Ryan--Murray budget averts shutdown

Paul Ryan and Patty Murray agreed to a budget bill that passed the House this week and is likely to pass in the Senate next week. Many tea party and liberal democrats oppposed the plan. However it does avert a government shutdown and congressional leaders were no mood for another government shutdown.

US and China dispute over East China Sea

The Chinese government has decided that they want fly over rights to be enforced in the East China Sea under the ADIZ(Air Defense Identification Zone). This requres a plane to file a flight plan with the chinese governement before entering their air space or they would respond.
The Japanese government and their domestic airlines have decided to not to honor that request.
The US government has also stated that they will not honor that request however through the FAA the US government has advised US airlines to abide by this new policy.

ACA-legacy or disaster?

Obamas's legacy holds in the balance as the administration tries to fix the problem with website. However there are other problems related to the policy that still need to be addressed such as will there be enough young enrollees, how about the people whos private insurance policies were cancelled, and data privacy issues. Even if the website gets up and running these are the policy problems that the administration must deal with.
On the poltiical front this could be a serious problem for democrats heading in to 2014.  A bill that the democrats defended and now privately worry could sink their chances of retaining control of the Senate. Also more importantly a contention big goverment is too big and inefficient to run public health policy. Obama is clearly an ideologue determined to put into reality his view of government. Other issues the administration has avoided thus far but healthcare is something that everyone can see and affects their pocketbook. 
Bill Clinton governed from the left in his first term but came to the center durng his second term by working with republicans to pass legislation and left office with a high approval rating.  So the question is will Obama allow congress to help revise the health care law for his signature legacy issue or will he push the liberal agenda back several decades by proving that a goverment takeover of healthcare.

US House averts fiscal cliff

After much drama in the GOP Caucus over not enough spending cuts the House passed a measure that would keep tax rates in place for those under $400,000.
The payroll tax however did lapse going back to 6.2 percent. Also the AMT was permanently adjusted. The next battle will be the debt ceiling.

Senate sends bill to House to avert fiscal cliff

In the early morning hour of the new year the US Senate passed a bill that would temporarily extend tax cuts for those incomes below 400,000.
The House GOP has doubts because there are no significant spending cuts that would make serious commitment to debt reduction.
It is not clear at this time whether the House will vote on the bill tonight. The next congress is set to convene on Thursday.

US inching closer to fiscal cliff

The president and congress went into recess for the Christmas Break. Despoten a fiscal crisis Looping when they Return to Washington. The fiscal Cliff was Self imposed by the Super Committee which Institutes automatic spending cuts due to the size of the budget deficit. Currently the national debt surpasses the national GDP.

White House, Senate spar over Benghazi

The White House and Senate republicans continued the public debate over what the White House knew. Complicating the matter is the US ambassador to the UN comments stating that it was a protest and not a terrorist attack. Rice is reportedly being considered for Secretary of State

Protesters react to power grab in Egypt

President Morsi has announced that certain actions by the government are temporarily not subject to judicial review. This has brought concern to protesters because Muvarack had also initiated emergency powers to establish a legitimate government. However those laws in effect became in practice permanent. This raises questions about whether this is for his politi al party the Muslim Beotherhood.

Barack Obama re-elects for President of the United States

Tuesday night president Obama won his second term as president. Despite a weak economy. Pundits say the campaigns ground game and auto bailout of Detroit significantly increased his odds. Also his handling of Hurricane Sandy with FEMA.
The next big issue for the administration will be the fiscal cliff which imposes across the board cuts in domestic and military if there is no budget agreement.

French elect socialist to presidency

Sarkozy faces runoff

French president Sarkozy now faces a runoff after he was one of two top candidates in the first round of voting

Hatch faces primary in Utah

Failing to reach 60percent Utah Senator Orrin Hatch is facing a primary opponent. Hatch does not want to face the prospect that another Senator from Utah faced from the Tea Party supporters who saw him as more of an establishment republican.

