This week I had some help from wroberts189. With his help there’s a fun item added to the list as well as some important news items. Also new, are the links added to each item on the list starting on Wednesday. Keep the feedback, suggestions and ideas coming. Still working on the subject heading for this. Sorry for the inconsistency, but I think this one is it: Presidential Week in Review.
This week started with signing the stimulus package, moved into the foreclosure fix and by Thursday the media had an Ottawa fixation. Fiscal responsibility and just under 100 items round out the list this week.February 17, 2009 Tuesday1. Obama to sign stimulus bill today in Denver (AP) President Barack Obama is poised to sign into law the most sweeping economic package in decades, a rescue plan designed to create millions of jobs, spur consumer spending and revive the nation's outlook. Capping the biggest victory of his month-old administration, Obama will sign the economic legislation Tuesday in Denver.
2. Signing stimulus bill, Obama courts public: President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law the most significant economic legislation passed by his young administration, then put his political clout to work trying to build public support not just for his stimulus plan but for ambitious rescue programs yet to come.
3. Obama hits swing states: As President Barack Obama began a Western travel swing Tuesday, he continued to make good on his vow to get out of the White House regularly and into the country.
4. Obama's foreclosure fix on the way: Obama administration officials are hammering out the details of a $50 billion foreclosure prevention program that the president is set to unveil Wednesday in Arizona, sources said.
5. Obama: Diplomacy key part of Afghanistan strategy
6. In advance of his first foreign trip, President Barack Obama told a Canadian news organization Tuesday that the United States will seek a more comprehensive, diplomatic approach to Afghanistan, where the U.S. has been engaged in war since 2001.
7. Obama sees Afghan situation deteriorating: The situation in Afghanistan seems to be getting worse and a solution will require more than just military force, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday.
8. Obama to seek Canadian support for Afghan mission: US President Barack Obama is to outline a "comprehensive strategy" for Afghanistan he hopes Canadians can support, when he meets Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper this week, he told public broadcaster CBC Tuesday
9. Obama’s EPA to Reconsider Bush Decision on Emissions: The Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency said it will reconsider a memo issued in the final weeks of the Bush administration that may have eased approval of new coal-fired power plants.
10. President Barack Obama said during the campaign that he would work to rebuild alliances and establish an effective framework in Asia to deal with security threats. Japan, the top ally in Asia and the host to tens of thousands of American troops, is at the heart of U.S. efforts in the region, a point underscored by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton who is making Tokyo the first stop in her overseas trip.
11. Obama Plan on Housing Said to Push on Lenders. President Obama’s plan to reduce home foreclosures is expected to include subsidies for reducing a borrower’s interest rate, which a lender would have to match.
12. Obama Aide Says Bankruptcy Can’t Be Ruled Out for Automakers: President Barack Obama ’s chief spokesman said the administration can’t rule out a restructuring through bankruptcy for struggling automakers, while adding the industry is “tremendously important” to the economy.
13. Obama Invites Embattled Aso as First Summit Guest: President Barack Obama invited Taro Aso to be the first leader to meet him in Washington, a coup for the embattled Japanese premier whose finance minister quit today after appearing to be drunk at a Group of Seven meeting in Rome.
14. Obama Moves to Reverse Bush Boycott of UN Conference on Racism: President Barack Obama moved toward reversing the Bush administration’s boycott of the United Nations Conference Against Racism by joining talks this week on the proposed outcome declaration.
