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Senate GOP Again Blocks Debate on Financial Reform

A third test vote is expected tomorrow

(Newser) - For the second day in a row, Senate Republicans have blocked action on legislation to impose greater federal control on the nation's financial industry. Today's vote was 57-41, three short of the 60 needed for Democrats to advance their measure. Democrat Ben Nelson again joined Republicans. A third test vote...

Reid Shows Canny Side on Finance Bill
Reid Shows Canny Side on Finance Bill
OPINION
Apr 27, 2010 6:39 AM CDT

Reid Shows Canny Side on Finance Bill

Wiser from health reform, leader will force votes til it passes

(Newser) - Harry Reid showed that he'd learned a thing or two from health care reform yesterday when he called the Republicans' bluff on financial reform, writes Chris Weigant. The Senate majority leader "is showing real strength, and real leadership" by refusing to water the bill down to please Republicans and...

Reid Gambles by Pushing Reform Vote
Reid Gambles
by Pushing Reform Vote
Apr 22, 2010 6:50 PM CDT

Reid Gambles by Pushing Reform Vote

Monday's action on the financial bill is politically risky

(Newser) - Harry Reid's decision to schedule a crucial test vote Monday on the financial reform bill is a political gamble, write Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner at Politico . For starters, he still needs to convince one Republican to oppose a filibuster between now and then, and while talks seem to...

Porn Star Drops Senate Run
 Porn Star Drops Senate Run 
Apr 15, 2010 4:50 PM CDT

Porn Star Drops Senate Run

Stormy Daniels says she just can't afford it

(Newser) - Louisiana-born porn star Stormy Daniels won't be running for the US Senate after all. In an e-mailed statement , Daniels said she simply can't afford to challenge David Vitter. She also compared herself to Sarah Palin, complaining that the media never took her interest in the race seriously. "Simply because...

Sen. Warner: McConnell 'Doesn't Understand' Bill

Or, 'he chooses not to understand' financial reform legislation

(Newser) - The arcane debate of financial reform is getting a little personal. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said Mitch McConnell "doesn't understand or chooses not to understand" the complexities of the reform legislation. He fired back after McConnell said the bill meant "endless taxpayer-funded bailouts for big Wall Street banks,...

WaMu 'Poisoned' Financial System: Senate Report

Senate panel says lender knowingly built 'mortgage time bomb'

(Newser) - Washington Mutual made subprime loans it knew would go bad, then packaged them into risky securities, creating a “mortgage time bomb,” according to a Senate report. The permanent investigations subcommittee is grilling former WaMu execs this morning. The report also says the bank packaged and sold loans it...

Oops: Congress Might Have Killed Its Own Health Care

Health bill error may leave lawmakers, aides without coverage

(Newser) - If you know exactly how the health care reform bill will impact your coverage, you may be a step ahead of your member of Congress, according to the New York Times . A report from the Congressional Research Service found that—because of imprecise language and a possible drafting error in...

Senate Breaks GOP's Unemployment Filibuster

Moderate Republicans break ranks to move bill past key hurdle

(Newser) - A GOP attempt to filibuster another extension of unemployment benefits failed last night after four moderate Republicans voted with the Democrats. The bill—a package of measures that includes extending benefits for another month for around 200,000 long-term unemployed—is expected to pass a final vote later this week,...

John McCain Is Congress's Twitter King

Arizona senator's following 46 times greater than nearest rival

(Newser) - John McCain is leading the charge of tweeting lawmakers, with 46 times more Twitter followers—a cool 1.7 million —than his nearest competitor, Missouri Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill. McCain’s popularity also illustrates Republicans’ quick embrace of the social network; twice as many of them tweet, compared to...

Conservative Tom Coburn: Pelosi Is 'Nice,' Fox 'Biased'

Oklahoma senator tells town hall to not be fooled by TV

(Newser) - Staunchly conservative Republican Senator Tom Coburn displayed a surprising bipartisan spirit at a recent town hall in his home state of Oklahoma, praising Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi and putting down Fox News. He may be “180 degrees in opposition” to Pelosi, Coburn told the crowd, but “she...