International community condemns NK launch

The international community condemned the actions of North Korea as the launch of the satellite failed. Many countries put themselves on high alert in the region. The UN was set to meet and respond to the situation. The US suspended its aid of humanitarian aid to the country. The rocket was thought to have a range of 4000 miles. Enough range to reach AK or HI.

US approves nuclear power plant in a generation

US closes embassy in Syria

Amid a growing conflict in Syria, officials decided to close the US embassy stating that it is not safe right now. Britain has recalled it's ambassador to reconsider their options.

Romney wins NV, frontrunner

Romney has now had two consecutive victories in Florida and Nevada. Gingrich's campaign is now on the ropes because his super PAC donor is considering backing Romney.  Gingrich simply does not have the resources to compete in multiple states in terms of organization and money.  Romney has had a few gaffes recently with the "I dont care about poor people" and the one in NH about "I like to fire people." Bottom line is that the republican establishment likes him and trusts him.  He may not be the conservatives candidate but then are they electable. I will argue that this year we did not have a conservative who was electable.  

Ron Paul is simply in a leage of his own.  Most republicans cringe at the thought of a Paul foreign policy strategy which practically ignores the reality we are in.  We are still a super power. We are the only country who is willing and able to stop dictators from destroying the global structure as we know it.

SOPA,PIPA dead--for now

Leaders on Capitol Hill were forced to table a bill aimed at stopping Internet piracy. Advocates of the bill argued that it was needed to stem the flow of illegal content coming into the United States. The bill was tabled when prominent Internet companies expressed concern that it would stymie free speech. The bill is expected to be introduced in a revised form to address concerns that people had with the current version.

Syria continues crackdown

Last fall the Arab Spring began. The president of Syria is not about to allow the protesters prevail. The Arab League has threatened to punish Syria for killing innocent protesters. So time will tell who will be the last one standing.

US and Iran continue to spar

In an ongoing war of words between the US and Iran continues as Oran defies demands by the West to halt development of weapons grade uranium.
The EU is also taking action voting on sanctions against Iran. Specifically boycotting oil.
Iran earlier had threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz but the US called on their bluff.

Pres Obama visits South America

 Pres. Obama faced domestic criticism of his trip to South America as the ongoing disaster looms in Japan and the situation in Libya is all but uncertain. 

Pres. Obama travels to Asia

Pres. Obama travels to Asia for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore while also dealing with a decsion to send additional troops to Afghanistan.

Health Care reform on life support

Pres. Obama today stumped in Montana to shore support for Health care reform. The road to Health care reform has been a bumpy ride for him. Several weeks ago the blue dog democrats forced a change in the bill that would be strip language regarding government run health care. Members of congress have been pelted with questions from constituents about the cost of health care and general concern among many that the government is spending too much money without their consent. As the president pushes for health care reform democrats could be vulnerable if they pass a bill that is not politically popular that could affect the 2010 mid term elections.

Pres. Obama pushes for Health Care Reform

President Obama continued to press the congress for his passage for health care reform. He stated it was part of his strategy to turn the economy around. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill several committees have wrestled with several bills designed to give more affordable access to health carewhich has been unreachable to approximately 43 milllion Americans. The White House has urged congress to get a bill to the president desk before the August recess.

Obama picks Sotomayer for Supreme Court

President Obama announced his first pick for the US Supreme Court to fill the vacancy of retired Justice David Souter. Sotomayer is currently a federal appeals court judge.

Obama gets first Supreme Court appointment

With the retirement of Justice David Souter President Obama will have his first opportunity at naming a Justice to the highest court. The president himself is a lawyer and former law professor. Rumor has it that Obama is likely to pick a woman or minority to fill the vacancy.

Fed Chairman says Economy will rebound

In statement to Congress Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated that the economy would likely rebound later this year. He however cautioned his remarks stating that this recovery would be slow and not to expect great results any time soon. Most economic experts believe that the economy will stop getting worse.

H1N1 Flu

The US government renamed the Swine Flu because of its false implications to the pork industry. Pork prices fell by almost 20% due to confusion of the swine flu which has killed several in Mexico City. Many countries have already confirmed cases of the flu which has many symptoms of the common flu. Health officials have advised anyone having the symptoms to stay home but also stated that last year 36,000 were killed by the traditional flu. In a unrelated story the Health and Human Services Secretary the Governor of Kansas was sworn in as well as the former Governor of Washington state for Commerce Secretary.

