Obama administration

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House Rejects Digital TV Delay
 House Rejects Digital TV Delay 

House Rejects Digital TV Delay

Republicans argue deferral will cost broadcasters

(Newser) - The House defeated a bill today to delay the switch to all-digital television, the Washington Post reports. The vote comes two days after the Senate approved extending the deadline to June 12 from Feb. 17, and is a defeat for congressional Democrats and the Obama administration, who want to give...

Don't Dodge Recession: The Case Against Stimulus
Don't Dodge Recession: 
The Case Against Stimulus
ANALYSIS

Don't Dodge Recession: The Case Against Stimulus

Legislation props up the weak, blows up debt

(Newser) - There’s a near-consensus in DC that the recession calls for major government action. But on the libertarian fringe is what Politico calls “the Do Nothing Crowd.” This group tends to think there's no alternative to letting the economy, which became "filled with phantom wealth," contract,...

War, Not Nation-Building, Will Be Obama's Top Afghan Goal

Objectives could strain, even break, US ties with President Karzai

(Newser) - In a departure from Bush policies, the Obama administration intends to ramp up military operations in Afghanistan at the expense of reconstruction, the New York Times reports, shifting the burden of civil work to NATO allies. “If we set ourselves the objective of creating some sort of Central Asian...

$150B Stimulus to Double Education Budget

$150B spending expected to permanently expand government's role in education

(Newser) - The stimulus plan before Congress today more than doubles the Department of Education's budget, reports the New York Times. An unprecedented extra $150 billion in federal aid would provide funds for nearly every aspect of education, from school construction to college grants. Opponents and backers alike agree that the injection...

Russia Scraps Plan for Nukes Near Europe

Moscow doesn't need missiles if US ditches own program in region

(Newser) - Russia will abandon its plans to deploy nuclear-capable missiles near Poland, the country's defense ministry said today. The Kremlin pulled back on the plan after President Obama announced a review of the Pentagon's controversial missile defense shield program in the region. The move offers an olive branch to Washington, says...

Amended Stimulus Plan Hits House Today

Bipartisan consensus thought unlikely despite Obama efforts to woo GOP

(Newser) - Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan hits the House floor today after tweaks aimed at assuaging conservatives on both sides of the aisle, Politico reports. Many critics remained wary of the package, but some—including the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee—appeared swayed by Obama's argument that the plan...

Iran Nears Nuke Breakthrough
 Iran Nears Nuke Breakthrough 

Iran Nears Nuke Breakthrough

Iran could have nuclear weapon by 2010

(Newser) - Iran may be mere months away from amassing enough low-enriched uranium to begin the next step in developing nuclear weapons, reports the Daily Telegraph. If the regime overcomes certain technical hurdles and further enriches its uranium to weapons grade, it could potentially develop a nuclear warhead by next year, reports...

Obama Out to Topple Mugabe
 Obama Out to Topple Mugabe 

Obama Out to Topple Mugabe

US to lead push for UN sanctions

(Newser) - President Obama is preparing to lead an international effort to crack down on the Mugabe regime with an aim to driving the controversial autocrat from office, reports the Times of London. The US will push for tougher UN sanctions against Zimbabwe, including a foreign investment ban, and press Russia and...

House GOP Pounces on Visiting Obama

President 'all form—not substance' on stimulus, one lawmaker says

(Newser) - President Obama’s visit with House Republicans on Capitol Hill today, intended as an olive branch, instead turned into a forum for grievances about Obama’s stimulus proposals, Politico reports. The GOP is steadfast in its push for more tax cuts, but Obama isn’t budging, either. “Feel free...

Both Sides Wary of Blowback Over Stimulus
Both Sides Wary of Blowback Over Stimulus
analysis

Both Sides Wary of Blowback Over Stimulus

Obama, Dems want GOP buy-in, Repubs seek constraints

(Newser) - As President Obama and congressional Republicans fight over the outline of an economic stimulus package, each side is wary of catching blame for a botched effort, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Obama can’t guarantee the $825 billion plan will actually work and seeks public GOP buy-in; Republicans want to...

