Morihei Ueshiba"A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind."
Senate Votes to Avoid Government Shutdown, End Dispute Over Aid - BusinessWeek
 CBC.ca |
Senate Votes to Avoid Government Shutdown, End Dispute Over Aid
BusinessWeek Sept. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The US Senate reached a bipartisan deal on stopgap spending designed to avoid a government shutdown and defuse a fight over aid to victims of hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. ... US shutdown avoided by disaster aid accord Stopgap Fix Ends Budget Impasse Senate Reaches Deal to Avert Government Shutdown |
State Department review to find pipeline impact ‘limited,’ sources say
The State Department will remove a major roadblock to construction of a massive oil pipeline stretching from Canada to Texas when it releases its final environmental assessment of the project as soon as Friday, according to sources briefed on the process.
The move is critical because it will affirm the agency’s earlier finding that the project will have “limited adverse environmental impacts” during construction and operation, according to sources familiar with the assessment who asked not to be identified because the decision has not been made public.
View Entire Story » | 0 Comments
Special interests gave millions to budget panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 12 lawmakers appointed to a new congressional supercommittee charged with tackling the nation's fiscal problems have received millions in contributions from special interests with a direct stake in potential cuts to federal programs, an Associated Press analysis of federal campaign data has found.
The newly appointed members — six Democrats and six Republicans — have received more than $3 million total during the past five years in donations from political committees with ties to defense contractors, health care providers and labor unions.
Read more on NewsOK.com
The next deficit deal: There's a rough road ahead
The special panel's goal is lofty: concoct a deal both parties will embrace to slash federal deficits by a mammoth $1.5 trillion or more over the next decade.
View Entire Story » | 0 CommentsDemocrats, Republicans blame each other for FAA shutdown; no end in sight
A dispute over funding for the Federal Aviation Administration has left an estimated 74,000 people out of work for a dozen days and tossed Congress into the throes of yet another interparty battle.
Now, with lawmakers leaving town or already on recess, there seems to be little hope of a resolution on the horizon.
Lawmakers allowed funding for the FAA to expire July 23, leaving 4,000 agency workers on furlough and 70,000 people in construction-related jobs out of work, possibly until September, when Congress will reconvene.
View Entire Story » | 0 CommentsObama calls lawmakers to White House in effort to break debt stalemate
President Obama on Tuesday rejected calls for a short-term increase in the legal limit on government borrowing and summoned congressional leaders to the White House to restart negotiations over a long-term plan to restrain the deepening national debt.
With an Aug. 2 deadline closing in, Obama urged lawmakers in both parties to break the stalemate that halted talks nearly two weeks ago and seize what he called “a unique opportunity to do something big” to rebalance the nation’s finances.
“There may be some in Congress who want to do just enough to make sure that America avoids defaulting on our debt in the short term but then want to kick the can down the road when it comes to solving the larger problem of our deficit. I don’t share that view,” Obama told reporters during a late-afternoon appearance at the White House.
View Entire Story » | 0 Comments
Romney calls for working ‘across the aisle’ as cure for political polarization
CONCORD, N.H. — Mitt Romney seems to have swallowed a dose of the civility that his rival Jon Huntsman Jr. is trying to inject into the Republican presidential race.
No, Romney hasn’t quieted his full-throated assault on President Obama’s economic record.
But during a Monday morning campaign swing through this early primary state, he issued a call for bipartisanship and said the American people would be better served if Republicans and Democrats worked together to find “common ground.”
View Entire Story » | 0 CommentsGOP compromise on debt: Cut military spending?
As President Obama prepares to meet Monday with Senate leaders to try to restart talks over the swollen national debt, some Republicans see a potential path to compromise: Significant cuts in military spending.
Senior GOP lawmakers and leadership aides said it would be far easier to build support for a debt-reduction package that cuts the Pentagon budget – a key Democratic demand – than one that raises revenue by tinkering with the tax code. Last week, Republicans walked out of talks led by Vice President Joseph Biden, insisting that the White House take tax hikes off the table.
