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Morning Buzz: Jan. 24, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook January 24, 2008 Comment (1)Congressional leaders say they are close to reaching a deal with the White House regarding an emergency stimulus package designed to help stabilize the economy. On Wednesday, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was reportedly able to secure the administration's agreement on a provision to provide rebates of at least $300 to most paycheck-earning workers.
A new analysis finds that the upcoming Super Tuesday primaries, despite their importance, cannot definitively crown any presidential candidate as the nomination winner of his or her party. The Associated Press reports the tightness of this year's race thus far makes it "mathematically impossible" for a candidate to lock up a majority of the delegates at stake this year on February 5. That means the nominating race will continue at least through mid-February.
While both Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's campaigns promised more than a week ago to drop the issue of race from their campaign rhetoric — seeing it as potentially damaging to their bids for the White House — former President Bill Clinton brought it up again yesterday to South Carolina voters. The former commander in chief predicted that many voters will be mainly guided by their race or gender loyalties when choosing between the two Democratic front-runners. In anticipation of a possible loss in Saturday's primary, he also portrayed his wife as the underdog in the state.
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Senator Seeks Federal Money for Local Police
Tweet Share on Facebook January 23, 2008 CommentCongress is hoping to bring back hundreds of millions in federal funding for local law enforcement slashed from this year's appropriations bill, a Senate staffer told the U.S. Conference of Mayors during its annual conference in Washington today.
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Bernanke Story Helps Rock Market
Tweet Share on Facebook January 23, 2008 CommentThe Washington Whispers story reporting Fed chief Ben Bernanke's private worries that the economy is in even worse shape than he has admitted publicly landed with a thud in the markets today. About 10:30 a.m., with the Dow Jones industrial average down just 50 points, CNBC picked up the story, showing it twice on the TV screen from the floors of the exchange and Chicago Board of Trade. Within an hour, the Dow had dropped an additional 150 points.
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Morning Buzz: Jan. 23, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook January 23, 2008 CommentIn what many analysts see as a worrisome sign of the breadth and severity of the current economic downturn, technology giant Apple yesterday released disappointing sales projections for the upcoming quarter. Despite beating Wall Street expectations in the first quarter of fiscal 2008, Apple says its second-quarter sales, though still predicted to rise, will not meet the market's expectations.
Meanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are continuing their talks today with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in an attempt to better define the number of people who will benefit from the stimulus package proposed in recent days by President Bush. Democratic lawmakers have asked that rebate checks be given to low-income workers; the administration, for its part, has stressed tax breaks for businesses and the unemployed.
An autopsy is expected today on the body of actor Heath Ledger, 28, who was found dead late Tuesday afternoon in an apartment building in the SoHo district of New York City. After finding bottles of prescription pills near his body, officials suspect Ledger may have died of a drug overdose.
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Al Qaeda Isolated, Key U.S. Official Says
Tweet Share on Facebook January 22, 2008 CommentThe remaining top al Qaeda leaders are increasingly isolated and have growing difficulty directing plots, according to Dell Dailey, a retired lieutenant general who serves as the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator.
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Morning Buzz: Jan. 22, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook January 22, 2008 Comment (1)President Bush and top congressional lawmakers will meet today to discuss how they can quickly boost the economy before it falls into a recession. They'll be looking at as much as $150 billion in tax rebates, business tax cuts, and funding for a Democratic-led call for food stamps and employment aid. While last year Bush and members of Congress fought bitter battles over spending, both sides have promised bipartisanship.
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama took jabs at each other last night as the three leading Democratic presidential nominees took part in the South Carolina debate. The two front-runners blasted each other's records multiple times—Obama saying he was helping the unemployed while Clinton was a "corporate lawyer sitting on the board of Wal-Mart." Then Clinton saying she was fighting Republicans while Obama was "practicing law and representing [his] contributor . . . in the slum-landlord business in inner-city Chicago." Obama was especially confrontational over former President Bill Clinton's more and more prominent role in his wife's campaign. "I'm here. He's not," Hillary Clinton responded. "Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama said. The two, along with John Edwards, will face voters in South Carolina on Saturday.
Americans were again reminded of the Hollywood writers' strike this morning as Academy Award nominees were announced. The Oscars, which are scheduled for February 24, may be the next victim of the strike after the Golden Globes "ceremony" if writers and producers continue to struggle at the negotiation table. Writers Guild of America members have been striking since November 5.
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On the Ropes, Clinton Shifts Staff and Style
Tweet Share on Facebook January 18, 2008 CommentThe Iowa caucus loss and the threat of a repeat in New Hampshire led to staffing shifts and a personality change in Hillary Clinton, both of which top advisers now credit with her new style and higher position in the polls.
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Morning Buzz: Jan. 18, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook January 18, 2008 CommentPresident Bush is expected to make an announcement today regarding his plan for a stimulus package for the sagging U.S. economy. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, appearing on the Early Show on CBS this morning, provided a broad hint of what the package may include. "What he believes is that we've got to do something that is robust. It's going to be temporary and get money into the economy quickly," Paulson said. "It's going to be focused on consumers, individuals, families -- putting money in their pocket. And it's going to be focused on giving businesses the incentive to hire people, to create jobs."
A McClatchy-MSNBC poll finds John McCain and Mike Huckabee in a statistical dead heat heading into Saturday's GOP primary in South Carolina. The State newspaper also reports that 10 percent of voters are still undecided and that nearly one third say they could change their pick by the time they vote. A second poll, also released today, finds McCain with a slight edge over Huckabee.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton holds a slim 5-point lead over Barack Obama in Nevada, which has its party caucuses on Saturday. "This is a very competitive race, but it will depend on organization," pollster John Zogby said. "This is a caucus without much history to go on, so we have to see who can do the best job of turning out their vote."
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Ashcroft Defends No-Bid Contract
Tweet Share on Facebook January 17, 2008 CommentThe relationship between onetime government officials and their former agencies is always a topic of public scrutiny. But the recent disclosure that a top federal prosecutor in New Jersey awarded former Attorney General John Ashcroft a no-bid contract worth upwards of $28 million to monitor compliance in a company settling criminal charges has generated not just questions but an internal DOJ inquiry as well.
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Bush Blogs on Clothes and Mideast
Tweet Share on Facebook January 17, 2008 CommentPresident Bush dipped into the world of blogging aboard Air Force One en route home from the Middle East yesterday. His comments are now posted on the White House website, under the heading "Trip Notes From the Middle East."
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