Source: Bipartisan Senators nearing unemployment deal
Washington (CNN) – Bipartisan negotiators are nearing an agreement on extending emergency unemployment benefits in a way that Democrats hope will satisfy Republican demands to offset the cost, a source close to the negotiations told CNN.
The source said discussions center around extending the emergency benefits through November of this year at a cost of $18 billion.
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Has Chris Christie changed his tune?
(CNN) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has spoken out several times as controversy simmered, strengthened and boiled over in a very public way with a marathon news conference on Thursday. The allegation is that Christie’s aides caused a traffic jam in one city to punish its mayor, who did not endorse Christie’s re-election.
Christie has expressed a range of reactions in public as the story developed. First he joked about it. Then he said mistakes were made. On Thursday, after more details became public, he said he was humiliated, embarrassed – and very sorry for the whole mess.
GOP committeemen: Christie's bridge drama won't stay with him
Washington (CNN) – Chris Christie's handling of access lane closures to the George Washington Bridge - and the fact that his staff closed the lanes for apparent political retribution - will not matter to voters if the Governor decides to run for president, three Republican committeemen from early primary and caucus states said Thursday.
"I don't think this will make any difference whatsoever if Gov. Christie runs," Stephen Duprey, Republican National Committeeman from New Hampshire, told CNN. "People in New Hampshire could care less about whether some bureaucrat working on his staff did something stupid like this."
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To be or not to be... a politician
(CNN) - Addressing the firestorm Thursday over the George Washington Bridge controversy, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared, "I am not a bully." The statement, which was made in response to a reporter's question, is the latest of a long line of existential declarations made over the years by politicians in a wide variety of circumstances.
Below is a light-hearted look back at some memorable statements politicians have made over the years addressing what it means "to be" (or not to be).
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Boehner accuses President of ignoring Iraq, calls for US to send equipment
Washington (CNN) - House Speaker John Boehner Thursday accused President Obama of ignoring the threat of al Qaeda linked groups gaining power in Iraq and called for the U.S. to send "some equipment and some services" to help the Iraqis mount a counter-terrorism effort.
"Starting with the President delegating his responsibilities to the Vice President, the administration has chosen to spend much of its time and its energy trying to explain why having terrorists holding key terrain in the Middle East is not the president's problem," Boehner told reporters at his weekly press conference.
Who is David Wildstein?
(CNN) – For nearly his entire career, David Wildstein has tried to stay out of the public spotlight. Now one of the key figures in the George Washington Bridge scandal, there's no avoiding the spotlight.
"He's made a point to stay in the shadows and be the person directing the show from behind the curtain," said Shawn Boburg, a reporter for the Bergen County Record who wrote a profile of Wildstein in 2012.
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Live blog: Chris Christie press conference
In a highly anticipated press conference Thursday morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to address the George Washington Bridge controversy that’s dogging his administration.
Christie won Fort Lee
(CNN) - It seems New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie didn't need the backing of Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich of Fort Lee after all.
Christie carried Fort Lee in his landslide re-election victory last November over little known Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono. According to election results on the Bergen County Clerk's website, the Republican governor and likely 2016 GOP presidential contender grabbed 3,735 votes in Fort Lee, to Buono's 2,941. Democratic voters greatly outnumber their Republican counterparts in the borough.
Gates: Reid called me about being Obama's running mate in 2008
(CNN) - Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid called then-Defense Secretary Bob Gates in 2008 to say he was considering Gates as a potential running mate for Barack Obama, according to the ex-Pentagon chief's new memoir.
In an exchange recounted on page 262 of the book, "Duty," Reid quizzed Gates on the phone about his political history. Gates was appointed Defense Secretary by former President George W. Bush in 2006 and remained at his post as part of Obama's team of rivals.
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Will Christie take his own advice?
(CNN) - On Election Day 2013, CNN Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper asked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie how he would advise President Obama, who at the time was embroiled in a controversy about whether he misled the American people over being able to keep their health plans.
"Here's what my suggestion would be to him," Christie said then. "Don't be so cute. And when you make a mistake, admit it...Say, 'you know what? I said it, I was wrong. I'm sorry, and we're going to try to fix this and make it better.'"
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