Senate

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Financial Overhaul Advances in Senate

Harry Reid gets just enough votes to end debate

(Newser) - The Senate today cleared the way—barely—for final passage of the financial regulation bill. The vote was 60-40, just enough to meet the threshold needed to end debate. Harry Reid got help from Republicans Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, and Susan Collins, to counteract Democrats Russ Feingold and Maria Cantwell,...

Run for Senate, Campbell Brown
 Run for Senate, 
 Campbell Brown 
bill Kristol

Run for Senate, Campbell Brown

CNN anchor should run against Chuck Schumer

(Newser) - Now that Campbell Brown is giving up her CNN gig , what next? Bill Kristol has an idea: Run for the Senate. "Brown is now a free woman, she's a well-spoken and impressive one, she lives in New York, and she has moderate political views," he explains at his...

Democrats Defy Reid, Keep Financial Debate Going

They want tougher amendments

(Newser) - Harry Reid had to fight with Republicans to begin debate on financial reform, and now he's got to fight fellow Democrats to end it. He called a vote today to move toward final passage ("We've got to put this thing to rest"), only to have Democrats such as...

Fed Oversight Failed in Gulf Oil Catastrophe: Salazar

Feds should have more oversight on safety devices, he says

(Newser) - Ken Salazar admitted today that the government should have had better standards in place on the devices built to prevent disasters on offshore oil wells. The interior secretary said he believed "additional work should have been done on blowout preventers," reports USA Today . "There will be tremendous...

Arlen Specter's in Trouble, for Good Reason
Arlen Specter's in Trouble,
for Good Reason
opinion

Arlen Specter's in Trouble, for Good Reason

He's a man of two parties amid anti-incumbent fever

(Newser) - Arlen Specter is in a dogfight to keep his Senate seat—the latest poll has fellow Democrat Joe Sestak up 9 points, notes USA Today —and no wonder. The Republican-turned-Democrat looks "like an incumbent of two parties in a year when it’s better to be an incumbent...

What the Climate Change Bill Would Do

It aims to curb offshore drilling, promote nuclear power

(Newser) - John Kerry and Joe Lieberman unveiled their climate change legislation today, and the Huffington Post lays out some key provisions:
  • Offshore drilling: In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, states would be allowed to ban drilling up to 75 miles off their coastline. And 37.5% of revenues are
...

Oil Execs' Refrain: Don't Blame Me, Blame Him
Oil Execs' Refrain: Don't Blame Me, Blame Him
updated

Oil Execs' Refrain: Don't Blame Me, Blame Him

BP, Transocean, Halliburton CEOs testify in DC

(Newser) - As expected , the leaders of the oil and oil service companies involved with the Gulf oil spill attempted to shift blame onto one another at a Senate hearing today. Executives from BP, Transocean, and Halliburton each blamed the other companies' work for the blowout, the Washington Post reports. BP's...

Palin Backs Fiorina Over Tea Partier, Riles Up Fans

Stunned Chuck DeVore supporters vent on Facebook

(Newser) - Sarah Palin yesterday endorsed Carly Fiorina in the race to unseat California Sen. Barbara Boxer, stirring up howls of protest on her Facebook page from fans of Tea Party favorite Chuck DeVore. "That's 2 strikes against you, little sister!" writes one furious follower, referring to Palin's McCain endorsement...

GOP Drops Filibuster on Financial Reform

They agree to allow the bill onto the floor for debate

(Newser) - The three-day standoff over the financial reform bill is over in the Senate. Now the real fight begins. Republicans dropped their filibuster and allowed the bill to proceed to the floor for debate instead of blocking it a fourth time. Talks to forge a bipartisan deal behind closed doors apparently...

GOP Blocks Debate on Financial Bill for Third Time

Political stalemate continues in the Senate

(Newser) - See if this sounds familiar: Republicans today blocked debate on a financial reform bill in the Senate, reports the AP . As promised, Harry Reid tried for the third time in as many days to bring the bill to the floor, only to run into unified GOP opposition. He said earlier...