GOP's Hutchison Will Stay in Senate

Texas senator reverses pledge to resign early

(Newser) - Kay Bailey Hutchison is staying in the Senate after all. The Texas Republican announced today that she will serve out the remainder of her term through 2013, despite pledges during her failed bid for governor that she would resign early, reports the Dallas Morning News . "My experience will be...

Financial Reform: 'Punks' Take on Plutocrats
 Financial Reform: 
 'Punks' Take on Plutocrats 
PAUL KRUGMAN
Mar 29, 2010 7:00 AM CDT

Financial Reform: 'Punks' Take on Plutocrats

GOP argument against reform is upside-down, writes Paul Krugman

(Newser) - With financial reform on deck, Senate Republicans are busily figuring out how many "can get away with claiming that war is peace and regulating big banks is doing those big banks a favor," writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . Alabama's Richard Shelby is portraying efforts to...

Obama Uses Recess Appointments to Thwart GOP

Picks include two for labor board backed by unions

(Newser) - Barack Obama is using the presidential prerogative of recess appointments for the first time to bypass a Republican logjam in the Senate. Obama made 15 such appointments today, complaining that GOP senators were blocking his nominees to score "political points." The picks include two nominees backed by unions...

Maddow Tweaks Scott Brown With Fake, Real Ads

Takes out newspaper ad calling him out

(Newser) - Rachel Maddow really isn’t going to let Scott Brown live down his unfounded claim that Democrats were trying to get her to run for senator against him. Maddow, who’d already poked fun at Brown once for the fundraising e-mail he sent out based on the rumor, did it...

Reid Casts Wrong Vote, Again
 Reid Casts Wrong Vote, Again 
Mar 26, 2010 5:14 AM CDT

Reid Casts Wrong Vote, Again

He voted against reconciliation before correcting himself

(Newser) - Harry Reid is apparently good at lining up votes but not so much at actually casting them. The majority leader set off laughter in the Senate chamber yesterday when he mistakenly voted "no" on the reconciliation bill. He quickly realized his mistake and changed to yes. Reid made the...

Senate Approves Health Care Fixes

Reconciliation measure now goes back to the House

(Newser) - Democrats muscled legislation through the Senate today reshaping parts of the new health care overhaul law, sending it back to the House for what is expected to be final congressional approval this evening. With Joe Biden presiding in case his vote was needed to break a tie, the Senate approved...

GOP Changes Force Health Bill Back to House

Senators uncover budget glitches for another vote

(Newser) - Senate changes in the nation's health reform measure now mean it must go back to the House for another vote, something Democrats had hoped to avoid. Senate Republicans uncovered two "minor provisions" in the measure at odds with budget law, according to a spokesman for majority leader Harry Reid....

GOP Senators Gum Up Hearings With 2PM Rule

They refuse consent to continue, invoking obscure rule

(Newser) - Senate Republicans furious over the passage of health care reform are doing anything they can to keep Democrats from implementing more of Obama's agenda. Their latest move (used by Democrats in the past) is to invoke a little-known rule that requires unanimous consent for Senate hearings to continue past 2pm....

GOP Demands 'No Viagra for Sex Offenders'

Tom Coburn drops slew of amendments to derail health care bill

(Newser) - Suddenly, Republican Tom Coburn has a lot of ideas about health care, and he’s demanding Congress vote on all of them, in a last-ditch attempt to derail the reconciliation bill. Coburn has proposed a slate of hard-to-vote-against amendments; if any of them pass, the bill will have to go...

House Scraps 'Deem and Pass' Procedure

It will hold a standard vote on the Senate bill tomorrow

(Newser) - "Deem and pass" is heading back into legislative obscurity. House leaders today decided not to use the controversial procedure on health care reform. Instead, the chamber will hold a standard vote on the Senate health bill and another on a package of amendments, reports the Washington Post . The final...

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