15. U.S. will respect trade pacts 'as we always have': Obama: Washington's mammoth economic stimulus package will "enhance" the ability of trading partners such as Canada to work within U.S. borders over time, U.S. President Barack Obama told CBC News on Tuesday in an exclusive interview from Washington.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/02/17/obama-cbc.html16. White House Releases State by State Numbers; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Save or Create 3.5 Million Jobs: The White House today released state-specific details on the local impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a nationwide effort to create jobs, jumpstart growth and transform our economy to compete in the 21st century. The compromise package of $789 billion will create or save 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. Jobs created will be in a range of industries from clean energy to health care, with over 90% in the private sector.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/White-House-Releases-State-by-State-Numbers-American-Recovery-and-Reinvestment-Act-to-Save-or-Create-35-Million-Jobs/February 18, 2009 Wednesday17. Obama, Gates at Odds Over New Whistleblower Protections: During an election featuring Democratic allegations that U.S. intelligence was distorted to justify a misbegotten war, Barack Obama endorsed new protections for national security officers who blow the whistle on abusive, corrupt or illegal behavior, by offering them the right to sue for damages and challenge denials of their security clearances. But by keeping a Republican-appointed secretary of defense strongly opposed to those changes, President Obama is finding the path to a new policy on federal whistleblowing much more complicated.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021703006.html?hpid=moreheadlines18. Obama wants to reopen NAFTA but keep trade flowing: President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he still wants to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement, despite a warning from Canada that this would be a mistake, but he said he did not want to end up curbing trade.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN173926412009021819. Obama to ease fears over protectionism: aide: US President Barack Obama will try to ease concerns over US protectionism when he visits Canada later this week, a senior White House official said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090218/pl_afp/uscanadaeconomytrade_2009021814262720. Greenspan backs bank nationalization: The US government may have to nationalise some banks on a temporary basis to fix the financial system and restore the flow of credit, Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, has told the Financial Times. In an interview, Mr Greenspan, who for decades was regarded as the high priest of laisser-faire capitalism, said nationalisation could be the least bad option left for policymakers.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e310cbf6-fd4e-11dd-a103 000077b07658,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Fe310cbf6-fd4e-11dd-a103-000077b07658.html%3Fnclick_check%3D1&_i_referer=&nclick_check=1
21. Obama unveils plan for troubled housing market: President Barack Obama on Wednesday pledged up to $275 billion to help stem a wave of home foreclosures that sparked the U.S. financial meltdown, the next phase in a multi-pronged effort to lift the country out of recession.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090218/ts_nm/us_obama_1722. President Obama’s Remarks on the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan: the text of President Obama's remarks in Arizona, as prepared for delivery and provided by The White House.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18text-obama.html 23. Obama says mortgage program to help up to nine million: President Barack Obama Wednesday revealed a mortgage foreclosure plan targeting up to nine million people, including a 75 billion dollar bid to help at-risk homeowners stuck in a negative equity trap.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090218/ts_alt_afp/useconomyhousingobamaprogram_2009021815454824. Stocks fall as Obama releases housing plan details: Stocks are modestly higher as President Barack Obama releases details of his $75 billion mortgage relief plan. The plan is designed to help stabilize the housing market and reduce foreclosures. Sharp drops in housing prices and sales and rising foreclosures have caused the toughest recession in decades.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/wall_street_5725. Dollar Rises Above 93 Yen on Obama’s Plan to Stem Foreclosures: The yen fell the first time in three days versus the euro and dropped against the Australian currency on speculation Obama’s plan
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aC0_1pTirMIM&refer=home26. Obama's Yes-We-Can War: More Troops to Afghanistan: Afghanistan became President Obama's war on Tuesday, when he ordered two more U.S. combat brigades into the fight. He will send 17,000 combat troops to join the 36,000-strong U.S. force already in the theater. The fact that the units now ordered to Afghanistan had originally been slated for Iraq underscores the new Administration's shift in priorities.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1880253,00.html 27. Obama’s War on Terror May Resemble Bush’s in Some Areas : Even as it pulls back from harsh interrogations and other sharply debated aspects of George W. Bush’s “war on terrorism,” the Obama administration is quietly signaling continued support for other major elements of its predecessor’s approach to fighting Al Qaeda.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18policy.html?em 28. Obama Says Afghan War ‘Winnable,’ Sends 17,000 Soldiers: President Barack Obama ordered an additional 17,000 U.S. soldiers to be sent to Afghanistan, saying the war against the Taliban is “still winnable.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20090218/pl_bloomberg/auwfawvxjzfu_1 29. Clinton: Obama may want to wait to visit Indonesia: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says President Barack Obama is so loved in Indonesia and his job is so difficult that he might want to put off a visit there until he needs a break from the stresses of work. Indonesians claim Obama as one of their own and are eager for him to return to the country where he lived for four years as a child, but Clinton told a group of civic leaders in Jakarta on Wednesday that her advice would be to hold off for a rainy day.
