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Morning Buzz: April 4, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook April 4, 2008 CommentNew figures from the U.S. Department of Labor show that 80,000 jobs were lost in March — making it the worst single-month job hemorrhaging in five years. The national unemployment rate rose from 4.8 to 5.1 percent. Both figures were worse than the original estimates.
Eighty-one percent of Americans think that, with respect to the state of the country, "things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track," according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll. That number is the highest in the history of the poll, which began in the early 1990s.
To honor the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in Memphis 40 years ago today, a cadre of activists, leaders, and national politicians, including presidential aspirants Hillary Clinton and John McCain, will be gathering there today and are expected to march, along with thousands of others, through the city. (Barack Obama is campaigning in Indiana.)
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House GOP Sees Value in Cooperating With Pelosi
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2008 CommentWhen Republicans were pushed into the minority in 2006, leaders ignored their Democratic equals, moving instead to fight Speaker Nancy Pelosi on most issues.
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Morning Buzz: April 3, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook April 3, 2008 CommentIn another telltale sign that the country's economy has been damaged by the housing, credit, and financial crises, the number of people who signed up for unemployment benefits last week was the highest it has been in more than two years. The Labor Department reported today that 407,000 signed up for government aid for the week ending March 29, a much higher number than economists had predicted. The last time this many people signed up for unemployment benefits was September 2005, when thousands had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and other Gulf storms.
Despite Russia's objections, NATO today gave President Bush the green light to build a missile defense system in Europe. It rejected, however, the president's push to have the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine enter the military alliance. "NATO's door must remain open to other nations in Europe that share our love for liberty and demonstrate a commitment to reform and seek to strengthen their ties with the trans-Atlantic community," Bush said at the alliance meeting. Albania and Croatia were invited to become members of NATO, which now encompasses 26 countries.
When New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson endorsed Barack Obama, he received harsh criticism from James Carville, who was a chief strategist for Bill Clinton when he was seeking the White House. Now the criticism is coming directly from Clinton, the Associated Press is reporting today. The former president told California superdelegates over the weekend that Richardson, as a former Clinton cabinet member, was expected to endorse his wife or stay neutral. Instead, Richardson endorsed Obama at the end of last month, calling him a "once-in-a-lifetime leader."
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Clinton Looks for "Game Changer" Against Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook April 2, 2008 CommentHillary Clinton and her strategists are still looking for what one adviser calls "a game changer" to wrest the Democratic presidential nomination from Barack Obama, and they think the Pennsylvania primary might fill the bill.
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Morning Buzz: April 2, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook April 2, 2008 CommentHaving already wrapped up the Republican nomination, John McCain has been touring the country touting his biography and reintroducing himself to the American public. He's also busy compiling a list of names for a running mate, he told radio host Don Imus today. "I'd like to get it done as early as possible," the 71-year-old McCain told Imus. "I'm aware of enhanced importance of this issue given my age."
As many as nine boys and girls were involved in a plot to attack their third-grade teacher at an elementary school in south Georgia. They packed a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape, and other items in what police say was a serious threat. The children were upset with the teacher because she had scolded one of them for standing on a chair. The plot was foiled after a student told a teacher that a girl had brought a weapon to school.
What do you get when you combine shopping, the Internet, and text messaging? TextBuyIt, a new service from Amazon.com that lets bargain-minded shoppers compare the store price of an item against the price of the item on Amazon. Launched Tuesday, the service provides an easy path for shoppers — to the great dismay of traditional retailers, no doubt — to buy the item from Amazon, rather than the store.
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Portman Rises on GOP Veep List
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2008 CommentFormer Ohio Rep. Rob Portman, most recently director of the Office of Management and Budget, is being suggested as one of the top picks whom John McCain should consider for a vice presidential running mate.
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Key Republican Gives Clinton an "Electability" Boost
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2008 CommentHillary Clinton's campaign has pounced on a statement by a key Republican in order to undermine the "electability" claims of her Democratic rival, Barack Obama.
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Morning Buzz: April 1, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2008 CommentWill Ukraine and Georgia become the next countries to gain NATO admission? President Bush, who is Romania bound for the NATO summit opening tomorrow, said today that both countries are "ready and worthy" to join NATO. But Russia, claiming "sphere of influence" rights, is scowling at the proposal, and France and Germany are intimating opposition. "France will not give its green light to the entry of Ukraine and Georgia," French Prime Minister François Fillon said today. "We are opposed to Georgia and Ukraine's entry because we think that it is not the correct response to the balance of power in Europe and between Europe and Russia."
Senior executives from the top five U.S. oil companies are meeting with frustrated lawmakers today on Capitol Hill, where they will defend the government's billions in federal subsidies while the companies rake in massive profits. The companies, which include ExxonMobil Corp., Shell Oil Co., BP America Inc., Chevron Corp., and ConocoPhillips, together earned about $123 billion last year because of soaring oil and gasoline prices. Oil industry leaders have previously argued in Washington that tax breaks are needed to ensure continued investment in exploration, production, and refinery expansions. President Bush has pledged to veto any bill that singles out the industry.
Of the nation's 50 largest cities, 17 had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, including Detroit, Indianapolis, and Cleveland, a new report revealed today. The report, issued by America's Promise Alliance, found that students in rural and suburban public schools were more likely to graduate than students in urban ones. Altogether, about 70 percent of students in the country graduate on time, and about 1.2 million drop out each year.