Stewart Rips Senate on Goldman Grandstanding

'August' chamber uses bad words, but it's all show

(Newser) - If senators are so torn up about Goldman Sachs ripping off consumers, why don't they do something about it instead of whining and airing their "impotent rage" on national TV? In reality, they're too busy "spending every minute kissing the asses of any wrinkled constituent with $20,"...

Senate GOP Again Blocks Debate on Financial Reform

A third test vote is expected tomorrow

(Newser) - For the second day in a row, Senate Republicans have blocked action on legislation to impose greater federal control on the nation's financial industry. Today's vote was 57-41, three short of the 60 needed for Democrats to advance their measure. Democrat Ben Nelson again joined Republicans. A third test vote...

Reid Shows Canny Side on Finance Bill
Reid Shows Canny Side on Finance Bill
OPINION

Reid Shows Canny Side on Finance Bill

Wiser from health reform, leader will force votes til it passes

(Newser) - Harry Reid showed that he'd learned a thing or two from health care reform yesterday when he called the Republicans' bluff on financial reform, writes Chris Weigant. The Senate majority leader "is showing real strength, and real leadership" by refusing to water the bill down to please Republicans and...

Reid Gambles by Pushing Reform Vote
Reid Gambles
by Pushing Reform Vote

Reid Gambles by Pushing Reform Vote

Monday's action on the financial bill is politically risky

(Newser) - Harry Reid's decision to schedule a crucial test vote Monday on the financial reform bill is a political gamble, write Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner at Politico . For starters, he still needs to convince one Republican to oppose a filibuster between now and then, and while talks seem to...

Porn Star Drops Senate Run
 Porn Star Drops Senate Run 

Porn Star Drops Senate Run

Stormy Daniels says she just can't afford it

(Newser) - Louisiana-born porn star Stormy Daniels won't be running for the US Senate after all. In an e-mailed statement , Daniels said she simply can't afford to challenge David Vitter. She also compared herself to Sarah Palin, complaining that the media never took her interest in the race seriously. "Simply because...

Sen. Warner: McConnell 'Doesn't Understand' Bill

Or, 'he chooses not to understand' financial reform legislation

(Newser) - The arcane debate of financial reform is getting a little personal. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said Mitch McConnell "doesn't understand or chooses not to understand" the complexities of the reform legislation. He fired back after McConnell said the bill meant "endless taxpayer-funded bailouts for big Wall Street banks,...

WaMu 'Poisoned' Financial System: Senate Report

Senate panel says lender knowingly built 'mortgage time bomb'

(Newser) - Washington Mutual made subprime loans it knew would go bad, then packaged them into risky securities, creating a “mortgage time bomb,” according to a Senate report. The permanent investigations subcommittee is grilling former WaMu execs this morning. The report also says the bank packaged and sold loans it...

Oops: Congress Might Have Killed Its Own Health Care

Health bill error may leave lawmakers, aides without coverage

(Newser) - If you know exactly how the health care reform bill will impact your coverage, you may be a step ahead of your member of Congress, according to the New York Times . A report from the Congressional Research Service found that—because of imprecise language and a possible drafting error in...

Senate Breaks GOP's Unemployment Filibuster

Moderate Republicans break ranks to move bill past key hurdle

(Newser) - A GOP attempt to filibuster another extension of unemployment benefits failed last night after four moderate Republicans voted with the Democrats. The bill—a package of measures that includes extending benefits for another month for around 200,000 long-term unemployed—is expected to pass a final vote later this week,...

John McCain Is Congress's Twitter King

Arizona senator's following 46 times greater than nearest rival

(Newser) - John McCain is leading the charge of tweeting lawmakers, with 46 times more Twitter followers—a cool 1.7 million —than his nearest competitor, Missouri Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill. McCain’s popularity also illustrates Republicans’ quick embrace of the social network; twice as many of them tweet, compared to...

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