Congress to bailout Wall Street

The Congressional leaders are meeting this weekend to hash out an agreement that will save the US economy and global economy from collapse. Financial ananlysts say that if the deal is not reached soon there could be very serious consequences. While the public is not liking a multibillion dollar bailout of Wall Street. Most believe that this is the only way to curtail a fiscal crisis since the Great Depression. The importance of this is to save Main street, keep jobs and credit flowing throughout the economy. Banks are holding on to bad debt that keeps them from lending to businesses and consumers. The government would buy this bad debt until the real estate market turns around in few years and turn a small profit. There is also a concern is that foreign investors may pull out of the US if they do not believe that the economy will turn around soon.

Russia sends planes to Venezuela

In the latest round of political and diplomatic sparing the US and Russia may be involved in round 2. Round 2 you say, yes, that is round of 2 of the infamous cold war. The first showdown was in the Republic of Georgia and recently has gotten involved Venezuela. The United States and Venezuela have sent their respective diplomats home in protest of their countries recent positions. Furtherin the strained relationship is Russia's decision to send military planes to Venezuela.

Ike makes landfall on Texas gulf coast

Hurricane Ike has made landfall on the Texas gulf coast. Residents of Galveston were urged to evacuate and Houston were advised to stay.

Candidates Remember 9/11

In a moment of bipartisanship during a presidential campaign Senators Barack Obama and John McCain joined together to remember the victims of 9/11. Both candidates set a side this time because they said this is about being Americans first.

Hurricane Ike to bear down on Gulf Coast

Obama vs McCain

Senator John McCain has been the presumptive republican nominee for quite sometime but Senator Obama is likely the democratic nominee at this point. The math just doesnt work for Hillary and it would be impossible for her to win the nomination barring a major catastrophe by the Obama campaign. Although Obama has waged a much better campaign than Hillary. Obama has surpassed Hillary in virtually every area number of delegates, popular vote and super delegates. The question will be when will Hillary exit the stage. Will she go out willingly and gracefully or be forced off the stage.

Clinton, Obama continue tussle

Senators Clinton and Obama continue on the campaign trail as both try to gain the endorsement of the Democratic party. Currently Obama has a slight lead in the popular vote and delegate count. Pennsylvania is the next biggest state where Clinton currently has the lead. Some democratic insiders are privately concerned about the consequences of not having a nominee going into the national convention in Denver. While the democrats slugg it out republican nominee Senator John McCain continue his campaign to reintroduce himself to America and to convince republicans that he is truly a conservative candidate.

Wisconsin primary expected to be close for Dems.

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are locked in battle for delegates in Wisconsin as both try to gain momentum to be the standard bearer for the democratic party. Both candidates are close in delegate count but Obama has won the last eight states giving him a significant momentum advantage. Hillary's firewall is expected to be on March 4th with delegate rich Ohio and Texas.
Senator John McCain is expected to lock up the nomination soon as he is coming close to the 1191 delegates needed for the republican endorsement. Former President George Bush endorsed McCain in Texas signaling that party leaders are ready to wrap this thing up. While Huckabee remains in the race he is scene as a long shot and would be statistically difficult to overcome McCains lead.

Castro resigns

After serving nearly 50 years as Cuba's leader Castro announced he will not accept another term as the leader of Cuba. His brother Raoul is expected to fill the vacancy. Castro has not been seen publicly for quite sometime.

Obama and McCain likely nominees

Senator Barack Obama and John McCain are likely to be their respective party nominees come this fall. Although the race for democrats is much tighter than the republicans. Huckabee is hopelessly falling further behind in the delegate count, momentum and endorsements by key GOP officials. A McCain rival former presidential candidate Mitt Romney also endorsed McCain. There could be a battle for delegates and super delegates as the race for the democratic primary remains close. Obama however continues to build momentum while Hillary faulters.