Entries
Elites Score Big in Lame Duck Congress
This lame duck session, Congress and the President adopted a legislative package tailor-made to earn the approval of elites from both parties. In the lame duck session, Congress kept the Bush tax cuts for the upper brackets, passed START, repealed DADT and scotched the DREAM Act. Congress also …United States of Obesity
A new map gives us a look at America's fattest states. Here's the map ... (h/t Bill Easterly) TweetChinese Prez to Visit White House
Chinese Prez to Visit White House The Hill reports: Chinese leader Hu Jintao will visit President Obama in Washington on Jan. 19, the White House announced. This will be the third formal state visit of Obama's time in office, and the president plans to welcome his Chinese …
Robertson: De-Criminalize Pot
Robertson: De-Criminalize Pot The Washington Post reports: The 700 Club, a Christian talk show program hosted by staunch conservative Pat Robertson, is not the place you'd expect to find sympathy for the marijuana-legalization movement. But that's exactly what happened this week …
Scrooge v Santa
I'm spending Christmas week in Canada, and on my first evening in Toronto I noticed something very different: Christmas decorations. Lots of them. I'm spending Christmas week in Canada, and on my first evening in Toronto I noticed something very different: Christmas decorations. Lots of them. …GOP Cracks the Dems' Minority Firewall
There's still much work to do, but in 2010 the Republican Party took important steps to winning over minority voters. Jim Geraghty is noting the elected Democrats who are now switching to the GOP at the state level. This is occurring across the country and not only in the South. Kansas and …Bombs Hit Embassies in Rome
Bombs Hit Embassies in Rome The Globe and Mail reports: A pair of package bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome on Thursday, injuring the two people who opened them, police and news reports said. There was no claim of responsibility but authorities discounted …
Mukasey: Free Pollard
Mukasey: Free Pollard The Jerusalem Post reports: Former US attorney-general Michael Mukasey sent a letter to US President Barack Obama, released Wednesday, calling for Jonathan Pollard's sentence to be commuted to time served: "[Pollard] has not been alleged by anyone to have had …
B of A Preps for WikiLeaks Release
B of A Preps for WikiLeaks Release The FT reports: Hundreds of website addresses that disparage Bank of America executives and board members have been registered in recent days in an apparent effort to protect the bank and its senior leaders, according to internet companies who …
Car Crashes on Bush's Lawn
Car Crashes on Bush's Lawn Politico reports: Former President George W. Bush had an unexpected and unwanted pre-Christmas surprise Wednesday night when a car crashed on the lawn of his suburban Dallas home. Though officials initially classified the incident as an “executive …
Rahm Gets on Mayoral Ballot
Rahm Gets on Mayoral Ballot Chicago Sun-Times reports: Former White House chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel early Thursday survived the pivotal first round of a residency challenge that will determine whether his name remains on the ballot for mayor of Chicago. “The name of Rahm …
N. Korea Threatens 'Sacred War' with Nukes
N. Korea Threatens 'Sacred War' with Nuclear Weapons Reuters reports: North Korea warned on Thursday of a "sacred war" against the South using its nuclear deterrent as South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed a "merciless counterattack" if southern territory is attacked again. …
Hamas Ramps Up Rocket Attacks
Israel is again on edge after a spate of rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip. Will the international community prevent Israel from defending itself? On the 2 nd Anniversary of the Gaza War, the Israel-Gaza border is again on edge following a spate of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip …Fund: The Left's Net Neutrality Coup
Fund: The Left's Net Neutrality Coup John Fund writes in the Wall Street Journal : The Federal Communications Commission's new "net neutrality" rules, passed on a partisan 3-2 vote yesterday, represent a huge win for a slick lobbying campaign run by liberal activist groups and …
Alaska Supreme Court Rules Against Miller
Alaska Supreme Court Rules Against Miller Anchorage Daily News reports : The Alaska Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled unanimously on all counts against Joe Miller’s challenge of last month’s U.S. Senate election, saying Miller’s interpretation of the law would erode the …
Wikileaks Starts Working with Russian Paper
Wikileaks Starts Working with Russian Paper Bloomberg reports : Novaya Gazeta , the Moscow newspaper controlled by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and billionaire Alexander Lebedev , said it agreed to join forces with WikiLeaks to expose corruption in Russia. …
Gitmo Unlikely to be Closed
Gitmo Unlikely to be Closed Politico reports : Nestled among a string of improbable victories President Barack Obama racked up in the lame-duck Congressional session is legislation containing the most debilitating setback to date to his plan to close the military prison at Guantanam…
GOP Prepares New House Rules
GOP Prepares New House Rules Politico reports : The new House Republican majority will force lawmakers to vote when they want to raise the nation's debt ceiling, publish committee attendance records, keep former members from lobbying in the House gym and require new mandatory …