Senate climate bill would end EPA/state programs
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Climate control legislation being developed in the U.S. Senate would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon dioxide emissions and end state and regional “cap and trade” programs, a Senate source told Reuters on Wednesday.
Senate draft: banks must spin off swaps desks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The derivatives reform bill being written by Senate Agriculture Chairman Blanche Lincoln would bar federal bailouts of swaps dealers and buyers and it would bring foreign exchange swaps and forwards under federal regulation.
Bill to restore jobless aid clears Senate hurdle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A measure that would restore lapsed jobless aid for hundreds of thousands of Americans cleared a hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, clearing the way for passage later in the week.
Michelle Obama plugs education on first solo trip
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – U.S. first lady Michelle Obama pressed for better education for the young on Wednesday in her first solo trip abroad to Mexico, where poor teenagers are increasingly being drawn into a brutal drug war.
Obama, Republicans clash over financial reform
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and top Republicans faced off on Wednesday over a Democratic plan in the Senate to crack down on Wall Street.
Senate Democrats prepare small-business bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Small businesses could get increased access to loans, overseas markets and government contracts under a bill being prepared in the U.S. Senate, Democratic lawmakers said on Wednesday.
Bipartisan bill targets Pentagon waste
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bill designed to reward success and punish failure in managing hundreds of billions of dollars of Pentagon spending has been introduced by leaders of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
Poll: Spitzer could re-enter politics but not yet
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A majority of New York voters do not want disgraced former Governor Eliot Spitzer to run for statewide office this year, but many say that they would support a run in the future, a poll said on Wednesday.
Sen. Dodd blasts “naked” attack on financial rules
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senator Christopher Dodd said on Wednesday that Republicans are using a “naked political strategy” to falsely characterize financial reform efforts as a permanent bailout.
Obama presses Iran, gains nuclear summit pledges
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama pressed for bold, swift sanctions on Iran on Tuesday but acknowledged China has concerns about the economic impact and said negotiations are difficult.
Michelle Obama cheered in Mexico
Apr 14 – It was a busy day for U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama who continued her first solo foreign trip with a visit to Mexico City, Mexico. Jon Decker reports.
Apr 14 – More bodies are repatriated to Poland from Russia following a plane crash that claimed the lives of the Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and many top Polish government and military leaders. Tara Cleary reports.
April 14 – The latest celebrity news including Whitney’s comeback, Marilyn’s valuable x-rays and a buzz builds for “Kick-Ass.” John Russell reports.
Apr 14 – A wave of good news from solid earnings to encouraging economic reports helped send stocks higher. Bobbi Rebell reports.
Accused Colombian drug lord deported
Apr 14 – Just one day after his arrest in Quito, Ecuadaor — Ramon Quintero, one of the world’s five most wanted drug traffickers, was deported to Colombia. Jon Decker reports.
Apr 14 – President Obama is turning up the pressure on top Democratic and Republican lawmakers to approve a Senate bill to tighten Wall Street regulation. Jon Decker reports.
Marilyn Monroe’s x-rays for sale
Apr 14 – Screen legend Marilyn Monroe’s chest and pelvic x-rays are set to be auctioned along with a couch from her therapist’s office. Gemma Haines reports
Apr 14 – At a press conference from the International Space Station, astronauts and cosmonauts celebrated the shuttle program which is expected to end after three more missions.
Hundreds flee Iceland eruption
Apr 14 – Hundreds of Icelanders flee their homes after a volcano erupts under a glacier.
Apr 14 – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. economy is still weighed down by weakness, despite signs that layoffs are slowing. Jon Decker reports.
Taxpayers Foot State Department’s Stiff Liquor Bill
Last year alone, the State Department sent taxpayers tabs totaling nearly $300,000 for alcoholic beverages — about twice as much compared to the previous year, according to an analysis of spending records by The Washington Times.
University President: Palin’s Contract Was Stolen
California State University, Stanislaus president said a portion of the contract between a school foundation and Sarah Palin for an upcoming speech was taken from a recycling bin inside the office of Susana Gajic-Bruyea, vice president for university advancement.
GOP May Threaten to Block Financial Regulations Overhaul
The White House and congressional Republicans sharply disagree on whether legislation backed by President Obama would leave the government on the hook for bailing out firms whose failure might threaten the economy
Senate Passes Measure Restoring Long-Term Unemployment Benefits
Just a single Republican, George Voinovich of Ohio, helped Democrats muster the 60th vote needed Wednesday night to defeat a GOP challenge to the bill and its $18 billion price tag
Marine’s Facebook Comments About Obama Fuel Free Speech Debate
A Marine’s comments about Obama has fueled a free-speech debate about whether troops are allowed to criticize the president’s policies while serving in the military.
