Category Archives: ~ my 2cents …

~ my 2cents ...

TGIF …&some News


I needed some feeling of peace so the picture on the left is of our I-5 Peace Arch on the Canadian Border.

Last night, the following comments were made after the jobs/tax extenders bill failed in the Senate again 56-40 -“Tonight, every single Republican voted to deny states critical aid that would keep firefighters, police offices and teachers employed,” said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). “And tonight, every single Republican voted to tell the one in ten Americans who have lost their jobs that they are on their own.” Please call your representative in Congress.

We need Congress to walk through a feature like our Arch to bring peace over them and maybe they will all come to the same conclusion… The need to vote yes to the Jobs bill and that  BP is a big Corporation that should be held completely accountable for the BP disaster; lets hope all Americans heard the Barton, Bachmann; cable heads and Boehner comments-   Corporatist-Republicans! The escrow was for We the People and is not a Chicago style take down as suggested. Republican Congressmen like Barton came out in support and the protection of a company that has ruined not only the Gulf Coast, the livelihoods the environment the Marshes, Estuaries and now the beaches in Louisiana are suffering, which may affect every aspect of their economy for decades. Those comments were pulled back by Barton but as I have said, those comments cannot be put back into any bottle and hopefully Americans will not forget or forgive.

The President will be in Ohio to talk and see exactly what the locals are doing with the stimulus money, how many were hired and how can we get more people to work in Ohio as well as other places in the country. Apparently, there are a lot people with negative comments about the stimulus money but I feel if Governors continue to use the stimulus money to balance their budgets and the private sector seems unwilling to open up, the unemployment numbers will continue to dive.

Thank goodness, it is Friday; today, the US plays slovenia… live on cable now. It is definitely a week full of big sports news and some great and not so great news. The Lakers pull one out of their hatsss… in game seven 83-79. I will admit I did not watch the first six games, but game seven started out with the Lakers throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the hoop. The first half really look like the Lakers were going down; looking at the close-ups of the Celtic players told it all they looked tired and very old like a story or two already written for the airwaves and it showed on game seven. As a viewer, watching Kobe and associates miss so many shots at the beginning was irritating  but then I read that somebody was willing to put limbaugh on the Golf Channel -what? Yep he will be getting golf tips on the Haney Project show and well you have to wonder if the ratings are just so bad that they need controversy and more viewers …good luck with that. Watch out for baseball- College World Series …this weekend

Other News …

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently told an Ecuadorian TV network that the Department of Justice “will be bringing a lawsuit” against Arizona over SB-1070, saying President Obama “thinks that the federal government should be determining immigration policy.” The DOJ refused to confirm or deny Clinton’s comments, and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) called the remarks “outrageous.”

THINK FAST

“Liberal Democrats in the Senate are threatening to vote against energy legislation if it does not address global climate change,” the Hill reports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) “declined to commit” yesterday to including a climate change provision in the bill, and liberals don’t want a repeat of other major bills, which were watered down by concessions to conservatives.


C-SPAN …

watch White House Press Briefing

watch Spkr. Pelosi Briefing

watch Panel 1 watch Panel 2 watch Panel 3

watch Atty. Gen. Holder & FBI Dir. Mueller

Obama Travels to Ohio, New Tax Extenders Bill Evolves in Senate

President Obama travels to Ohio today to mark the groundbreaking of a Columbus road project. He plans to meet with workers, and deliver remarks on the impact of the $787 billion Recovery Act.  This week, the Senate has been working on the Unemployment Extension 2010 Tax Extenders Bill (H.R. 4213). Two procedural motions have been defeated and leadership is now working on a scaled down version of the bill which they hope can pass. Unemployment benefits for up to a million Amerricans expired June 2, meaning that they are without benefits.

