Comeback Kids list keeps growing
Washington (CNN) - Add Democrat Roy Barnes to the list of former governors coming a step closer to winning their old jobs back.
Tuesday Barnes, a former one term Georgia governor, easily captured his party's nomination, winning nearly two-thirds of the vote in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Barnes won the office in 1998, but was defeated in his 2002 re-election bid by Republican Sonny Purdue, who is now term limited and prevented from running for re-election this year. Barnes will face off in November against either former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel or former Rep. Nathan Deal, who meet in an August 10 runoff.
White House says review needed of Sherrod firing
(CNN) - A White House official tells CNN a "longer look" now needs to be taken at the circumstances surrounding the firing of USDA official Shirley Sherrod.
"We're not sure what the ultimate result will be, but it's clear that with new information through the full speech, a longer look needed to be taken," the official told CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. "The White House contacted the department last night about the case and agreed, based on new evidence, that it should be reviewed."
A White House official told CNN Tuesday night that President Obama had been fully briefed after Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's original decision and fully supported that decision. Vilsack says he's now willing to conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts.
Democrats agenda running out of gas as midterms approach
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/12/art.capitolbldg.file7.gi.jpg caption ="After President Obama signs a financial reform bill Wednesday and as the midterm elections draw near, will Democrats celebrate any more legislative victories?"] Washington (CNN) - Congressional Democrats have had a fairly successful time pushing through their agenda since taking control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.
Congress passed items backed by President Obama such as health care reform, a financial regulatory bill and economic stimulus measures.
The most recent wins came Tuesday when Senate Democrats broke a Republican filibuster on extending unemployment benefits to some Americans, and a Senate committee approved Supreme Court justice nominee Elena Kagan.
But that might be the last victories Democrats see in Congress for a while with both parties starting to pay more attention to midterm elections than legislation.
Former USDA official: Department's reconsideration is 'bittersweet'
(CNN) - A black former Agriculture Department official who resigned under pressure after a video clip surfaced of her discussing a white farmer said Wednesday the agency's decision to review her case is "bittersweet," but said she isn't sure she would accept her job back if it is offered.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said early Wednesday that he will review the case of Shirley Sherrod, who resigned Monday after the video clip first appeared on a conservative website and later on Fox News.
In the video, Sherrod, the former USDA director of rural development for Georgia, seems to tell an audience at an NAACP function in March that she did not do her utmost to help a white farmer avoid foreclosure.
However, Sherrod later said the clip only shows part of her comments, and that she tells the story of her experience - from nearly a quarter century ago when she was not a federal employee - to illustrate the importance of moving beyond race.
Full story
Clinton announces new sanctions against North Korea
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/21/art.clinton.sk.0721.gi.jpg caption ="Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—in South Korea Wednesday—announced new sanctions against North Korea."] Seoul, South Korea (CNN) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced tougher sanctions Wednesday against North Korea, including freezing some assets in an attempt to keep the Communist dictatorship from buying and selling arms.
The announcement came as Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited South Korea, part of a rare high-level meeting with members of the government of the key Asian ally.
The U.S. delegation arrived in Seoul this week to show support for South Korea over the sinking in March of the warship Chenonan.
A multinational investigation found North Korea responsible for the torpedo attack that killed 46 South Korean sailors.
Wall Street reform law's starting line
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/25/art.wallstreet.0525y.gi.jpg caption ="New changes for the financial industry will be effective immediately after President Obama signs legislation this afternoon."] Washington (CNNMoney.com) - As soon as President Obama's name shows up on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law Wednesday, there will be some changes in the way the financial industry does business.
Immediately, regulators will get new powers to take down failing giant financial firms – powers they didn't have in 2008 when the investment firm Lehman Brothers collapsed and threatened the entire financial system.
Other big provisions are closer to a year away, such as forcing complex financial contracts to be traded on open exchanges, and creating new consumer protection rules requiring more disclosure and fewer hidden fees for mortgages and credit cards.
Barnes wins Georgia Democratic battle, GOP fight heads to runoff
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) - Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes is a step closer to his goal of winning back his old job.
Barnes Tuesday easily won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. But Barneswill have to wait until next month to find out who his Republican opponent will be in November's general election.
With 98 percent of precincts reporting, the Georgia Secretary of State's web page indicated that Barnes had captured 65.8 percent of the primary vote, with state Attorney General Thurbert Baker at 21.7 percent. Five other Democratic gubernatorial candidates were in the single digits.
"Tonight is the beginning to take our state back from the lobbyists and the special interests," Barnes told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night in Atlanta.
Obama to sign Wall Street reform bill
President Obama will sign into law Wednesday a sweeping Wall Street reform bill. (PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images)
Washington (CNN) - President Obama will sign into law Wednesday the Wall Street reform bill - the most-sweeping set of changes to America's financial regulatory system since the 1930s.
The legislation will vastly reform the way big financial firms do business.
This is "reform that will prevent the kind of shadowy deals that led to this crisis, reform that would never again put taxpayers on the hook for Wall Street's mistakes," the president said last week.
The bill aims to strengthen consumer protection, rein in complex financial products and head off more bank bailouts.
The Senate approved the reforms Thursday on a 60 to 39 vote, ending more than a year-long effort to pass legislation in response to the 2008 financial crisis.
Borger: Obama wins on Wall St., loses Main St.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/21/art.borger.6.cnn.jpg caption ="CNN Senior Political Analyst Gloria Borger says with President Obama’s signing of financial reform legislation, he wins on Wall Street but loses on Main Street."] Editor's note: Gloria Borger is a senior political analyst for CNN, appearing regularly on CNN's "The Situation Room," "AC360°" and "State of the Union," as well as participating in special event coverage.
Washington (CNN) - Ask anyone at the White House about the importance of the financial reform bill the president will sign today, and the answer is near-universal: a colossal achievement. And why not?
It's sweeping legislation: creating new consumer protections, making it unattractive for institutions to become "too big to fail," imposing new rules for financial transparency.
And, by the way, it's also a pretty popular idea, in theory at least: 60 percent of Americans say they want to reform Wall Street, according to a recent CNN poll. So it's a no-brainer, right?
POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: July 21, 2010
The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.
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For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com
CNNMoney: Jobless benefits extension passes Senate test
More than 2.5 million unemployed Americans are one step closer to having their unemployment benefits restored. A bill that would push back the deadline to file for extended unemployment benefits until the end of November passed a key procedural hurdle in the Senate Tuesday. The vote was 60-40, the minimum margin needed to end debate on the measure.
CNN: Obama to sign Wall Street reform bill
President Obama will sign into law Wednesday the Wall Street reform bill - the most-sweeping set of changes to America's financial regulatory system since the 1930s. The legislation will vastly reform the way big financial firms do business.
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