mails and phone calls of foreign dignitaries at two international summits in London in 2009, the Guardian newspaper reported Monday, citing documents it received from former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden.

The disclosure follows reports in The Washington Post and the Guardian two weeks ago, also based on documents provided by Snowden, that disclosed widespread U.S. surveillance of phone and Internet use by ordinary citizens in order to detect patterns that could indicate terrorist activity.

The description of high-stakes summit espionage leaves the British government in a diplomatically awkward position, with heads of state — including President Obama — already arriving in Northern Ireland on Monday for the start of the Group of Eight summit.  The Washington Post has more here. 

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Markey Leads Gomez By 11 Points in Massachusetts Senate Race - With about a week remaining before Massachusetts voters head to the polls for a special U.S. Senate election, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) appears to have the wind fully at his back, according to the latest Boston Globe poll released Sunday.

The poll showed Markey claiming the support of 54 percent of likely Bay State voters, while Republican businessman Gabriel Gomez trailed with 43 percent support. Those numbers include undecided voters who indicated that they are leaning toward one of the two candidates. Excluding leaners, Markey's lead in the poll is even larger, 54 percent to 41 percent.

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Bloomberg Wants To Require Food Composting - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has tried to curb soda consumption, ban smoking in parks and encourage bike riding, is taking on a new cause: requiring New Yorkers to separate their food scraps for composting.

Dozens of smaller cities, including San Francisco and Seattle, have adopted rules that mandate recycling of food waste from homes, but sanitation officials in New York had long considered the city too dense and vertically structured for such a policy to succeed.
       

Recent pilot programs in the city, though, have shown an unexpectedly high level of participation, officials said. As a result, the Bloomberg administration is rolling out an ambitious plan to begin collecting food scraps across the city, according to Caswell F. Holloway IV, a deputy mayor.   The NY Times has more here.

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Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Budget Battles Continue - Republican House Speaker John Boehner wants 60 Billion in cuts for the remainder of this fiscal year and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says no way. This sets up the possibility of a government shut down if agreement can not be reached on a continuing resolution by March 4.

The annual budget deficit along with the national debt will be a major issue in the 2012 presidential election. The NY Times has a good read here.

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Bartlett Claims Foul on F-35 Engine Denial - the Maryland Republican Representative who also chairs the House Armed Services Tactical air and land forces subcommittee, says the pentagon lobbied to kill funding for the F-35 engine.

He has sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates with his allegations of improper action by the pentagon.

The House voted to kill funding for the program last week. TheHill.com has more here.

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O'Malley Speaks to Virginia Democrats - in his first address as chair of the Democratic Governors Association. He spoke at the annual Virginia Jefferson/Jackson Dinner. The Maryland Governor stuck to the themes being promoted by President Obama of education and infrastructure. The Baltimore Sun has more here.

Next week, Democratic Governors will be meeting with President Obama. One item to be discussed is money - states are broke and will plead for money from the federal government. Unfortunately, the federal government is facing the same situation.

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U.S. Position on Israeli Settlements Unclear - yesterday, opposite statements and actions were taken by the United States.

First, the U.S. vetoed a UN resolution declaring the Israeli settlements illegal and then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated the settlements were illegitimate and called for a two state solution with Palestine. ABC News has more here.

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Hillary Clinton Large Campaign Donors Under Scrutiny - several of the large "campaign finance bundlers" of the 2008 Clinton presidential campaign have been indicted under charges they violated campaign finance laws.

Neither the Clinton campaign or her advisers have been found to have been involved and any improperly received money has been returned. The Washington Post has more here.

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Daily Political Wire 11-20-2010

George Wenschhof

Sunday morning "Talking Heads" lineup - below, Politico.com has a preview of the morning shows. The discussion will be heavily focused on foreign policy as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen fan out to appear and push for the ratification of the START treaty with Russia during the lame duck session of congress.

Also, sure to be discussed is the recent NATO agreement to end involvement in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and the U.S. offer of 3 billion in stealth fighter planes to Israel in exchange for a ninety day building moratorium in the disputed West Bank.



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Federal Elections Commission Dismisses Complaint against Republican Senator John Ensign (Nev.) - a complaint had been filed against him in regard to the $96,000 his parents gave a campaign worker who was the former mistress of the Senator.

It was determined that the money was a gift and not a campaign contribution. TPM.com has more here.