SEIU President Stern Confirms Resignation
Andy Stern spent 14 years heading the 2.2-million member union that he helped build into one of the nation’s largest and most politically active.
White House Grants Journalists Unprecedented Access for ‘Insider’ Books
The number of writers presently trampling through New York publishing houses and the West Wing, peddling dramatic accounts of Obama’s rise to power and his exercise of it in the Oval Office, appears to be greater than during previous presidencies
Dead Man Elected Mayor of Tennessee Town
Carl Robin Geary died suddenly a few weeks ago, but received the votes anyway in the Tracy City, Tenn., election.
Army Doc Questions Obama’s Citizenship, Won’t Deploy
An Army doctor is under investigation after questioning on YouTube whether President Obama is U.S.-born — then disobeying orders to report for duty in Afghanistan.
Palin Takes Anti-Tax Tea Party Message to Boston
The former Alaska governor joined about 5,000 people in Boston on Wednesday in a pre-Tax Day message of no more spending.
Black farmers wait for racial bias settlement from government
Black farmers hoping for government settlement money in a racial bias case better not bet the crop this Spring, until Congress finds a way to pay for the $1 billion deal. A meeting Wednesday at the White House may not have provided much encouragement.
Obama to unveil vision for space program
President Obama will announce his administration’s vision for America’s space program during a visit to Florida on Thursday, according to documents provided to CNN by a White House official.
Prosecution: Blagojevich in near-constant conspiracy
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his inner circle engaged in a near-constant conspiracy of extortion and kickbacks after his 2002 election, according to a court document released Wednesday that reveals details of the allegations against him.
Tea Party battles for ’soul of this country’
Tea Party activists are uniting to voice the message they’ve been honing for more than a year: It’s time to reduce the size of government, honor the Constitution and return to fiscal responsibility in Washington.
Protesters disrupt coal hearing
Protesters wearing surgical masks on Wednesday interrupted a congressional hearing on the coal industry.
Watchdog group finds smaller servings of congressional pork
The “Pig Book,” an annual report detailing the excesses of pork spending, has served up its usual heavy-duty mockery of congressional excesses. But this year the meat spit is smaller.
Pork highlights — with beef and potatoes
Here are so-called “Oinkers” of 2010 listed in the Pig Book report:
Report: 2.2 million jobs from stimulus
The government’s Recovery Act is responsible for between 2.2 million and 2.8 million jobs through the first quarter of 2010, according to the latest stimulus report from President Obama’s chief economic adviser.
Washington zeroes in on financial reform
With the health care fight and two weeks at home behind it, Congress is taking on proposals to reform Wall Street and prevent future financial collapses.
Poll: 1 in 10 say they’re Tea Party activists
Ten percent of Americans say they have actively supported the Tea Party movement, and are older, better educated and more religious.
- One of 10 people asked in recent CNN poll consider themselves Tea Party activists
- Yet, 45 percent of respondents say they don’t know enough about Tea Party to have opinion
- Tea Party activists scheduled to hold rallies nationwide on Thursday
Washington (CNN) — Ten percent of Americans say they have actively supported the Tea Party movement, and those Tea Party activists are older, better educated and more religious than the general public, according to a new national poll.
Of the Tea Party activists questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday morning, seven of 10 call themselves conservatives.
Nearly eight in 10 would vote for a Republican candidate for Congress if the midterm elections were held today. Six in 10 Tea Party activists are male.
However, the Tea Party movement, now in its 14th month, is not well known to nearly half the country. Forty-five percent of all Americans say they do not know enough about the Tea Party to say whether they support it or oppose it.
Those who are familiar with the movement are divided right down the middle — 27 percent support the Tea Party movement, and 27 percent oppose it.
One out of every 10 people says they have donated money, attended a rally, or taken some other active step to support the Tea Party movement.
The poll indicates that 60 percent of this core group of Tea Party activists are male, six in 10 are over the age of 50, two-thirds attended college, and half say they attend church services weekly or almost every week.
By comparison, 48 percent of all Americans are male, 45 percent are age 50 or older, 54 percent attended college, and four in 10 go to church every week or nearly every week.
Tea Party activists, known for their vocal opposition to government spending and taxes, are set to hold rallies in the nation’s capital and across the country on Thursday — the day federal tax returns are due.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national poll was conducted April 9-11, with 1,008 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.