30. Automakers Dismiss Bankruptcy as Obama Aide Won’t Rule It Out: General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, seeking up to $21.6 billion in additional federal aid to survive, said bankruptcy may cost the U.S. five times as much.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=apjpHkpbgY1s&refer=home31. GM Seeks $16.6 Billion More in U.S. Aid : Saturn, Hummer Could Be History by 2011 as GM Plans to Slash 47,000 Jobs; Chrysler Mentions Bankruptcy Option for First Time
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123489494750801713.html32. Pressure on NATO allies after Obama's Afghan boost: US President Barack Obama has ordered in 17000 more troops to battle a worsening insurgency. He announced the move ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/burningIssues/idUKTRE51H4FF2009021833. Syria's strongman ready to woo Obama with both fists unclenched: As the world waits for the Obama administration's first practical steps, expectations of change are high, though tempered by the Gaza war
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/17/syria-president-bashar-al-assad 34. Obama Could Soon Overturn Bush’s Stem Cell Funding Ban: An aide has said President Barack Obama will soon lift a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/health/2009/feb/Obama-Could-Soon-Overturn-Bush-Stem-Cell-Funding-Ban.html35. Obama wants stimulus to transform schools
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jZu1ZddfUYSe29VNvXXnmsuEIPugD96DK: President Barack Obama wants to do more than save teachers' jobs or renovate classrooms with his economic recovery bill.2JO0
36. Signing Stimulus, Obama Doesn’t Rule Out More
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18web-stim.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=obama&st=cseFebruary 19, 2009 Thursday37. Obama In Ottawa, Makes Surprise Visit To Market (SLIDESHOW) Just for fun. Here’s the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/19/obama-in-ottawa-makes-sur_n_168343.html38. Obama And Michelle Ask Progressive Groups For Help Driving White House Agenda: Barack Obama and his wife Michelle appealed to these leaders and signaled that their groups would play a key role in driving the big progressive changes
http://beltwayblips.dailyradar.com/story/obama_and_michelle_ask_progressive_groups_for_help/39. Obama in Ottawa Transcript: Obama-Harper press conference
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/59030540. Obama Makes Overtures to Canada’s Premier President Obama charted a delicate course with Canada on Thursday, using the first foreign trip of his presidency to ease tensions over trade policy, climate change and the war in Afghanistan — all the while basking in his celebrity status in a nation where his approval ratings are high.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/world/americas/20prexy.html?em41. The Early Word: Obama Talks Trade in Canada
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/the-early-word-obama-talks-trade-in-canada/?scp=7&sq=obama&st=cse42. Obama Housing Plan Tries to Slow Downward Spiral : President Obama unveiled a plan intended to help as many as 9 million people stay in their homes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/business/19housing.html?scp=10&sq=obama&st=cse43. Adolfo Carrion to be Obama's urban affairs director: President Barack Obama said Carrion "will bring long overdue attention to the urban areas where 80 percent of the American people live and work."
http://www.newsday.com/iphone/ny-nycar0220,0,6284117.story44. Biden Says Bush Gave Al Qaeda Recruiting Tool: Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said Thursday that the Bush administration’s detention and interrogation policies “gave Al Qaeda a powerful recruiting tool.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/politics/20intel.html?ref=politics45. Obama treads lightly in meeting with Canada's PM: President Barack Obama courted warmer relations with America's snowy northern neighbor Thursday, declining to ask war-weary Canada to do more in Afghanistan, promising he won't allow a protectionist creep into U.S. trade policy and talking reassuringly around thorny energy issues.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090220/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_canada_4746. NAFTA Renegotiation Must Wait, Obama Says: President Obama warned on Thursday against a "strong impulse" toward protectionism while the world suffers a global economic recession and said his election-year promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement on behalf of unions and environmentalists will have to wait.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021902925.html?wprss=rss_world/northamerica47. Obama reassures Canada on open trade: President Barack Obama on Thursday assured Canada, his country's biggest trading partner, that he would not pursue protectionist policies, and the two neighbors agreed to cooperate on cleaner energy technology.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090220/pl_nm/us_obama_canada_1648. Obama aide outlines stimulus requirements: President Barack Obama's top budget aides are putting in place strict reporting requirements for all federal agencies that will be involved in spending parts of the $787 billion economic stimulus package.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/stimulus_accountability_149. Obama receives warm welcome in snowy Canada
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090219/wl_canada_afp/uscanadadiplomacyeconomy_20090219212231February 20, 2009 Friday50. Obama Reverses U.S. Position on LGBT Issues at the UN: At the so-called "Durban Review Conference" on racism and xenophobia underway in Geneva, Europe again put forward language condemning “all forms of discrimination and all other human rights violations based on sexual orientation.”