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House Ethics Committee Cancels Trial for Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calf.) - only citing new evidence became available which caused them to refer the case back to the subcommittee who originally recommended the trial. The trial had been scheduled to begin November 29.

Waters claims this proves the evidence was weak in regard to her case. She was questioned in regard to her acting on behalf of a Bank receiving bail out funds which her husband owned stock. TheHill.com has more here.

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Representative Steve Israel (D-NY) to be new DCCC Chair - he was named by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.) to replace Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) who served as chair for the last two election cycles.

Israel will be tasked at regaining the majority in the House. The NY Times Caucus Blog has more here.

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Senate Settles Black Farmers and American Indian Lawsuits for 4.55 Billion - the long standing lawsuits were finally settled yesterday. Black Farmers had argued they had been denied or underpaid aid and American Indian trust funds had been mismanaged.

It now goes to the House for a vote prior to being signed by President Obama. The NY Times has more here.

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White House Schedule

From: http://thepage.time.com/

The Political Schedule

*all times Eastern

Wednesday, August 11

• • 9:30 am
  • President Obama receives the presidential daily briefing
• • 10:30 am
  • President Obama meets with senior advisers
• • 11:00 am
  • President Obama meets with his national security team on Iraq in the Situation Room
• • 11:00 am
  • President Obama meets with his national security team on Iraq in the Situation Room
• • 12:45 pm
  • President Obama and Vice President Biden have lunch
• • 1:30 pm
  • Press Secretary Gibbs delivers the daily press briefing
• • 2:50 pm
  • President Obama delivers remarks and signs the Manufacturing Enhancement Act
• • 3:45 pm
  • President Obama meets with Secretary of the Navy Mabus in the Oval Office
• • 5:00 pm
  • President Obama meets with Secretary of State Clinton in the Oval Office

White House Schedule

From: http://thepage.time.com/

The Political Schedule

*all times Eastern

Monday, July 26

• • 1:00 pm
  • Secretary Gibbs delivers the press briefing
• • 1:15 pm
  • President Obama receives the presidential daily briefing
• • 1:45 pm
  • President Obama meets with senior advisors
• • 2:45 pm
  • President Obama receives the economic daily briefing
• • 4:00 pm
  • President Obama meets with Secretary Clinton
• • 4:50 pm
  • President Obama meets with Reps. Hoyer, Langevin and Sensenbrenner
• • 6:00 pm
  • President Obama delivers remarks at an an event to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Daily Democratic Wire 7-24-2009

George Wenschhof

Today, President Barack Obama will meet with Senate Leaders Reid and Baucus to discuss health care reform - the president invited Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to the White House. Reid announced last night that the president's timeline of an August approval will not be met. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) who is chair of the Senate Finance Committee has been working on a bi-partisan agreement and the committee now is expected to have a bill moved forward by August. You can read more here.

Later in the day, President Obama will discuss his 5 Billion education program that is part of the Stimulus bill. He will make remarks at the Department of Education explaining how states can access these funds. the Wall Street Journal has more here.

Tonight Barack and Michelle Obama will attend the Marine corps parade at the Marine Corps Barracks.

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Minimum Wage increases to 7.25 per hour today - this is the last of a series of increases that were previously approved from when the minimum wage was at 5.15 oer hour. Even with the increase, it is incredible to imagine any family being able to live at 7.25 per hour today. Time.com has a read here which includes a little history of how minimum wage came about in the U.S. Seems, it started in Massachusetts back in 1912 and covered women and children.

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53% view Alaska Governor Sarah Palin negatively - a pretty steep drop in approval for the woman who was the Republican VP running mate for John McCain's presidential bid last year. The Governor is set to leave office early this coming Sunday. the Washington Post/ ABC News poll showed only 40% viewed Palin in a positive manner. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Middle East Envoy George Mitchell hopes to engage Syria in peace talks - he will be in Damascus prior to Meeting in Israel on Sunday with Israel and Palestine officials. Talks with Syria by the U.S. had not taken place during the George W. Bush administration. You can read more here.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asks Zelaya to delay his attempt to return to Honduras - the deposed president is trying for the second time to return to the country since a coup resulted in him being flown out of the country and an interim government put in place. Negotiations between the interim government and Zelaya mediated by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias have broken down. Clinton feared an outbreak of violence could occur and caution against a return at this time. Zelaya is attempting to cross into Honduras by Jeep across the northern boundary from Nicaragua tomorrow. You can read more here.

