First Read: Largely lost in all the recent focus on the BP spill, Shirley Sherrod, the Arizona immigration law, Charlie Rangel, and the Wikileaks leak is this bit of news: Democrats - perhaps ever so slightly - are beginning to close the midterm gap. [Links] [Related]
Gov. Charlie Crist is slightly ahead of Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way general election matchup for the U.S. Senate while the race to succeed Crist as governor is about even, a poll released Friday suggests. [Links] [Related]
The recovery lost momentum in the spring as growth slowed to a 2.4 percent pace, its most sluggish showing in nearly a year and too weak to drive down unemployment.
The early end to the Illinois governor's corruption trial is a far more benign result for Democrats than if it had lasted through the summer as expected while the party geared up for tough elections. [Links] [Related]
Obama certainly wooed the ladies, and the audience at home. That said, it wasn’t all fluff. Obama delved into policy, dropping some statistics about job losses to make the case that the economy is actually in a better place than it could have been had done nothing when taking office. [Links] [Related]
Far-reaching aviation safety legislation developed in response to a deadly commuter airline crash in western New York last year was approved by the House late Thursday. [Links] [Related]
A bill that would have provided up to $7.4 billion in aid to people sickened by World Trade Center dust fell short in the House on Thursday, raising the possibility that the bulk of compensation for the ill will come from a legal settlement hammered out in the federal courts.
Ousted USDA employee Shirley Sherrod said Thursday that she will sue a conservative blogger who posted an edited video that appeared to show her making racially offensive remarks. [Links] [Related]
The storied life and career of Charles B. Rangel are at a sad impasse, but how could a man in charge of writing tax policy not pay his taxes? What was he thinking? Did he expect his colleagues in the House to cut him slack because of his seniority? [Links] [Related]
Challenging civil rights agencies and teacher's unions that have criticized his education policies, Obama said that minority students have the most to gain from overhauling schools. [Links] [Related]
The Obama White House keeps talking about the economy and health care -- because even if they're unpopular in the short run, they're hoping attitudes change in the long run. [Links] [Related]
No e-mail messages from "the King of Japan," no fake letters from President Barack Obama postmarked in Iowa, no expletive-laden voicemail messages on their phones, like the ones that Judge James B. Zagel has received. No chance of Facebook postings using their names, either.
More controversy, challenges, and distractions for the White House… The judicial ruling on Arizona’s immigration law was a legal -- but not political -- victory for Team Obama. [Links] [Related]
Two wealthy newcomers to Florida politics who are self-financing their campaigns have taken double-digit leads in the state's Republican gubernatorial and Democratic Senate primary races, according to a poll released Thursday. [Links] [Related]
While folks inside the Beltway may believe that the president is overexposed, ask the working parent of two if they think the same thing. [Links] [Related]
Parts of Arizona's controversial immigration law went into effect Thursday, after a judge blocked the heart of the measure, defusing a confrontation between police and activists.
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan picked up more GOP backing Wednesday in her drive toward near-certain confirmation next week, even as a top Republican lashed out at her as "dangerous." [Links] [Related]
Congress on Wednesday changed a quarter-century-old law that has subjected tens of thousands of blacks to long prison terms for crack cocaine convictions while giving far more lenient treatment to those, mainly whites, caught with the powder form of the drug. [Links] [Related]
New York Gov. David Paterson will not face criminal charges for calling a woman who later dropped domestic violence charges against a top aide to the governor, according to a person with direct knowledge of the investigation.
The Democrats' national chairman on Wednesday trotted out his party's fall election strategy to limit potential GOP gains, claiming Republican goals are inseparable from the tea party's, from killing off Medicare to abolishing the departments of Education and Energy. [Links] [Related]
If Republicans wake up on November 3rd to find their majority-making hopes dashed, they may be looking at a state like Colorado for evidence of opportunities missed.
Democrats say they are prepared to spend $49 million on TV ads during the final weeks of the midterm elections in their effort to maintain a House majority. [Links] [Related]
Former committee chairman Rep. Charles Rangel attempted a last-minute plea deal Tuesday to head off a House ethics trial that could embarrass him and damage Democrats facing potentially severe election losses. [Links] [Related]
Republicans blocked a White House-backed bill Tuesday to require unprecedented disclosure of who pays for political campaign advertising. [Links] [Related]
Democrats say they are prepared to spend $49 million on TV ads during the final weeks of the midterm elections in their effort to maintain a House majority in the face of a strong challenge by Republicans and an anti-establishment bent among voters.
Months behind schedule and stripped of money for domestic stimulus programs, legislation to fund the troop surge in Afghanistan was sent to President Barack Obama on Tuesday after disgruntled Democrats failed to block it. [Links] [Related]
