Democratic Insider

President Barack Obama on Saturday promised to lower mortgage costs, offer job-creating loans for small businesses, get credit flowing and rein in free-spending executives as he readies a new road map for spending billions from the second installment of the financial rescue plan.

The White House is deciding how to structure the remaining half of the $700 billion that Congress approved last year to save financial institutions and lenders. An announcement was possible as early as this coming week on an approach that would use a range of tools to unfreeze credit, helping families and businesses.

Continue reading "Obama readies road map for new bailout spending" »

Gov. Ted Strickland has decided to empty Ohio’s ‘rainy-day’ fund because of the state’s projected multi-billion dollar deficit over the next two years, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Continue reading "Strickland plans to tap Ohio’s rainy-day fund" »

Reuters – Republican Senator Judd Gregg has emerged as Democratic President Barack Obama’s top candidate for U.S. commerce secretary and a decision could come as early as Monday, an administration official said on Saturday.

Continue reading "Republican Gregg tops Obama list for commerce post (Reuters)" »

AFP – US President Barack Obama praised Iraq’s provincial elections on Saturday as an “important step forward” for the future of the country.

Continue reading "Obama hails Iraq vote as ’step forward’ (AFP)" »

AP – President Barack Obama congratulated Iraqis on Saturday’s provincial elections and urged the winners to work for their people.

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Politico – With President Barack Obama’s talking like the new sheriff of Wall Street this week, it seems like just the kind of thing he’d rail against – a rich political insider who doesn’t pay taxes on his limousine.

Continue reading "‘A bad first-day hit’ for Daschle (Politico)" »

AP – Sure, it’s all about bipartisanship. Not to mention the perks of watching the Super Bowl at the White House with the first fan playing host.

Continue reading "Hosted by Obama, Super Bowl party goes bipartisan (AP)" »

Reuters – A new center-left interim coalition government is set to take office in Iceland on Sunday and will propose April 25 as the date for an early election, the head of one of the coalition parties said on Saturday.

Continue reading "Iceland interim government to take office on Sunday (Reuters)" »

AP – The success of Norm Coleman’s lawsuit to reclaim his Senate seat could depend on how willing the trial judges are to find a precedent in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling from another messy, political charged election battle: Bush v. Gore.

Continue reading "In Senate trial, Coleman turns to Bush v. Gore (AP)" »

In a courtroom where victims denounced him and still-devoted parishioners embraced him, a former Roman Catholic priest was sentenced Friday to three years in prison for molesting a boy in the late 1980s.

Continue reading "Ex-priest gets 3 years in prison for molesting boy" »

Politico – HOT SPRINGS, Va.—For the first time in eight years, Republicans held their annual retreat without a visit from the president.

Continue reading "At retreat, upbeat GOP looks to 2010 (Politico)" »

AP – No matter the color of your work shirt, this recession is sparing few.

Continue reading "Stimulus plan mixes long and short term job goals (AP)" »