BP CEO Tony Hayward Offers Few New Details in Hearing

In his opening testimony yesterday, BP chief executive Tony Hayward said that he was “deeply sorry” over the Gulf oil spill and that the accident “never should have happened.” During the nearly six hour hearing, Mr. Hayward repeatedly claimed that he was not included on many decisions leading up to the Deepwater Horizon rig accident. Later during questions he acknowledged that he wasn’t familiar with the well until it hit oil in early April. The hearing was the CEO’s first appearance before Congress on the disaster. BP America President Lamar McKay, who oversees BP’s U.S. operations, has been its top representative at previous hearings. After a fire Tuesday on a BP vessel capturing oil, BP resumed the containment process, which they announced is capturing more than 15,000 barrels a day. On June 15th, government officials announced the well is leaking between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels a day.  The change was “based on updated information and scientific assessments,” the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center said.

Commission Scrutinizes Role of Private Security Firms

The federal government has depended on security protection and other services provided by contractors during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, the Commission on Wartime Contracting (CWC) examines if some of the tasks performed by armed and unarmed contractors are inherently governmental duties, such as hostage negotiations and providing security for convoys and bases. The two-day hearing also discusses how the drawdown of U.S. military forces in Iraq will affect the need for private contractors.
~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

thoughtful Thursday &some News


It was very strange and offensive to hear GOP call our President’s achievement as a shake down? how dare anyone in Congress say that; it’s obviously those that have BP investments are complaining …can it get any more offensive. The tragedy is that 11 people died and this Republican as well as many others feel the same way; that it was a shake down.  This is a moment when Republican voters need to see just what side their representatives are on and it ain’t with the people on the Gulf Coast or the Environment because they obviously put Profits above all else.

Today, the BP executive will hopefully have an ugly day while being dragged over the coals by the energy panel. It is with great hope that most of the naysayers will be watching and or listening to Tony Hayward answer the questions Americans all over this country have by giving the people on the Gulf Coast money and their lives back.

The day after our President’s first speech from the Oval Office, the media went right after him. The comments were a strange combination of folks who obviously felt they knew more about what a President should say or gesture, they felt comfortable analyzing him and obviously felt they would not offend the rest of us, who actually support this man. That was so wrong. There were people all over the country cancelling their podcast accounts and turning off left of center talking heads because of the verbal beat down given on cable TV, who in my opinion were overreacting, have had to step back.

Wednesday had some talking heads apologizing; others stated it was not that big of a deal, that it was only a matter of time? The deal was a BFD because no President has ever –ever managed to get this deal made with a Private Sector Company. It is obvious that things were going on while talking head and pundits flap their mouths. It was and is hard to understand that even people left or far left of center, specifically in the Media are not happy until he acts or gestures in the ways in which they want? Even at this moment, it is beyond me to know what that means. The ultimate result is that BP resigned to no cap, get money immediately, no litigation, no guarantee, and this whole was unexpected. I have to ask, is this the end of big corporations being able to say, do and tell government what they will and will not give up in order making a bad thing right? I say with a President like Obama we might be on our way as a country to letting big corporations like BP, Halliburton, and TransOcean know that we will not take it sitting down anymore. It is a moment when big Corporations had to be honest, back down, and accept what the President wanted and the deal offered to BP to take.

It is another day; people on the right have been upsetting a sector of once supportive progressive radio, TV, and internet talkers. The last few weeks the airwaves have been a strange combination of negativity with odd comments about his hand gestures and his PR problems; which translates into listeners turning on the President instead of deciding for themselves. I do not care about the PR problems so-called experts are focusing on or that seem to prefer latching onto silly things like his hand gestures during his speech. There are Americans that hear this language and they use this as ammo against the President.

President Barack Obama and his administration got the job done and all those who want to down play this achievement have little or no respect for what he has done and probably never will respect anything he does for Americans. I do hope that the people on the Gulf Coast understand what a big deal this is and thank him for whatever he had to do while cable heads were throwing stones at him. The comments were offensive to hear and made me and quite a few others want to express our support for this President even more. It is with great hope that Republicans continue to show themselves for whom they are and that voters see that Republicans are in fact the Corporatists’ and this fact is one we should all be very afraid of and fear.