http://www.undispatch.com/node/772951. Obama warns mayors not to waste stimulus money (AP) A P - Invoking his own name-and-shame policy, President Barack Obama warned the nation's mayors on Friday that he will "call them out" if they waste the money from his massive economic stimulus plan.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090220/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_mayors52. Obama nixes plan to tax motorists on mileage
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090220/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/lahood_vehicle_mileage_tax53. WH lashes out at CNBC's Santelli: Gibbs insisted Santelli was misinformed when he said Obama’s program would amount to a transfer of money from prudent taxpayers to those who had taken reckless risks.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19083.html54. Obama Stays the Course on Bagram: The Justice Department today said it would adhere to the Bush administration's position that detainees imprisoned at a U.S. Air Base in Afghanistan have no right to challenge their confinement in U.S. courts.
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/02/obama-stays-the-course-on-bagram-.html55. U.S. Tries a Trillion-Dollar Key for Locked Lending: The Obama administration hopes to jump-start this crucial machinery by effectively subsidizing the profits of big private investment firms in the bond markets. The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve plan to spend as much as $1 trillion to provide low-cost loans and guarantees to hedge funds and private equity firms that buy securities backed by consumer and business loans.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/business/20lend.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss56. Obama tries to halt talk of bank nationalization: The White House on Friday insisted it's not trying to take over two ailing financial institutions, even as stocks tumbled again.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Obama-tries-to-halt-talk-of-apf-14427645.html57. Obama: Gov't will not repeat mistakes of Katrina: U.S. President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to prevent a repeat of the "failures" of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and promised a stepped-up commitment to Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N20274383.htm58. Obama Bans Gimmicks, and Deficit Will Rise: For his first annual budget next week, President Obama has banned four accounting gimmicks that President George W. Bush used to make deficit projections look smaller. The price of more honest bookkeeping: A budget that is $2.7 trillion deeper in the red over the next decade than it would otherwise appear, according to administration officials.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/politics/20budget.html?_r=1February 21, 2009 Saturday59. Obama aims to cut deficit in half by 2013: President Barack Obama wants to slash the ballooning deficit in half by 2013, U.S. officials said on Saturday, after massively increasing public spending to stem the worst economic crisis in decades.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090221/ts_nm/us_obama_460. Obama turns to budget, health care, entitlements: After focusing his first month on the economic mess he inherited, President Barack Obama now starts rolling out his own far-reaching agenda with a summit on fiscal policy, his first speech to Congress and the unveiling of his budget for 2010.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_agenda_561. Heavy economic focus for Obama's Tuesday speech: For President Barack Obama, it's a chance to take a deep breath and paint a big picture after a first month of gargantuan economic proposals, legislative accomplishments and Cabinet missteps.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_the_speech_262. Official: Obama wants to halve budget deficit: Barack Obama wants to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term, mostly by scaling back Iraq war spending, raising taxes on the wealthiest and streamlining government, an administration official said Saturday as the president worked to finalize his first budget request.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_budget_663. Obama to allow Bush tax cuts to expire on schedule: President Barack Obama will allow tax breaks given to wealthier Americans under his predecessor, George W. Bush, to expire as scheduled rather than eliminate them sooner, an administration official said on Saturday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090221/ts_nm/us_obama_economy_plan_264. Analysis: Obama faces split opinion on Iraq future: President Barack Obama faces split opinions within the military on whether to make the speedy withdrawal from Iraq he championed as a candidate.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/iraq_us_pullout_analysis_565. Obama hails 'quickest and broadest' tax cut: US President Barack Obama on Saturday hailed the start of the "quickest and broadest" tax cut in history and vowed to tackle the trillion-dollar deficit facing the nation.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090221/ts_afp/useconomypoliticsobama_2009022121591266. Obama administration tries to kill e-mail case: The Obama administration, siding with former President George W. Bush, is trying to kill a lawsuit that seeks to recover what could be millions of missing White House e-mails.