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Daily Democratic Wire 7-19-2009

George Wenschhof

President Barack Obama will host the Apollo 11 Crew at the White House tomorrow - marking the 40th anniversary of the U.S. landing on the moon. All close to 80 now, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstong will all visit wit the president. You can read more here.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in New Dehli, India - as part of a overseas trip that will also include a visit to Thailand. She spoke yesterday of hope the U.S. and India can come to an agreement on climate control measures. Both India and China with emerging technology and industrialization are currently major polluters. You can read more here.

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Meanwhile, no resolution has been reached in regard to the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya - the President of Costa Rica; Oscar Arias has been mediating talks between representatives of Manuel Zelaya and Roberto Micheletti, the interim President of Honduras. Talks centered around restoring Zelaya to power and creating a coalition government have not proved successful to date. The NY Times has more here.

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Taliban releases video of captured U.S. soldier in Afghanistan - in it, the captured soldier pleads for the people in the U.S. to pressure the government to end the war and to bring them home. These type of videos bring home the horrors of war as the captors coerce statements from prisoners to be used for propaganda purposes. MSNBC.com has the video here.

The U.S. military condemned the use of the video and said it violated international law, adding they were doing everything they could to bring the man home safely. Reuters.com has more here.

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Health Care Reform continues to move forward - in spite of the Republican Party of "No" and concerns about a rising budget deficit, the passage of universal health care is on a course for passage. President Obama has secured the support of the pharmaceutical association, the hospitals, nurses, and doctors as the push to insure the 47 uninsured Americans remains strong. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) who has fought for this all of his political career, has a good read in Newsweek. You can read it here.

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Daily Democratic Wire 7-16-2009

George Wenschhof

Tonight, President Barack Obama heads to New York to speak at the NAACP 100th anniversary dinner - the first time a African-American President has addressed the organization. he is expected to discuss his plans for health care reform, education and the economy. Time.com has more here.

He will be busy in New York as he will also attend a fundraiser for NJ Governor Corzine and a DNC fundraiser before heading to the NAACP dinner.

Earlier in the day, the president will host Republican Senators Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) at the White House. He will be discussing health care reform with them.

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4th day of Sonia Sotomayor hearings began at 9:30 AM ET today - the supreme court justice nominee continues to perform well in spite of repeated efforts by Republican members of the committee asking "got you" type questions. TheHill.com has more here.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says U.S. still willing to engage in talks with Iran, but the time is waning - Clinton made these remarks yesterday during a speech to the Council on Foreign Affairs. She warned Iran that if they continued with their nuclear program, they would face additional penalties and increased isolation from the rest of the world. MSNBC.com has more here.

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C.I.A. was preparing to activate secret program involving assassination teams abroad - the teams were to be assembled and trained abroad to assassinate al-Queda leaders. When the program moved forward to be activated and CIA director Leon Panetta was informed, he abruptly ended it. The Washington Post report on this story can be read here.

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Daily Democratic Wire 6-20-2009

George Wenschhof

Unease continues in Iran - a day after the U.S. House and Senate passed resolutions condemning the violence in Iran following the election, police were out in force to block planned demonstrations. Rallies had been planned in both Freedom Square and Revolution Square in Tehran. CNN.com has more here.

The Iranian Guardian Council said they were prepared to hold a recount of 10% of the vote chosen randomly and in the presence of representatives from the three defeated candidates for president. Reuters.com has more here.

While some Republican leaders have been quick to attack President Obama for not speaking out in a more forceful manner in regard to the Iran election, I believe he is handling it correctly. Remember, the U.S. had an election in 2000 many felt was stolen from the people by the supreme court. However, no American would have wanted interference from other countries on our vote.

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80 Billion deal in the works to fund medicare drugs and help pay for health care reform - in a major agreement with the pharmaceutical industry, medicare beneficiaries would receive better drug coverage and part of President Obama's health care legislation would be paid for in the agreement being negotiated. You can read more here.

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Sotomayor resigns from all woman's club - after continued questioning from Republican leaders, supreme court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor resigned from the organization. She sent a letter informing Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee of her decision and stating she did not feel it violated and judicial ethics. You can read more here.

