George Wenschhof
Today, President Obama will meet with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - after meetings and a working lunch they will hold a joint press conference from the White House. Relations have been strained since Israel announced approval of building permits for the West Bank and Israeli commandos stormed a aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip. Reuters.com has more here.
All of which has made the job of U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell even more difficult as he mediates "proximity talks" between Israel and Palestine.
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Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) signals he is now ready to support Financial Reform bill - after forcing Senate Majority Leader to postpone the vote on the bill prior to the 4th of July recess, Brown now says after the Bank fee has been amended, he is ready to support.
The vote delay was caused by the loss of Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), Brown and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.); who is now saying she will support. TheHill.com has more here.
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RNC Chair Michael Steele likely to survive through 2010 elections - even as high profile republicans such as Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) call for his resignation. Changing leadership only four months before the elections is doubtful. However, it is safe to say Michael Steele is one gaffe away from the exit door. FirstRead.com has more here.
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Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Daily Political Wire 7-6-2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-19-2010
George Wenschhof
All eyes are on Massachusetts today - polls opened at 7:00 AM and will close at 8 PM ET for this special election to fill the late Ted Kennedy senate seat. Polling has favored the Republican challenger Scott Brown. The weather is cold and wet which hurts Democrat Martha Coakley who needs heavy Democratic voter turnout to win. It is estimated 1.6 - 2.2 million out of 4 million registered voters will cast their ballots today. The Boston Herald has more here.
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President Obama will give State of The Union address on Wednesday January 27 - perhaps he knows something the rest of us do not know as to how close Congress is to sending him a bill to sign for health care reform. He had made it known he wanted the bill for his signature prior to his speech. The Massachusetts Senate special election today may also foul up the works for the President. In addition to discussing domestic and foreign policy issues, Obama will present his 2011 budget to Congress. The speech will be televised beginning at 9:00 PM ET. TheHill.com has more here.
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Today, President Barack Obama unveils his request for an additional 1.35 billion for Education - this is for the program "Race to the Top" which states compete for funding. Unfortunately, the program which was funded for 4.3 billion under the 787 billion stimulus bill has yet to award a single state any money. Look to see this receive scrutiny when the 2011 Budget is debated. The announcement will be made at a elementary school in Virginia. Time.com has more here.
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Citigroup posts 7.6 billion 4th Quarter loss - the U.S third largest bank attributed part of the loss to the repayment of bailout funds from the government. Regardless, this is not a good sign for the economy. Watch for stocks to fall today. This report was also released after President Obama announced his intention to add a special tax to Banks to speed up the repayment of the bailout funds. Reuters.com has more here.
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Aid reaching Port-au-Prince slowly - the near total devastation of an impoverished country has made the relief efforts all that more difficult, yet the aid is beginning to get to the people of Haiti. The NY Times has more here.
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Thousands of telephone calls collected by FBI between 2002-2006 were done so illegally - they were collected under the guise of terrorism emergencies. In an article written by the Washington Post, they indicate emails they reviewed showed "counter terrorism officials did not follow their own procedures that were put in place to protect civil liberties." The Washington Post has more here.
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Daily Democratic Wire 1-13-2010
George Wenschhof
Tomorrow, President Barack Obama will unveil his plan to tax Big Banks - this will speed the return of an estimated 120 billion loaned to them from the Troubled Assets Relief Plan (TARP) bill. Also known as the Bailout bill, the bill has come under fire recently amid reports of big banks paying huge bonuses again to employees. the NY Times has more here.
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President Obama to request an additional 33 billion for costs of wars - this is on top of the record 708 billion budget for Defense next year. Time.com has more here.
It's time the U.S. rethink the approach of the "war on terror". Seems the Al-Qaeda type are succeeding in bankrupting the U.S. as the conventional approach to warfare does not work.
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offers aid to Haiti - as information is still being received regarding the impact of the 7.0 earthquake which hit Haiti yesterday. the president also expressed his sorrow in a statement released yesterday. The Hawaii Star Bulletin has more here.
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Money pouring into Coakley as election nears in Massachusetts - Unions, and the DSCC are out with ads, the DSCC spending 500,000 and the SEIU spending 685,000. In addition, President Obama and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) have sent fundraising emails. The reason is obvious as the Democrats can not lose one seat in the senate and still pass health care legislation. Republican Scott Brown is polling closer than expected. The special election to fill the late Ted Kennedy senate seat will be held Tuesday January 19. TheHill.com has more here.
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Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper says he is in the race for Colorado Governor - this announcement comes within a week of the surprise statement by Governor Ritter (D) he would not be seeking reelection. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, also rumored to be running, instead endorsed Hickenlooper. Politico.com has more here.
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