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_go_pr_wh/white_house_e_mail_267. Obama broadens US targets in Pakistan: report: US President Barack Obama's administration has broadened the number of radical groups targeted by the CIA inside Pakistan by attacking a militant network seeking to overthrow the Pakistani government, The New York Times reported Saturday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090221/pl_afp/uspakistanunrestmilitary_2009022119522468. Obama: People should see tax cut help by April 1: It took only weeks for the notoriously slow Congress to pass the $787 billion economic stimulus package. President Barack Obama signed it into law less than one month into his presidency.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_economy_469. Obama wants to overhaul health care; can he do it? Now for the hard part. Even if the national credit card is maxed out and partisanship remains the rule for Washington's political tribes, President Barack Obama and Congress are plunging ahead with a health care overhaul.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090221/ap_on_go_pr_wh/health_reform_270. Obama tells Treasury to begin cutting taxes: President Barack Obama ordered the U.S. Treasury on Saturday to implement tax cuts for 95 percent of Americans, fulfilling a campaign pledge he hopes will help jolt the economy out of recession.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090221/ts_nm/us_obama_271. Clooney to discuss Darfur with Obama: WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Actor George Clooney says he will lobby U.S. President Barack Obama to pick up the diplomatic pace to find a solution in Darfur.
http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2009/02/21/Clooney_to_discuss_Darfur_with_Obama/UPI-64411235255598/72. Obama White House Seeks to Block Order on Classified Papers: Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration asked a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order to hand over classified documents to attorneys for an Islamic charity designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a3osAZJ7LWBY73. Poll: Obama More Popular Than Jesus, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.: President Obama topped a new Harris interactive poll that asked 2,634 Americans who they admire enough to call a hero.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/02/21/poll-obama-popular-jesus-gandhi-king/February 22, 2009 Sunday
Show me the Money Sunday!!!!74. Granholm to GOP stimulus aid refusers: 'We'll take your money'
http://www.freep.com/article/20090222/NEWS06/90222026/G...75. Jeb Bush's son chides Gov. Crist for seeking stimulus
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-yo...76. President Barack Obama plans to announce Monday a former Secret Service agent who helped expose lobbyists' corruption at the Interior Department as his pick to oversee the $787 billion economic stimulus plan.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Official-Investigator-to-...77. Though they support some federal action to help their states recover from the recession, several Republican governors said Sunday they plan to turn down a portion of what's offered in the stimulus bill that President Obama signed last week.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/22/stimulus.governo...78. Fla. Governor Continues to Back Obama on Recovery: Florida's Republican governor says the GOP should be willing to work with Democrats in a time of economic crisis. Charlie Crist is taking some heat from those in his party who say he's too supportive of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus bill.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/22/washington/A...79. Arnold: I'll take govs' money: Fresh off a grueling budget battle in his state, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Saturday that if fellow Republican governors threatening to turn down stimulus funds follow through on their pledge, he'd be happy to have their share.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19121.html80. U.S. government seeking up to 40 pct stake in Citigroup: report: The U.S. government may end up holding as much as 40 percent of Citigroup's common stock, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website, citing sources familiar with the plans. But Citigroup executives hope the talks with U.S. federal officials will result in a stake closer to 25 percent, the Journal reported.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE51M0J1200...81. Dems, Republicans spar over stimulus money: Democrats claim those Republican governors who turn down money from President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus package are "fringe" Republicans eager to score political points. The head of the Republican governors says the Democrats are out of touch.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/2933045282. Obama decision on Iraq troops 'soon': US military: The US military insisted on Sunday it would be out of Iraqi cities by the end of June and indicated that President Barack Obama would announce "shortly" if troops would be redeployed to Afghanistan.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iURH...83. EPA to Issue Carbon Dioxide Rule, Obama Climate Czar Says: President Barack Obama's climate czar said Sunday the Environmental Protection Agency would soon issue a rule on regulation of carbon dioxide, finding that it represents a danger to the public.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123531391527642021.html...February 23, 2009 Monday84. Amnesty calls on US to suspend arms sales to Israel: Hellfire missiles and white phosphorus artillery shells among weapons used in 'indiscriminate' attacks on civilians, says human rights group
