Obama Administration officials including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appeared on Sunday morning talk shows to discuss the US response to the H1N1 virus. As ABC World News reported, there are "two seemingly contradictory trends in the swine flu story tonight. On the one hand, the virus has now spread to at least 19 countries" and "the number of cases here in the US jumped more than 25 percent" from Saturday to Sunday. "On the other hand, health officials here in the US and in Mexico are now saying that we may have turned a corner in this fight." The AP reports the tally of confirmed US cases "jumped Sunday," but "officials said that's largely from catching up on a backlog of lab tests." As of 1:00 a.m. ET Monday, the WHO reports 985 cases in 20 countries.
The story led both the ABC and CBS newscasts Sunday evening; NBC was preempted for sports coverage. The CBS Evening News reported, "To calm nerves, President's Obama health officials blitzed the Sunday talk shows this morning, striking a carefully balanced tone." Sebelius: "The early news seems to be cautiously optimistic about where we are right now. We certainly can't get complacent." In an interview on ABC's This Week, Sebelius said, "We can accelerate the seasonal flu vaccine, which we're doing right now to be prepared and ready for what we know will hit this fall and winter." In an interview on CNN's State Of The Union, Sebelius said, "We know this virus spreads quickly and that's why we're leaning forward and saying if there's a confirmed case at a school, shut the school down to try and make sure every child in that school doesn't pick it up."
In an interview on ABC's This Week, Napolitano said, "We take our guidance from the best that science can give us and we have great scientists at the Centers for Disease Control. And what they told us was if you're sick, you should stay home." On CNN's State Of The Union, Napolitano added, "But also understand that there is a balance to be struck here. The whole business of the country is not going to come to a grinding halt because we have an outbreak of the flu."
The Los Angeles Times reports US "officials continued to express confidence that the H1N1 virus was not unusually virulent, but they cautioned that the number of cases and deaths would rise. In Mexico, however, officials said the disease was on the decline." The Washington Post reports officials "projected yesterday a cautious optimism that the new virus is not as lethal as initially feared." The New York Times headlines its report "Flu, Mostly Mild, Has Spread Across U.S., Officials Say."
Sunday talk show discussions about the retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter were widely reported today, with a number of senators and others offering advice to President Obama to look for candidates beyond the appellate court bench.
The AP reports President Obama's "search to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter should extend beyond the current roster of federal judges, senators from both political parties said Sunday." Sen. Arlen Specter, on CBS's Face The Nation, said, "I would like to see somebody with broader experience. You've got everybody on the Supreme Court has been on the court of appeals. That means their experiences are limited." Sen. Specter, on NBC's Meet The Press, advised President Obama to choose "someone with a strong academic and professional background. It would be my hope that he would choose someone with diversity. Women are underrepresented on the court. We don't have an Hispanic. African-Americans are underrepresented."
On ABC's This Week, Sen. Patrick Leahy said, "I would like to see certainly more women on the court. Having only one woman on the Supreme Court does not reflect the makeup of the United States. I think we should have more women, we should have more minorities. I would like to see more people from outside the judicial monastery. Somebody who's had some real-life experience, not just as a judge."
In an interview on ABC's This Week, Sen. Orrin Hatch said, "He's also said that a judge has to be a person of empathy. What does that mean? Usually that's a code word for an activist judge. But he also said that he's going to select judges on the basis of their personal politics, their personal feelings, their personal preferences. Now...those are all code words for an activist judge who is going to...be partisan on the bench."
The Hill reports Sen. Leahy is "calling on President Obama to consult with Senate Democrats and Republicans before picking a replacement for" Justice Souter. Leahy "would like to see Obama appoint more women and minorities to the court, giving a boost to Sonia Sotomayor, a Hispanic woman who has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit."
Roll Call reports Chairman Leahy and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) "foreshadowed the upcoming fight over President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, with Leahy advocating for a justice with 'real life experiences' and Hatch cautioning against an 'activist' judge." Hatch "signaled that if Obama taps a center-left justice like Souter, he could avoid a partisan Senate battle," but he "voiced concern about the type of justice Obama has suggested he may choose."
Roll Call reports Senate Republicans and "conservative organizations got to work Friday on their battle plan for President Barack Obama's first nominee to the Supreme Court - compiling dossiers on likely candidates, developing strategies for the vetting process and powering up their network of grass-roots activists." In "nearly every statement, Republican leaders sent the message that they expected Obama to steer clear of a liberal-leaning jurist." But "behind the scenes, however, GOP leaders were hard at work preparing for what they see as an inevitable fight."
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The New York Times reports in a front page story that the "results of the bank stress tests to be released by the Obama administration this week are expected to include more detailed information about individual banks - assessing specific parts of their loan portfolios - than many analysts have been expecting." Based on the tests' outcome, the Administration "seems prepared to argue that, while a few banks may need additional money, the broad financial system is healthier than many investors fear."
