9/11 responders bill defeated by Senate GOP filibuster
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Senate Democrats failed Thursday to win a procedural vote to open debate on a bill that would provide medical benefits and compensation for emergency workers who were first on the scene of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The motion for cloture, or to begin debate, needed 60 votes to pass due
to a Republican filibuster, but fell short at 57-42 in favor.
Feds pull high-speed rail funds from Wisconsin, Ohio
(CNN) - The Obama administration is pulling back $1.2 billion in funding for high-speed rail projects in Ohio and Wisconsin after the governors-elect in both states vowed to kill the proposed train lines.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that he would re-direct the funds to other states, with California set to receive the largest sum.
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Palin to make surprise trip to Haiti
(CNN) - It turns out that Sarah Palin's next overseas trip won't be to England or Israel, as was widely reported Thursday.
CNN has learned that the former Alaska governor will be traveling to Haiti this weekend with Franklin Graham and his relief organization Samaritan's Purse.
They will be visiting a cholera clinic, among other stops.
Spin cycle: An hour in a full-blown White House PR campaign
Washington (CNN) – The White House is putting on a brave face in the midst of a congressional revolt, led by its own party, against the president's tax-cut deal.
In the latest move by angry Democrats, House lawmakers are refusing to bring Obama's controversial tax bill to the floor. As some political observers saw all legislative hell breaking out, the White House continued to make painstaking efforts to paint a rosy picture.
As the news of the Democratic blockage broke on Capitol Hill, the spinning over the course of an hour at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. could make you dizzy.
White House launches e-mail push for support
(CNN) - The White House and the Democratic National Committee have mounted an aggressive e-mail push to the political press corps in an effort to sell the tax cut deal President Obama made with Republican leadership.
Since the president's news conference Tuesday afternoon - in which he struck an impatient tone with some of his fellow Democrats as well as some frustration about negotiating with Republicans - the White House press office and the DNC have sent at least 68 emails to reporters pushing the deal, a highly unusual amount in the normal ebb-and-flow of the political day.
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Waters delays demand for House investigation of ethics committee
Washington (CNN) – A California congresswoman under investigation by the House ethics committee delayed plans Thursday to force a House vote on a measure that would launch an investigation into the committee for its handling of her case.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, has been accused of seeking federal assistance for OneUnited Bank, a minority-owned bank in which her husband held a financial interest. She has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly demanded a conclusion to the almost year-and-a-half-long investigation.
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Anger at tax cut proposal: strange political bedfellows
Washington (CNN) - It is strange political bedfellows. Some on the right are joining their usual adversaries on the left in their anger at the proposed tax cut deal.
Of course, the reasons for their dismay are different. While liberals wail at the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 per year and other items, many s are particularly upset that the measure would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit.
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Haley rockets up the Google charts in 2010
Washington (CNN) - As Nikki Haley shot up the GOP ranks in 2010 on her way to capturing the South Carolina governorship, she was also among the most Googled political figures of the year.
And according to a new Google analysis of billions of terms pumped into the popular search engine, it turns out that Haley was actually the "fastest rising" political figure searched for on Google in 2010.
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Obama and smoking: It’s a hard habit to break
WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Obama may be under extreme pressure to get a tax cut deal, START treaty and other key items on his agenda, but according to a top aide, all that heat hasn't forced the President to smoke.
"I've not seen or witnessed evidence of any smoking in probably nine months," said White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs.
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