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/23/israel-arms...85. President Obama Appoints Vice President Joe Biden to Oversee Stimulus Plan Payouts: President Barack Obama said on Monday money from the $787 billion economic stimulus plan would go out within two days to help states pay for the Medicaid health program. "I'm announcing today that this Wednesday, our administration will begin distributing more than $15 billion in federal assistance under the recovery act to help you cover the costs of your Medicaid programs," Obama told a gathering of the nation's governors. He also said that he was naming Vice President Joe Biden to oversee the implementation of the stimulus plan, to make sure the money is sent out swiftly and spent wisely.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE51M4...86. Poll: Politicians trusted more than business leaders on economy: Call it a sign of the times. A new national poll indicates that when it comes to dealing with the economy, Americans have more confidence in the White House and Congress than Wall Street, the banks or auto executives.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/23/poll.economy /
87. ‘We need a pay rise’ bankers demand: Clampdown on bonuses sparks City calls for 10 per cent increase in salaries.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/8216we-...88. A.I.G. to Seek More Government Aid: The American International Group, the battered insurance giant that is now effectively majority-owned by the federal government, is in talks to receive more government aid as it prepares to record another giant loss.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x375267789. U.S. plans "substantial" pledge at Gaza meeting: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to announce a "substantial" pledge of U.S. aid for Gaza and the Palestinian Authority at a donors' meeting in Egypt next week, a State Department official said Monday.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x375254290. Afghanistan solution will need more than military force – Obama: The situation in Afghanistan seems to be getting worse and a solution will require more than just military force, US president Barack Obama said today.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x374434191. "Dear President Obama": The President Reads 10 Letters a Day from the Public: Every day President Barack Obama is handed a special purple folder. The folder contains ten letters, and every day President Obama takes time to read them.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/dear-pr...92. Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke may be next commerce secretary: A senior administration official says that President Barack Obama's likely third pick for Commerce secretary is former Washington Gov. Gary Locke. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not yet been made.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/401137_locke24.html93. Poll Shows Broad Support for Obama’s Leadership: President Obama is benefiting from remarkably high levels of optimism and confidence among Americans about his leadership, providing him with substantial political clout as he confronts the nation’s economic challenges and opposition from nearly all Republicans in Congress, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
94. (D.C. Circuit) Court Grants Obama (Another) Extension in (ex-Bush aides) Subpoena Case: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today gave the Obama administration another week to decide its course in a case involving one of President George W. Bush’s most expansive claims of executive privilege.
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/02/court-gives-o...95. WH fast tracks some stimulus cash (to help states defer cuts in essential services): The White House will release $15 billion on Wednesday to the states to help with Medicaid costs, essentially fast-tracking a portion of the stimulus money to help states defer cuts in essential services.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/02/23/18051... 96. Freed Guantanamo detainee accuses U.S. of torture: A British resident held at Guantanamo Bay for more than four years returned to Britain a free man on Monday and accused the U.S. government of inflicting "medieval" torture on him -- with British collusion.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LN547045.htm97. Japan's Beleaguered Leader to See Obama: As the first foreign head of state invited to meet with President Obama in the White House, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is viewed by most of his countrymen as a failed politician traveling.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/23/AR2009022302602.html98. Sebelius says has not discussed health post with Obama: Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who administration officials say is the leading contender for U.S. health secretary, said on Monday she had not discussed the job yet with President Barack Obama.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE51M5OG2009022399. Democrats Resisting Obama on Social Security: President Obama is eager to seek a bipartisan solution to ensure the long-term solvency of Social Security, people who have spoken with him say, but he is running into opposition from his party’s left and from Democratic Congressional leaders who contend that his political capital would be better spent on health care and other priorities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/us/politics/23social.html?hpSee you next week!
Gina
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