Nonetheless, the Financial Times reports Citigroup and Bank of America "are working on plans to raise more than $10bn each in fresh capital, even as they launch last-ditch attempts to convince the US government they do not need to bolster their balance sheets." People "close to the situation said Citi, BofA and at least two other lenders will on Monday attempt to convince the Treasury and the Federal Reserve that the findings of 'stress tests' into their financial health were too pessimistic."
Banking Industry Demonstrates Influence Roll Call reports the banking industry's political clout is "being tested by a series of bills aimed at bringing the industry under Washington's regulatory thumb." Whether it "was money, influence, expertise or some combination, banks scored a major win last week in defeating a key part of President Barack Obama's housing foreclosure mitigation plan." The "cramdown" bill "spearheaded by" Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin" would "have allowed bankruptcy judges to write down the terms of some primary home mortgages so that struggling owners could stay in their homes."
USA Today reports drivers "across the country will have to contend with far more roadwork - and all the frustration that goes with it - as states prepare to launch a spate of new highway projects this summer. The work is part of President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package and is meant to create jobs by repairing roads and bridges." All told, "the stimulus will give states an extra $27 billion to repair roads and bridges, on top of roughly $42 billion in annual aid."
The Wall Street Journal reports while "cities across the country clamored for a share of federal stimulus dollars, this little railroad town" of North Platte, Nebraska "told Washington, 'No thanks.' And it's still paying a price." Last month, the North Platte Housing Authority "officially informed the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that it would refuse nearly $600,000 from President Barack Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act." Weeks later, "that decision reverberates, inflaming tensions between the board and the housing authority's director, riling the City Council and dividing North Platte's 24,000 residents."
Roll Call reports areas of "tension are opening up between President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats on a variety of fronts as Democratic factions, coveting the chance to realize long-held dreams, want to make sure Obama does it right." Many of "the worries are bubbling up on the left, where Members are concerned Obama will move too far to the right with an eye on his expected re-election bid or as a way to sop up a few Republican votes so he can govern with the veneer of bipartisanship." There is "also concern that Obama might try to clear the deck of contentious issues Democrats want to push in order to focus Congress and the public on his top priority for the year: passing health care reform."
The Washington Post reports Commerce Secretary Gary Locke "now finds himself in the thick of just about every hot issue -- particularly the 2010 census." Locke is "part of the president's economic team, has been designated to protect the U.S. pork industry in the midst of the swine flu scare, and has the impossible job of trying to keep politics out of the census, even though the outcome of future elections could hinge on the count and subsequent redistricting." In an interview, Locke noted, "The census director reports to me, and, of course, I serve at the pleasure of the president. . . . It will not be politicized, and the White House assured me that it has no interest in politicizing it."
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ABC World News reports former presidential candidate John Edwards (D) "has confirmed that federal investigators are now looking into payments by his political action committee to a company run by his mistress," Rielle Hunter, "whose firm received a total of $100,000." Edwards "says he's confident that, quote, 'no funds from my campaign were used improperly.'" The AP called Edwards' statement to the press "carefully worded" and noted that while he "focused his comment on campaign funds, he also had a range of other fundraising organizations -- including two nonprofits and a poverty center at his alma mater -- that have come under scrutiny." The New York Daily News reported, "The National Enquirer broke the story, saying a grand jury has already looked at some of the evidence." The Politico also reports on Edwards' statement.
During an appearances yesterday on NBC's Meet The Press and CBS' Face The Nation, Sen. Arlen Specter (D) blamed a shifting GOP for his decision to defect, saying on NBC that the GOP "has gone far to the right since I joined it under Reagan's big tent. ... In recent times, I have diverged materially from the Republican line ... As the picture has evolved, I felt a lot more comfortable -- as a matter of principle -- with Democrats than Republicans.'"
US News Weekly, in its Washington Whispers column, reports, "When it comes to 2012, there's no potential Republican opponent who makes" former Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe "shake in his shoes," though Utah Gov. Jon huntsman (R) makes him a "wee bit queasy." Plouffe says, "I think he's really out there and speaking a lot of truth about the direction of the party."
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Jay Leno: The "White House says as of now, it is not contained. It could continue to get worse. And they were just talking about Joe Biden."
Jay Leno: "Well, there are now cases of swine flu in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. So, see that? NAFTA does work."
Jay Leno: "A vacancy on the Supreme Court. This is something we haven't seen in awhile. Let's just hope the President is better at picking a justice than the justices were at picking a president."
Jay Leno: "As you may have heard, the White House has a brand-new puppy. I believe his name is Arlen Specter."
Jay Leno: Sen. Arlen Specter "has switched to the Democratic Party. Today, Obama told Republicans, 'Look, we'll give you Biden, call it even.'"
Jimmy Kimmel: "Right now I'm an hour away from a long, luxurious weekend of washing my hands every five minutes and loading my shotguns to fight off any swine flu zombies that might wander into my yard."
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