Entries

Tea Party Patriots Slam McConnell

The Huffington Post reports : Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may have "heartened" Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) with his proposal to allow the President make the final call on the debt ceiling, but many conservatives are not pleased. Among them are the Tea Party …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

House Dems Renew Styrofoam Fight

The Hill reports : House Democrats are once again attempting to do away with Styrofoam products in congressional cafeterias, this time with an amendment to a fiscal 2012 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) introduced an anti-Styrofoam amendment on Wednesday …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

House Votes To Block EPA On Pollution

Politico reports : The House on Wednesday approved legislation to smack down the Obama administration’s water pollution policies, despite a looming veto threat from the White House. The chamber voted 239-184 to adopt a bipartisan bill that seeks to limit EPA’s authority over state water …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Palin Will Decide Whether To Run This Summer

Politico reports : Sarah Palin got a bit specific with Fox News' Sean Hannity tonight, when asked if she has a time frame for making a decision about her potential 2012 plans: "Legally, of course, there are time frames and that time is coming rapidly in front of all of us. You know, August …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Obama Abruptly Leaves Debt Talks

Jake Tapper reports : It was, sources from both parties say, the most tense of the deficit reduction meetings yet. After a period of what was described as constructive discussions, President Obama embraced $1.7 trillion in cuts as a "foundation." But House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Downgrade of U.S. Debt Looms on the Horizon

Moody's may give U.S. debt a full-fledged downgrade as soon as next week. A well-placed source tells me that Moody's, the bond rating giant that just announced a "review" of the U.S. debt , may turn it into a full-fledged downgrade as soon as next week. True or not, the real risk of a downgrade …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Bernanke to Paul: Gold Isn't Money

The Atlantic reports : Some part of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke must be a little disappointed that Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) will retire after his current term. No other congressperson may ever challenge him the way Paul, who currently chairs the House subcommittee on monetary policy, …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

T-Paw Won't Sign Right-Wing Group's Marriage Pledge

The Associated Press reports : Republican Tim Pawlenty says he won't sign a pledge written by a conservative Iowa group that asks presidential candidates to denounce same-sex marriage rights, pornography and forms of Islamic law. Pawlenty said Wednesday he agrees with the principles behind …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Bloomberg Warns Against Default

Reuters reports : A debt default would have a catastrophic effect on the nation's financial system and also deal a huge setback to New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Tuesday. Bloomberg, mentioned among possible successors to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, said the federal …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Pakistan Spy Chief Heads To U.S. As Ties Founder

Reuters reports : The head of Pakistan's powerful spy agency headed for Washington on Wednesday for unscheduled talks, the military said, days after the United States suspended a third of military aid over deepening tensions in their relationship. Few details were available about Lieutenant…

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

U.S. Begins Afghanistan Drawdown

The Associated Press reports : The first troops to leave Afghanistan as part of the U.S. drawdown handed over their slice of battlefield Wednesday to a unit less than half their size and started packing for home. When the 650 members of the Iowa National Guard's 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Syrian Forces Kill 4 In Renewed Attacks

Reuters reports : Syrian forces killed four villagers on Wednesday in assaults on a northwestern region near Turkey, rights campaigners said, in an expansion of a military campaign to crush dissent against President Bashar al-Assad. The four were killed in tank-backed assaults on at …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Netanyahu Defends Contentious Boycott Law

The Associated Press reports : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday defended a contentious new law targeting local boycotts of West Bank settlements, as the issue escalated into a battle over the limits of Israeli democracy. Supporters say the law is needed to counter what …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Deal Will Come, but May Disappoint

Confusion usually reigns in Washington, D.C., negotiations just before a solution emerges. Small signs can signal big things to come. Confusion usually reigns in Washington, D.C., negotiations just before a solution emerges. Thus, small signs can signal big things to come. As Federal Reserve …

Written by Steve Bell on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Japan Must Phase Out Nuclear Power, PM Says

The New York Times reports : Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday that Japan should reduce and eventually eliminate its dependence on nuclear energy in what would be a radical shift to the country’s energy policy, saying that the Fukushima accident had demonstrated the dangers of …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Bernanke: Default Would Be A "Calamity"

The Washington Post reports : Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke warned Wednesday that failure to raise the nation’s debt ceiling could trigger “a huge financial calamity, ” but conservative House Republicans accused President Obama of “scare tactics” on the issue. A day after …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Panetta Questioned On Terror Trial

Politico reports : Sen. John McCain and a group of his colleagues are questioning Defense Secretary Leon Panetta over the military’s decision to bring a Somali terrorism suspect to New York for trial, saying “there appears to be no precedent for this action.” In a letter to Panetta sent …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Gingrich Would Bring Troops Home As Fast As Possible

Reuters reports : Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Wednesday that as president he would draw down U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as quickly as possible. "As rapidly as the generals think is safe," Gingrich said after speaking to about 180 …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Blasts Kill 17 In Mumbai, India

The Associated Press reports : Near-simultaneous bomb blasts rocked three busy neighborhoods during evening rush hour in India's busy financial capital Wednesday, killing 17 people in what the government called an apparent terrorist attack on the city besieged by militants nearly three years …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Afghan Suicide Bombing Kills 5 French Troops

The New York Times reports : A suicide bomber killed five French troops guarding a meeting between NATO officers and Afghan tribal elders on Wednesday morning northeast of the capital, one of the bloodiest days for French troops in Afghanistan . The deaths, confirmed in a statement …

Written by FrumForum News on Wednesday July 13, 2011