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Last night, the President attended a Radio and TV Correspondents dinner - one of the requirements is a speech which includes a long list of hopefully funny one-liners for the crowd. In case you missed some of the television replays last evening, Politico.com has the video of Obama's speech and interviews with others who attended the dinner here.

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Hillary Clinton's Elbow surgery successful - she underwent the surgery yesterday at George Washington University hospital after suffering a fracture from a fall. Doctors say she is expected to recover fully without any lasting damage. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Obama names Ertharin Cousin as US Representative to UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture - she was a senior adviser during the campaign and is currently president of the Polk Street Group. Her past includes a stint as White House liaison to the state department and as a national leader in domestic hunger relief. Swamppolitics.com has more here.

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Democratic News Chatter 4-16-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Today, President Barack Obama is off to Mexico - He will meet with President Calderon and they will hold a joint press conference at 4:15 PM ET. Obama is then off to attend the fifth annual Summit of the Americas. Time.com has more here.

Prior to departing for Mexico, the president talked about the need to modernize the country's rail system.

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Housing starts down 10.8% in March - the Commerce Department report was not good news after they had reported an increase in housing starts in February. This is the second lowest level of starts for the month since the 1940's. Let's see how the markets react to this news today. You can read more here.

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Unemployment Claims drop - in a bit of good news, the Labor Department reported initial jobless claims were down 53,000 last week to 610,000. This is the fewest since January. So, the financial markets will have some conflicting reports out there. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Obama forms committee to develop simpler tax code for Americans - he charged the committee will submitting it's recommendations by the end of this year. Meanwhile, Republicans across the country protested government spending by holding "tea party" demonstrations. MSNBC.com has more here.

Republicans have been reeling since losing the White House and both chambers of Congress in November. While recent polls show 60% of Americans agree with President Obama's economic policies, this was a good showing of support for Republicans. However, lack of clear leadership and policies of their own continue to hurt the Republican party.

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Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign debt finally paid - well sort of....when Ms. Clinton suspended her campaign in June 2008, the campaign was 25.2 million in debt. She was unable to pay herself back the 13.2 personal loan by the mandated deadline of the date of the democratic National convention, so the campaign had to forgive that debt. It appears the remaining 12 million has now been paid as the most recent financial report showed 2.6 million in the bank and 2.3 million in debt. Political strategists Paul Begala and James Carville who have long been known as Clintonistas have been helping raise money to retire her debt. CNN.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 3-11-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama to address Earmark concerns today - He is expected to sign the 410 billion omnibus spending bill today that was finally passed by the Senate last night. The bill was needed to keep funding government agencies through the end of the current fiscal year which ends on September 30. The bill contained countless earmarks from Republican and Democratic members of Congress worth about 20 billion or 5% of the total funding in the bill. The president will probably say something to the effect that this is a bill he inherited and sign it. Then he will discuss reforms he plans to institute to avoid earmarks in the future. Time.com has more here.

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Obama to nominate Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske to be U.S. drug czar - the president is also removing this department from a cabinet level. the office of National Drug Control Policy was raised to a cabinet level under the previous George W. Bush administration. Reuters.com has more here.

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Meanwhile, another nominee withdraws from consideration - Charles Freeman had been nominated by National Intelligence Director Admiral Dennis Blair to be Director of the National Intelligence Council. Freeman came under fire after disclosures he was less than pro-Israel and for statements attributed to him regarding the Chinese crackdown at Tianamen square. When it was apparent Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) would not support Freeman, he withdrew from consideration. Politico.com has more here.

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Chinese Foreign Minister to meet with Secretary of State Clinton today - a recent flare of tensions between the countries occurred when Chinese ships intercepted a U.S. intelligence ship in international waters off the coast of China. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Hillary Clinton are expected to discuss this incident along with broader U.S. - Chinese interests. You can read more here.

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In Minnesota, the Franken campaign last witness to testify today - the never ending trial is coming to a close - maybe. The ruling will most likely come next week but then there are possible appeals to the state supreme court and the U.S. Supreme Court. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 3-5-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama will convene a Health Care Summit at the White House today - over 120 are expected to attend to discuss health care reforms. The president will make opening remarks and then break out groups will be formed to discuss different areas of needed health care reform for the country. Kathleen Sebelius who has been nominated for HHS Secretary is not expected to be there today. Reuters.com has more here.

