Mississippi Turning: Dems Grab Another GOP Seat Mississippi Turning: Dems Grab Another GOP Seat
Not since a Republican president named Richard Nixon was trying to explain away the Watergate scandal has the Grand Old Party been on such a losing streak in special elections for...
May 13, 2008 / John Nichols
“Says He’s a Christian” “Says He’s a Christian”
A lot of people wrongly believe Barack Obama is a Muslim. As I documented in a cover story for the magazine, this is largely due to a viral internet rumor that's been spread via e...
May 13, 2008 / Chris Hayes
Collapse of the Middle Class Collapse of the Middle Class
One of the few national politicians willing to speak unflinchingly about how the so-called "robust" U.S. economy has failed vast swaths of America, last month, Sen. Bernie Sanders...
May 12, 2008 / Chris Hayes
Softball Softball
Oh man. How awesome are Josh Marhsall's readers? As part of the FOIA related to DoD's "news analyst" program uncovered by the Times, the Pentagon has disgorged a massive amount o...
May 12, 2008 / Chris Hayes
What Turnout Means What Turnout Means
Travel day for me, so light posting. (O'Hare on the day after Mother's day is not a place you want to be) But if you read one piece of campaign commentary today, read this fascin...
May 12, 2008 / Chris Hayes
John McCain: Eco Warrior John McCain: Eco Warrior
Yikes, it's really true. John McCain is running for president as a tree-hugging liberal. No, not an all-the-time environmentalist -- rather, as a swing-state-savvy, targeted-mess...
May 12, 2008 / John Nichols
This Brave Nation This Brave Nation
Take a sneak peek at a unique new documentary series from Brave New Foundation and The Nation coming out this June. The initial series comprises five episodes featuring produ...
May 12, 2008 / Peter Rothberg
This Week on Tap This Week on Tap
This week, the House debates the $300-billion farm bill, which contains key funding for various food programs, but meanwhile--in a time of food crisis and record farm income expec...
May 12, 2008 / Chris Hayes
Invasions of Privacy Invasions of Privacy
Two weeks ago, I asked a Burger King spokeswoman whether the company had hired a private investigative firm to infiltrate the non-violent Student/Farmworker Alliance (SFA) or Coal...
May 11, 2008 / Katrina vanden Heuvel
Friday Capitol Letter Friday Capitol Letter
In the House....On Thursday, members approved a housing package that would expand Federal Housing Administration-backed mortgage guarantees by $300 billion, as well as offer first-time home buyers a $7,500 tax credit. CBO reports the proposal would cost $2.7 billion and assist 500,000 homeowners. Members also backed a $15-billion program to assist with the state purchase of foreclosed homes; only the tax-credit proposal has the votes to override Bush's threatened vetos.
This week, House leadership planned to attach Sen. Webb's GI bill to the pending war supplemental, but Blue Dogs -- arguing it would violate "pay-go" -- scuttled the deal, and the scheduled vote was pulled. Apart from veterans' benefits, a $15.6 billion extension of unemployment benefits was the second-biggest domestic item that had been slated for inclusion. Bush has maintained any such spending will trigger his veto.Also this week, in attempt to fix one of the U.S. terror blacklist's more conspicuous oversights, members voted to eliminate Nelson Mandela's name from the rolls. The House further adopted a proposal to begin manufacturing cheaper copper-plated steel pennies and steel nickels, a move expected to save $100 million a year.
In the Senate...Attempts to fund and overhaul the U.S. aviation system thudded to a halt over procedural squabbles and GOP opposition to non-aviation provisions in the bill, including an amendment that would have granted New York the $1.7 billion remainder of Bush's pledged September 11th recovery aid. Also this week, despite appeals by senators from Louisiana and Mississippi, lawmakers voted 73-19 against adding wind coverage to the federal program that provides flood insurance. While post-Katrina, private insurer managed to dodge claims by arguing damages resulted from flooding and not wind, the GAO raised sharp concerns about the proposal's fiscal impact. Senate members also passed a resolution demanding that the Burmese junta lift restrictions on foreign aid.
After months of frustrated anticipation, House and Senate negotiators delivered a $300-billion, disappointing deal on the farm bill. The current bill's incarnation still permits couples with joint incomes of up to $2.5 million to qualify for subsidies. Meanwhile, despite spiraling food prices, negotiators spurned Bush's appeal to allow 25% of U.S. food aid to go towards the purchase of local food supplies. (Currently, aid must be purchased primarily from U.S. producers and shipped overseas--creating overhead costs that absorb 65% of food-aid expenditures.) It remains unclear if Bush plans to exercise his threatened veto.
May 9, 2008 / Chris Hayes