http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php en alan@progressnow.org Copyright 2009 2009-01-05T15:50:51+00:00 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010300721.html http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2009/01/05#When:15:33:19Z http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010300721.html Rarely have lawmakers confronted an agenda as ambitious as the one Congress will face upon convening this week, with an incoming president pushing to stabilize an economy on the brink of long-term recession, to create universal health coverage and to overhaul federal energy policies. There are signs that the usual divisions that send so many ambitious bills down to defeat will confront President-elect Barack Obama in his first weeks on the job. Some Republicans are spoiling for an early policy fight that will test Obama's mettle. Conservative House Democrats want to include statutory deficit-reduction language in a economic stimulus package that could cost $1 trillion. And Senate centrists have warned that the incoming administration's ambitious global warming legislation might be a non-starter. Over the past 15 years, during which a large majority of current lawmakers were first elected to Congress, partisan feuding has reduced Congress's output to a bare minimum of must-pass measures. Party-line voting peaked during the Bush presidency, while productivity slumped. In 2008, the Senate voted the lowest number of times since 1951, according to a Congressional Quarterly survey. Effective and Ethical Government 2009-01-05T15:33:19+00:00 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-stimulus-details5-2009jan05,0,4983185.story http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2009/01/05#When:15:29:44Z http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-stimulus-details5-2009jan05,0,4983185.story President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus package will include hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tax breaks for individuals and businesses, according to a transition official and Democratic aides. Obama is asking that tax cuts make up 40% of a stimulus package, the officials say. The measure may be worth as much as $775 billion, a Democratic aide says, meaning tax cuts may constitute more than $300 billion of the legislation. Making tax cuts such a large part of the stimulus may help win support from congressional Republicans. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said his party would support an immediate middle-class tax cut as part of any stimulus package. The plan would attempt to boost consumer demand by spending $140 billion on tax breaks worth $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples, according to a House Democratic aide. Economy 2009-01-05T15:29:44+00:00 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/washington/05diplo.html?ref=world http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2009/01/05#When:15:15:01Z http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/washington/05diplo.html?ref=world For nine days, as European and United Nations officials have called urgently for a cease-fire in Gaza, the Bush administration has squarely blamed the rocket attacks of the Palestinian militant group Hamas for Israel’s assault, maintaining to the end its eight-year record of stalwart support for Israel. Mr. Bush, in his weekly radio address on Saturday, said the United States did not want a “one-way cease-fire” that allowed Hamas to keep up its rocket fire, and Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday echoed the point, declaring that only a “sustainable, durable” peace would be acceptable. Many Middle East experts say Israel timed its move against Hamas, which began with airstrikes on Dec. 27, 24 days before Mr. Bush leaves office, with the expectation of such backing in Washington. Israeli officials could not be certain that President-elect Barack Obama, despite past statements of sympathy for Israel’s right of self-defense, would match the Bush administration’s unconditional endorsement. Foreign Policy 2009-01-05T15:15:01+00:00 http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2009/01/05/obama_cabinet_nominee_pulls_out/ http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2009/01/05#When:15:10:31Z http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2009/01/05/obama_cabinet_nominee_pulls_out/ Richardson denied wrongdoing but said the investigation would probably remain unresolved until well after Obama's inauguration and he didn't want to disrupt the new administration. "Let me say unequivocally that I and my administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact," Richardson, who also served in the Clinton Cabinet, said in a statement released by Obama's transition office. "But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process." Obama had tapped Richardson for the position despite news reports over the summer that a grand jury in Albuquerque was investigating $1.5 million in state highway contracts awarded to California-based CDR Financial Products. An executive with the firm had made contributions totaling more than $100,000 to three of Richardson's political committees. Richardson said yesterday that he expected that the grand jury's investigation will "extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months." Effective and Ethical Government 2009-01-05T15:10:31+00:00 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/business/20auto.html?ref=business http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2008/12/19#When:16:05:01Z http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/business/20auto.html?ref=business The loans, as G.M. and Chrysler teeter on the brink of insolvency, essentially throw the companies a lifeline from the taxpayers that will keep them afloat until March 31. At that point, the Obama administration will determine if the automakers are meeting the conditions of the loans and will continue to receive government aid or must repay the loans and face bankruptcy proceedings. The money to aid the automakers will come from the Treasury’s $700 billion financial stabilization fund and shortly after Mr. Bush’s announcement, the Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr., who will oversee the aid to the auto industry, said Congress would need to release the second $350 billion for that program in short order. By law, once Mr. Paulson makes a formal request, Congress has 15 days to reject it and deny the additional money. It was unclear when that official request would be transmitted or if lawmakers who have left Washington for the holidays, would return to Capitol Hill to debate it. The Bush administration’s handling of the program has come under sharp criticism and a number of lawmakers in