View Entire Story » | 0 Comments
Congress hammers SEC over expansion lease
A $556.8 million lease that the Securities and Exchange Commission signed for offices in downtown Washington has drawn intense scrutiny from Congress and could lead the agency to lose control over its real estate decisions.
Last summer the agency signed one of the biggest and most expensive leases in Washington in recent years when it agreed to take about 900,000 square feet in Constitution Center, the renovated former headquarters of the U.S. Department of Transportation, in Southwest Washington.
View Entire Story » | 0 CommentsWhite House Defends Continuing US Role in Libya Operation - New York Times
 The Guardian |
White House Defends Continuing US Role in Libya Operation
New York Times A Libyan rebel closed the eyelids of a government soldier who was killed in fighting this week southwest of Tripoli. American forces are aiding a NATO-led mission. More Photos » By CHARLIE SAVAGE and MARK LANDLER WASHINGTON — The White House, ... The law demands an explanation of Libya mission: Kevin O'Brien Does the US's military involvement in Libya violate the War Powers Act? Libya operation will proceed despite pressure from Congress, Obama aide says |
Video: GOP plan to stimulate the economy
In a CBS News town hall, members of the Republican party were asked to name one way that they would stimulate economic growth in the U.S.
Senate votes to proceed on four-year reauthorization of key Patriot Act provisions
The Senate voted Monday to end debate on a measure that would extend key provisions of the Patriot Act until June 1, 2015, setting up a final-passage vote on the counterterrorism surveillance law for as soon as Wednesday.
A bipartisan group of 74 senators voted to end debate. Eight senators, including three Republicans and five members who caucus with Democrats, voted against ending debate, and 18 senators – 12 Republicans and six Democrats – were not present to vote.
Monday’s Senate vote marked a rare instance of leaders of both parties lining up behind the same measure: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who last week worked out a deal on the four-year extension, both voted in favor of ending debate.
View Entire Story » | 0 CommentsWith narrow majority, Senate Democrats adopt minimalist agenda
Just one year ago, the Democrats who controlled the Senate had won their latest landmark victory: passage of a bill to remake financial regulation.
Today, Democrats still run the Senate, but their agenda looks a good bit different. This week, the highlight was a vote to end tax breaks for oil companies.
As expected, they lost.
View Entire Story » | 0 CommentsWatch: Gates: Military His 'Sons and Daughters'
Outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates thanks presidents Bush and Obama.
High court asked to reinstate FCC indecency policy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration asked the Supreme Court Thursday to reinstate a policy that allows federal regulators to fine broadcasters for showing nudity and airing curse words when young children may be watching television....
View Entire Story » | 0 CommentsU.S. House passes $6 trillion spending cut plan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Friday passed a Republican budget blueprint proposing to fundamentally overhaul Medicare and combat out-of-control budget deficits with sharp spending cuts on social safety net programs like food stamps and Medicaid.
The nonbinding plan lays out a fiscal vision cutting $6.2 trillion over the coming decade from the budget submitted by President Barack Obama.
Read more on NewsOK.com
GOP Senators at Odds on Libya
Competing groups of Republican senators have introduced resolutions aiming either to boost or curtail the U.S. role in Libya, a sign of how divided Congress is on the military operations there.
Tom Toles: The GOP’s many faces
Oklahoma power plants at a glance
AT A GLANCE
Oklahoma power plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to reduce emissions at three coal-fired power plants in Oklahoma by forcing the utility companies that operate them to install expensive scrubber technology or switch to natural gas, which is more costly than coal.
Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co.'s Sooner plant at Red Rock
Age: Installed in 1979-80
Capacity: Produces 1,046 megawatts of electricity
Public Service Co.
Read more on NewsOK.com
At Supreme Court, White House will defend Bush anti-terror policy
WASHINGTON | A Wichita native and former University of Idaho football player faces a tough road this week when he seeks Supreme Court approval to sue former attorney general John Ashcroft over war-on-terror tactics. The man born as Lavoni T. Kidd and now known as Abdullah al Kidd wants recompense from Ashcroft for having been detained in 2003 as a "material witness" in an anti-terror investigation.
View Entire Story » | 0 Comments