Entries
Budget Battle: Boehner Keeps Freshmen in Line
Freshmen Republicans are resisting pressure from their base, and for the most part appear to be siding with party leadership in the budget negotiations. Freshmen Republicans are resisting pressure from their base, and for the most part appear to have been siding with party leadership over the …Pence May Budge on Abortion Rider
Politico reports : As Democrats criticize House Republicans for risking a government shutdown to pursue their social agenda, two of the House’s leading abortion foes are leaving some room for possible negotiation on a controversial measure to end all federal spending for Planned …
Boehner: 'Almost All' Issues Settled
The Hill reports : House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said differences on spending cuts continue to prevent Congress from reaching a deal on a funding measure that would prevent a government shutdown set to begin after midnight. Insisting the GOP wants to avoid a government shutdown, …
Independents Sour on Tea Party
The Hill reports : Twenty-two percent of respondents "agree" with the Tea Party, while 29 percent said they "disagree," a new Pew survey found. A new poll from the Pew Research Center shows that as the visibility of the Tea Party movement has increased over the past year, so has its …
Palin: Blame Obama for Shutdown
Politico reports : Sarah Palin wants to see the federal government shut down — as long as Barack Obama gets blamed for it. Palin tweeted her position Thursday night, but didn’t seem to indicate that Republicans are playing a role in the negotiations. After news broke that the president …
Troops Fire on Syrian Protesters
The AP reports : Syrian security forces opened fire on tens of thousands of protesters across several cities Friday, killing at least 20 people, wounding hundreds and forcing residents to turn mosques into makeshift hospitals, witnesses and a human rights group said. Ammar Qurabi, …
Why the Dems Should Take Ryan Seriously
Democrats may not like the Ryan budget, but they should be careful not to write off the chance to begin a serious dialogue about our nation's fiscal health. E.J. Dionne, one of the smartest and (justifiably) most respected commentators of our time, has labeled Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2012 federal …NATO 'Regrets' Air Strike Deaths
BBC reports : Nato has said it "strongly regret[s] the loss of life" after a "friendly fire" attack on rebel tanks in eastern Libya which left at least four dead. Earlier, a Nato commander had refused to apologise, saying that until Thursday's strike, the alliance had not been aware the …
Rove: Shutdown Helps Obama
The Hill reports : As a possible government shutdown looms, one of the GOP's top political strategists reminded Republicans Thursday of the positive impact the shutdowns of the mid-'90s had on the political fortunes of then-President Clinton. In a polling memo posted on his website, …
Dems Agree to $38B in Cuts
Politico reports : The government will shut down today, unless Republicans do what their base loathes, but Washington knows is necessary: strike a compromise with Democrats and President Barack Obama. That’s what it comes down to Friday, as the current stopgap funding measure …
Trump to Meet Birther Bill Sponsor
CNN reports : Donald Trump has angered some and pleased others for questioning President Obama's birthplace. What Trump is set to do next will likely keep the spotlight on his actions. On Friday the real-estate mogul and reality TV star will meet with a state lawmaker from Arizona who …
Reid: Abortion Holding Up Deal
CNN reports : Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Friday morning that the abortion issue is the lone remaining stumbling block for negotiators trying to reach a budget agreement that would prevent a government shutdown. "This all deals with women's health. Everything …
Pentagon: DADT Repeal on Schedule
New York Daily News reports : A GOP hearing aimed at stalling efforts to let gays serve openly in the military backfired Thursday when Pentagon chiefs testified the troops don't think there's anything wrong with that. "We've not seen issues," said Gen. James Amos, commandant of the …
Sen. Lee: Obama Planned Shutdown
The Hill reports : Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) suggested Thursday that President Obama might have begun planning a government shutdown last year with “malicious” intent. “Why was it that a few months ago … when the president had both Houses under the control of his party — why did he opt not to …
Hamas Missile Hits School Bus
The AP reports : An anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip struck a school bus in southern Israel Thursday, wounding two people, one of them critically, and prompting fierce Israeli retaliation that killed five Palestinians. Israel unleashed airstrikes and tank fire against Hamas …
$5B Separates Reid and Boehner
The Washington Post reports: Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill say they are about $5 billion apart in their haggling to reach a deal to fund the federal government for the rest of the year. That amounts to 0.005 of the trillion dollars in spending Congress doles out each year. …
NATO Won't Apologize For Friendly Fire
BBC News reports: Nato has refused to apologise for a "friendly fire" attack on rebel tanks in eastern Libya that killed at least four people. Rear Adm Russ Harding said that until Thursday's incident, Nato had not been aware that rebel troops had started to use tanks. "Our job is to …
NK Parliament Mum On Kim Succession
BBC News reports: A rare session of North Korea's parliament, seen as an opportunity to reveal more about political succession, has failed to mention leader Kim Jong-il or a son tipped to replace him. Observers had been looking for clues that the son, Kim Jong-un, would lead a smooth …
Scottish Police Talk to Libyan Defector
The Wall Street Journal reports: Scottish prosecutors and police have interviewed Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister who last week defected to Britain, in connection with the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, a Crown Office spokeswoman said. Last week, U.K. Foreign Secretary William …