The Ignominy! No Facebook, No IM, and the Email's Down

White House tech years out of date; regulations are obsolete

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s White House staff has stepped into a time warp. The tech-savviest campaigners in history, who deployed email, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, et al, brilliantly to get their guy elected, now have to settle for an email system that goes down for long periods of time—as it was...

Emanuel and 3 Pals Never Miss Their Morning Calls

Emanuel, Carville, Begala, Stephanopoulos talk every day

(Newser) - Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel may have his hands full these days, but not too full to touch base every single morning with three longtime pals: James Carville, George Stephanopoulos, and Paul Begala, reports Politico. The four Dems never skip the chance to trade information and gossip, often in...

Team Obama Nixes Citi's Private Jet Buy

Treasury tells bailed-out bank to ditch $50M plane

(Newser) - Hours after the New York Post trumpeted Citigroup's plan to go through with the purchase of $50 million, French-made private jet yesterday, Citigroup got a call from Treasury telling the bank to think again. The Obama administration has made a lot of noise about enforcing accountability on bailout funds, Politico...

'We Are Not Your Enemy,' Prez Tells Muslims

President pledges on Arab TV to rebuild ties to Muslim world

(Newser) - Barack Obama reassured the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy" in his first formal TV interview as president, presented on an English-language Arabic news channel. The president pledged that he would "get engaged right away" on Middle Eastern issues and repeated his campaign promise to travel...

Turbine Plan Near Kennedy Home Puts Obama in a Bind

Cape Wind has minimal environmental impact, but is opposed by Mass. Sen.

(Newser) - Ted Kennedy's desire for a sweet Cape Cod view will test Obama’s commitment to green energy, Jim Geraghty writes for the National Review. Kennedy has been trying to stop Cape Wind, a plan to install turbines near the Kennedy compound. An Interior Department review approved the project, but admitted...

Obama 'Wants Me to Fail': Limbaugh

Radio righty says he's more fearsome than GOP brass

(Newser) - The verbal back-and-forth between Barack Obama and Rush Limbaugh continued today, as the talk-show host shot back at the president for comments he made last week, the New York Post reports. Obama is “not a unifier and not bipartisan,” Limbaugh said, and “wants me to fail.”...

How Obama Can Rebuild the Arts

America can re-establish serious arts support with these 'first steps'

(Newser) - Despite the economic crisis, Barack Obama’s ascension to the White House is triggering a wave of optimism in the art community, David A. Ross writes in the Art Newspaper. He prescribes 10 “first steps” the president can take to re-establish serious support for arts in the United...

Dem Lobbyists Leave K Street For Capitol
Dem Lobbyists Leave K Street For Capitol
ANALYSIS

Dem Lobbyists Leave K Street For Capitol

Obama's new rules have some seeking 'cleanse' on Hill first

(Newser) - President Obama’s tough anti-lobbying policies have Democrats headed for Capitol Hill, Politico reports. “Any Democrat worth their salt in this town wants to go work for the administration,” one lobbyist says. “But they’re just not talking to us.” Because Obama has strict policies against...

Babs Backs Holder for AG
 Babs Backs Holder for AG 

Babs Backs Holder for AG

Streisand urges fellow lefties to fight for Obama nominee

(Newser) - Barbra Streisand is using her star power to push for the speedy confirmation of Eric Holder as attorney general, Politico reports. In a letter, Babs asks like-minded people to sign a petition supporting a man who is “committed to liberty, the rule of law, and our constitutional rights.”...

Big Banks' Lending Drops Despite Bailout Cash
Big Banks' Lending Drops
Despite Bailout Cash
ANALYSIS

Big Banks' Lending Drops Despite Bailout Cash

Banks say funds can't go straight to loans, and recession cuts down on would-be borrowers

(Newser) - Lending is down at some of the biggest beneficiaries of the $148 billion the Treasury hoped would get US banks lending again, the Wall Street Journal reports. Of 13 banks to receive major government backing, 10 saw a decline in their outstanding loan balances between the third and fourth quarters...

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