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Karl Rove and Harriet Miers will testify before Congress - a federal judge recent ruled they could not use executive privilege as a reason not to testify. The House judiciary committee chaired by John Conyers (D-NY) have been investigating the firing of U.S. attorneys for political reasons during the George W. Bush administration. Rove was a White house political adviser and Miers was White House counsel. CNN.com has more here.

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California Supreme Court to hear arguments on ban of same-sex marriages - Proposition 8 was recently passed which banned same-sex marriages in the state. Questions surround if this action was constitutional and what to do in regard to the estimated 19,000 same-sex marriages which took place prior to the ban. McClatchydc.com has more here.

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Is Michael Steele on the way out as RNC Chair? - he was selected as chair after six rounds of balloting about one month ago. Ever since then, he has been stumbling as the newly elected chair of the Republican National Committee. Whether it has been his boisterous comments of "either work with us or get out of the way..." or his recent public spat with Republican talk show host Rush Limbaugh, republicans are wondering if they made the right choice. Politico.com has more here.

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On the economic front, the Dow Jones is down 100 today in early trading - GM announced it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy and China indicated they will not be adding to their current stimulus plan. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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On the foreign policy front, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been busy in meetings with NATO - she proposed NATO resume formal relations with Russia which had been suspended after the Georgia republic-Russia flare up. NATO voted to resume relations with Russia today. In a smart move, Clinton also proposed a international meeting on Afghanistan. It will take more than just the U.S. involvement to stabilize Afghanistan. Tomorrow, she travels to Geneva to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. You can read more here.

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Democratic Chatter 3-1-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama addresses the annual State of the Black Union Forum - in a video message he talks about how difficult economic times often mean even tougher times for African Americans. He spoke about how the recently passed Stimulus bill and the Children's health care bill known as SCHIP along with his budget will make a big difference in the African American community. Travis Smiley organized the event and Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and RNC chair Michael Steele were scheduled to speak. TheHill.com has more here.

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President Obama to move to rescind Bush administration abortion rule - President George W. Bush signed a rule in the last days of his administration that supported Doctors who refused to perform abortions due to moral reasons. It is being reported the Obama administration will issue new rules soon to reverse the actions by President Bush. MSNBC.com has more here.

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CPAC Picks Mitt Romney for 2012 Republican candidate for President - the Conservative Political Action Conference voted Mitt Romney as the best choice. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal finished second. Romney has finished first three years in a row so doubtful this is any barometer of who the Republican nominee will be in 2012. In fact, with Rush Limbaugh as the headline speaker yesterday, it is a scary thought that anyone CPAC would choose as a candidate would ever become President. CNN.com has more here.

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Billionaire Warren Buffet sees more gloom for the economy throughout 2009 - in a letter to shareholders, he indicated he believed the economy would be bad even beyond 2009. The fourth quarter report for his company Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. showed net income fell 96% to 117 million. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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On the foreign policy front, Israel Prime Minister designate Benjamin Netanyahu is unable to reach agreement with Tzipi Livni - President Shimon Peres named Netanyahu as Prime Minister after a razor thin election with Livni. This is not good news for the region as Netanyahu is more a right wing hawk who does not support the U.S. sponsored two state vision with Palestine. Reuters.com has more here.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton off to Mideast on Monday - she will attend a international conference in Egypt where she will announce the U.S. pledge of 900 million to help rebuild the Gaza strip after the recent Israel incursion. She will then head to Israel to meet with PM Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni before meeting with Palestinian Authority Leaders including President Abbas. She will reaffirm the Obama administration commitment to the two state solution. On Friday she will be in Geneva to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. You can read more here.

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Democratic Chatter 2-21-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

President Barack Obama continued to speak about the recently passed 787 billion Stimulus bill in his weekly address to the nation - He points out that 95% of the working men and women will receive a tax cut. The President also said he will be addressing the massive deficits he inherited once the economy has recovered. You can watch the video of his address by clicking on the photo below.

