Democratic News 4-28-2009

George Wenschhof Bio


President Barack Obama will begin his day meeting with FBI Director Robert Muellar - he is also expected to address FBI employees. Later, the president will meet with the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Also on the agenda is presenting the National Teacher of the Year award and a White House meeting with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Tonight, the President and the First Lady will host a reception for the Cabinet Secretaries. Politico.com has more here.

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Swine Flu Update - the World Health organization upgraded the status alert from level three to level four. Level 6 is a full pandemic. You can read more here. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says there is no need to close our borders to travelers. You can read more here.

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Kathleen Sebelius to be confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary today by the Senate - AP is reporting the lone remaining cabinet position to be filled by the Obama administration. The swine flu crisis has probably aided the approval process as this position will have many responsibilities in this area. Anti-abortion groups had been protesting her appointment but she is expected to receive the needed 60 votes for confirmation today. You can read more here.

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Swine Flu and Bank Stress Tests weigh on Financial Market - a major flu pandemic will certainly add to the woes of the global economy. While the U.S. government bank stress tests are showing Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Inc. both may need more capital. Bloomberg.com has more here.

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Obama administration to expand Housing Aid Program - this part of the plan is aimed at helping homeowners with costly second mortgages. It is designed to lower the monthly costs of second mortgages in yet another move to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. MSNBC.com has more here.

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House set to approve Obama FY 2010 3.4 trillion Budget Today - as I reported on Sunday, Congress will approve the budget by Wednesday, the 100th day of the Obama administration. The Senate is expected to approve tomorrow. The budget includes a 1.4 trillion deficit. Also, Democratic Leaders are expected to use a parliamentary procedure known as budget reconciliation to fast track approval of health care reform, negating the possibility of a republican filibuster in the Senate. Reuters.com has more here.

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Democratic News 4-27-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

This morning, President Barack Obama will speak at the National Academy of Sciences - he is also expected to discuss the swine flu outbreak. The European Union is urging people to not travel to the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. State Department is expected to issue a travel advisory to Mexico today. Politico.com has more here.

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Swine Flu continues to spread - Yesterday, the U.S. declared a public health emergency which may be upgraded to a travel advisory today. Cases have now been confirmed in France, Canada, New Zealand and Hong Kong. The government has moved to make available 12 million doses of the antiviral drugs which have been stockpiled. Time.com has more here.

People are being advised to exercise good common judgement by washing their hands often, staying at home if they are sick and going to see their doctor if they have flu symptoms.

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Chrysler and GM make moves to avoid bankruptcy - Yesterday, Chrysler announced the United Auto Workers (UAW) union had made concessions agreeable to them, Fiat and the U.S. government. You can read more here.

Today, GM reported they were cutting 23,000 jobs, ending production of Pontiac, and reducing 40% of their dealer network. They also offered their bondholders to swap 27 billion in debt for stock. CNN.com has more here.

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Minneapolis Star-Tribune Poll shows voters feel Coleman should concede - the never ending U.S. Senate seat may be taking a even bigger toll on the Republican party. The poll showed 645 of the voters felt Republican Norm Coleman should accept the recent court decision that declared Democrat Al Franken the winner by 312 votes. Coleman has appealed that ruling to the state supreme court. The poll also showed 73% of the voters feel Coleman should concede if he loses that appeal. Politico.com has more here.

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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown now supports sending troops to Afghanistan - most likely due to the spike in Islamic militants gaining control of tribal regions in Pakistan. The British prime minister flew to Afghanistan yesterday and met with President Karzai and is in Islamabad, Pakistan today. The U.S. Congress is still debating aid to Pakistan. You can read more here.

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Democratic Senators Leahy and Levin want independent inquiry into alleged torture abuse of detainees - Carl Levin (D-Mich) is chair of the senate Armed services Committee and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. President Obama had recently indicated further investigation of the issue would be determined by the Attorney General.

Some argue against the appointment of a special prosecutor or independent panel saying it would deteriorate into a partisan inquiry and the country has seen enough of these investigations since the days of President Richard Nixon and Watergate. The argument is the people have spoken and a new President is in place so lets move forward.

However, no one should be outside the rule of law in America. Senator Leahy has an excellent quote; "I know some people say, 'Let's turn the page,'" Leahy said. "Frankly, I'd like to read the page before we turn it." MSNBC.com has more here.

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