both parties have suggested they would oppose the release of more money. Transportation and Infrastructure 2008-12-19T16:05:01+00:00 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-solis19-2008dec19,0,9325.story http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2008/12/19#When:15:29:00Z http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-solis19-2008dec19,0,9325.story Solis, 51, would be the third Latino member of Obama's Cabinet, a measure of diversity that has garnered praise from this fast-growing slice of the electorate. After Obama nominated New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be his Commerce secretary, some Latino officials complained that they were being shut out of the most prestigious Cabinet posts. Richardson at one time had been rumored to be in line for secretary of State, before Obama offered him the Commerce slot. Rep. Joe Baca (D-Rialto) had cautioned that Obama's legislative agenda might face roadblocks unless more Latinos were installed in top positions. Since then, Obama has said he will nominate Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) as secretary of the Interior, and now Solis as Labor secretary. Prominent Latino officials are now praising the new Cabinet's makeup. In an interview Thursday, Baca said: "We're glad he listened to our voices and listened to the Hispanic community that came out and delivered for him on election day. It's a great day for the Hispanic community." Effective and Ethical Government, Workers Rights and Corporate Accountatbility 2008-12-19T15:29:00+00:00 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-ml-iraq-shoe-tosser,0,4897260.story http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2008/12/19#When:15:21:00Z http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-ml-iraq-shoe-tosser,0,4897260.story The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a news conference was beaten and had bruises around his eyes and other parts of his face, a judge said Friday. Judge Dhia al-Kinani, the magistrate investigating the incident, said the court has opened a probe into the alleged beating of journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi during the news conference. Al-Zeidi was wrestled to the ground after throwing his shoes at Bush Sunday as he stood beside Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the news conference in Baghdad, and there have been conflicting claims about his condition since then. The journalist has not been seen in public since his arrest. One of his brothers claimed he had been harshly beaten but another said he seemed to be in good condition. Foreign Policy 2008-12-19T15:21:00+00:00 http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/19/obama_chooses_harvard_physicist/ http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2008/12/19#When:15:17:00Z http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/19/obama_chooses_harvard_physicist/ In a sign that President-elect Barack Obama intends to elevate science to greater prominence, John P. Holdren, a Harvard physicist widely recognized for his leadership on energy policy and climate change, will be appointed White House science adviser this weekend, the Globe confirmed yesterday. A representative from one of the institutions with which Holdren is affiliated said Obama will announce Holdren's selection during a Saturday morning radio address. That person, who has direct knowledge of the appointment, declined to be named. Representatives for Obama and for Harvard refused comment. The news, coming in the same week as Nobel laureate physicist Steven Chu's appointment as secretary of energy, was heartening for the scientific community. Many scientists have objected to the Bush administration's policies, from restrictions on embryonic stem cell research to the pace of action on climate change. Education, Effective and Ethical Government, Environment and Conservation 2008-12-19T15:17:00+00:00 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/17/AR2008121702560.html http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2008/12/18#When:16:52:00Z http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/17/AR2008121702560.html President Bush took credit yesterday for "keeping America safe" from terrorists since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, arguing that his administration had prevented more bloodshed at home through aggressive policies and that such a result should outweigh any second-guessing of his methods. As he nears his final month in office, Bush told a friendly audience at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., that he took "a deliberate and comprehensive approach" to preventing terrorism that combined military action overseas with strong defensive measures at home. "While there's room for an honest and healthy debate about the decisions I made -- and there's plenty of debate -- there can be no debate about the results in keeping America safe," Bush said. "Here at home, we've prevented numerous terrorist attacks." Looking back at Sept. 11, when more than 3,000 people were killed, Bush said that "virtually no one would have predicted that more than seven years would pass without another terrorist attack on our soil." Civil Liberties and Equality, Effective and Ethical Government 2008-12-18T16:52:00+00:00 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/us/politics/18military.html?ref=washington http://clips.progressnow.org/index.php/clips/2008/12/18#When:16:42:00Z http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/us/politics/18military.html?ref=washington A new military plan for troop withdrawals from Iraq that was described in broad terms this week to President-elect Barack Obama falls short of the 16-month timetable Mr. Obama outlined during his election campaign, United States military officials said Wednesday. The plan was proposed by the top American commanders responsible for Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus and Gen. Ray Odierno, and it represents their first recommendation on troop withdrawals under an Obama presidency. While Mr. Obama has said he will seek advice from his commanders, their resistance to a faster drawdown could present the new president with a tough political choice between overruling his generals or backing away from his goal. The plan, completed last week, envisions withdrawing two more brigades, or some 7,000 to 8,000 troops, from Iraq in the first six months of 2009, the military officials said. But that would leave 12 combat brigades in Iraq by June 2009, and while declining to be more specific, the officials made clear that the withdrawal of all combat forces under the generals’ recommendations would not come until some time after May 2010, Mr. Obama’s target. Foreign Policy, Military 2008-12-18T16:42:00+00:00