U.S. Edition
(CNN) – No one has emerged spotless from the debt-ceiling debate, according to a survey conducted in the aftermath of the agreement to raise the nation's debt ceiling.
A CBS News/New York Times poll released Thursday revealed that eight in 10 Americans say they disapprove of how Congress is handling its job – the highest number in the poll's history since 1977. FULL POST
Tampa, Florida (CNN) - Anxieties about the fate of the presidential nominating process broke out into the open Thursday during a meeting of the Republican National Committee, but party officials declined to take formal action against states that might disrupt the primary calendar in 2012.
The issue is hardly dead, however, and figures to be high on the agenda when the RNC meets again this winter, just before the Republican primary voters begin casting ballots in the presidential race. FULL POST
Tampa, Florida (CNN) – In the wake of a debt ceiling agreement that chafed elected Republicans and conservative activists alike, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal urged his party Thursday to avoid future compromises and embrace the politics of stubbornness.
No matter how unpopular it may be, the Republican explained, drastically reducing the size of government is the only pathway to economic freedom and job creation. FULL POST
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, announced Thursday that Democratic and Republican leaders have "been able to broker a bipartisan compromise between the House and the Senate" to fully fund the Federal Aviation Administration.
"This agreement does not resolve the important differences that still remain," Reid said in a written statement. "But I believe we should keep Americans working while Congress settles its differences, and this agreement will do exactly that."
(CNN) – It’s hard to believe but one in seven Americans – 15 percent of the country – now needs government-provided food stamps simply to survive.
The new numbers just came out from the United States Department of Agriculture which administers what’s officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Washington (CNN) - The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a new ad and fundraising campaign Thursday targeting 44 House Republicans over their party's stance on Medicare and raising the debt ceiling.
The efforts, titled "Accountability August," are the latest steps taken as part of the committee's "Drive for 25" campaign to win control of the House in 2012. FULL POST
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The political stalemate over funding for the Federal Aviation Administration could be resolved as early as Friday, a senior Democratic leadership aide has told CNN.
The aide described a series of "active, productive discussions" on the issue.
Washington (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden will depart on August 16 for a trip to China, Mongolia and Japan that will include meetings with China's top leaders, the White House announced Thursday.
The trip to China is at the invitation of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping as part of planned reciprocal visits by the two nations' top deputies announced earlier this year, the statement said. Xi is considered the likely successor to President Hu Jintao.
Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama called House Speaker John Boehner to discuss ways to break the current political stalemate over funding for the Federal Aviation Administration, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Thursday.
"Conversations continue as we look for ways to resolve this," Carney told reporters. "We hope a solution can be found." The president's call to the speaker occurred Wednesday, he said.
Salem, New Hampshire (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman defended his chief strategist and said his 2012 effort is now on the right track, after a former consultant said the campaign was riven with infighting and misdirection.
"We've got our campaign up and running," the former Utah governor told a group of reporters Thursday. "It is retooled. It is firing on all cylinders. And we're preparing to win here in New Hampshire." FULL POST