White House photo 2/20/09 by Pete Souza

privacy policy download .mp4 also available here
(closed captioning coming soon)

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Some disagreement among Democrats over the idea of nationalization of failing U.S. banks - Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) the chair of the senate Banking Committee suggested some nationalization may be needed. While, Barney Frank (D-Mass.) chair of the House Financial Services Committee disagreed. There has been some speculation the talk of nationalization has led to some losses on the Dow Jones last week. The Obama administration has said it prefers a private banking system. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi - Clinton discussed the importance of working together in solving the worldwide economic crisis. It seems Human Rights, long a topic of discussion between the U.S. and China, were not the main focus of this meeting. The U.S. is a large purchaser of China goods and china is a huge holder of U.S. debt. Reuters.com has more here.

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New Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D) calls on Senator Roland Burris (D) to resign - adding yet another voice to the many calling on the embattled Senator to resign. The Governor also says he supports a bill introduced in the Illinois legislature which would establish a special election to be held in future vacancies in the U.S. Senate seats. CNN.com has more here.

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Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) raises 3.5 million in January - this continues the success in fundraising the committee experienced last year. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) raised 1.63 million in January. Both committees are still paying off debt from the last election with the DCCC reporting a debt of 16 million and the NRCC reporting 6.5 million of debt. Politico.com has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 2-14-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

This morning, in his weekly address to the nation, President Barack Obama spoke of the passage by Congress of his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan - better known as the 787 billion Stimulus bill. He cautioned there are no quick fixes for the economy and recognized some questioned the effectiveness of the bill. He said Americans can check on the progress of the bill at http://www.recovery.gov/. You can watch his speech below.

privacy policy download .mp4 also available here audio

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787 billion Stimulus bill passes late last night in the Senate - the vote in the Senate was 60-38 and the reason for the late hour approval was they waited for Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Oh.) to return from memorial services for his mother who had passed away. In fact, the White House arranged for a plane to fly him to D.C. and then back to Ohio in order for him to attend funeral services today. He gave passage of the bill a veto-proof measure of victory. Senator Edward Kennedy was unable to make the vote as he was in Florida receiving treatment for his brain cancer.

You wonder where the 100th vote went? Well, it wasn't cast due to no resolution to the Minnesota Senate race involving Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (D). The three Republican Senators to vote in favor of the bill were Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins from Maine along with Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. Republican Senator Judd Gregg who just withdrew from consideration for Commerce Secretary voted against the bill.

The House vote was 246-183 with seven Democrats voting with all Republicans against passage of the Stimulus bill. So much for bipartisan spirit in Washington.... The President is expected to have a bill signing ceremony on Monday. The NY Times has more here.

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Speaking of the Minnesota Senate race - yesterday, a three judge panel issued a ruling that appears will not be helpful for Republican Norm Coleman who is arguing for more rejected absentee ballots to be counted. The ruling was there had been not been a statewide problem in the counting of absentee ballots. They also provided a conservative guideline for the judges to use in determining what rejected absentee ballots should be examined. Maybe, by the end of the month Democrat Al Franken will be sworn in. Politico.com has more here.

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President Obama lays out ambitious agenda for the next two weeks - not slowing down, the President plans to present his plan to aid the housing crisis next Wednesday while in Phoenix, Arizona. On February 23, the President intends to hold a "fiscal responsibility" summit where social security and medicare will be discussed. The following day, Obama will give a speech to the joint session of Congress. CNN.com has more here.

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New fodder for Republicans to scream about - seems Representative Grace Napolitano (D-Calf.) loaned her campaign $150,000 back in 1998. Over the last ten years she has served in Congress, the campaign has paid her 18% interest on the debt amounting to $221,780 while only reducing the principle by $64,727. In 1999, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) ruled the interest payments were allowable. Nonetheless, in this economic crisis climate, expect this issue to gain traction among Republicans. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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On the foreign policy front, U.S. fired missiles from drones kill 25 militants in Pakistan - this is the third U.S. missile strike within Pakistan since Obama became President. It is being reported the killed were al-Qaeda linked militants and the location was in the South Waristan region. Pakistan has expressed outrage of the continued U.S. missile strikes within their country. Reuters.com has more here.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her first foreign policy speech yesterday to the Asia Society in New York - she will be leaving on her first trip as Secretary of State next week to visit Japan, China, South Korea, and Indonesia. MSNBC.com has more here.

Special envoy to Afghanistan/ Pakistan Richard Holbrooke met with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai - the Karzai administration/U.S. relationship has been deteriorating as the Taliban has regained strength in Afghanistan. President Karzai has also expressed displeasure of U.S. military tactics which have caused civilian deaths. You can read more here.

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