We need to make our Democratic Party understand that We the People want reform, we want to move into the 21st Century; we want change that we can all believe in that 53% voted for means Democrats in Congress need to find the courage to support our President and his agenda or they will be voted out of office.


Other News …

**A Texas lawmaker stated he was embarrassed/sorry to BP for what happened-he called the President/BP agreement a shake down

**Reports are that bill gates/warren buffet have called on others to give at least half of their money to charities

**Banks will be changing how the chrg bank fees…look for big changes; like no more free checking …

**BP cancels dividend payments for the year

**France will raise their retirement age from 60 to 62 starting in 2018

**Toyota will re-start its Mississippi plant

**Israel states it will ease its Gaza blockade

**Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae will delist




C-SPAN …

Debate continues at house-senate conf. on financial regulation

The House-Senate Conference Committee on financial regulation continues its debate on the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010. The 43 committee members, or conferees, are debating sections of the bill related to the creation of a new regulator who would focus on risks to the entire financial system. Also under consideration is a way to provide the government rules to unwind failing financial institutions.

The bill contains 12 major sections and spans almost 2000 pages.

The committee hopes to have a bill approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Obama by July 4th.

BP CEO: “Spill in the Gulf of Mexico never should have happened and I am deeply sorry”

BP CEO Tony Hayward is in front of the House Subcmte. on Oversight and Investigations to address the Deepwater Horizon explosion and explain “five questionable decisions,” outlined in a letter from Subcmte. Chrmn. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Cmte. Chrmn. Henry Waxman (D-CA). The letter advises Mr. Hayward that he should be prepared to address these issues, as “it appears that BP made decisions that increased the risk of a blowout to save the company time or expense.” He is expected to talk about his meeting yesterday with Pres. Obama, the $20 billion escrow account to pay for damages and lost wages and the continuing efforts to stop the oil spill in the Gulf. In his opening statement, Hse. Energy and Commerce ranking member Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) apologized to BP CEO Hayward and accused the White House of a shakedown on BP. The hearing will be the CEO’s first appearance at a congressional hearing on the disaster. BP America President Lamar McKay, who oversees the BP’s U.S. operations, has been its top representative at previous hearings.

Congress Examines START Treaty, Lawmakers Question Russia’s Long-Term Commitment

Secretaries Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates and Steven Chu, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen, described how various national security programs will be affected by the adoption of a new nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev in April. Today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing focused on the implications of the new START Treaty, which replaces the one signed in 1991 and expired last December.
~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

wandering Wednesday &some News


Last night, the President delivered his first National Oval office speech. It was obvious the speech would not be good enough for cable talking heads, mostly pundits.  This is a moment when we need to support President Obama; we need to be united in solidarity for this President. We all need to support and or challenge; some or us would like him to be more left of center.  I do feel like he needs to get rid of Rahm because his ideals may not be the same that voted him into office.  I also feel there are reasons none of us know and may never know why Rahm is the catch all or helper in chief… i wish it were someone more left of center but that being said… I still will support our President and his efforts to bring us into the 21st Century… We all need to work on the members of Congress to follow this effort

The speech dealt with what happened on the Gulf Coast, the commitment to make BP pay, admitted that the moratorium will hurt people but the need to make sure people are safe as well as the equipment and while the guys on Msnbc wanted him to put the skews on BP maybe jack them up? I have to say viewers like me prefer the calm and reasonable President of the United States. The last person was loud and though he was commander in chief, he took himself way too seriously at time and not enough on other occasions when possible. And we all have to be thankful that the Mccain/Palin ticket was voted down by 53%, the President will appoint specific people to move forward toward any and all progress and while he gave the people information; people seemed to think he was suppose to tell them everything involved. This is Not going to happen. It was strange to hear folks really feel he had left out the most important things.  That is a subjective comment; it is more likely that as the Commander in Chief, covered what he thought Americans needed to know. It will not be the last time he will address the nation because unfortunately this BP disaster will affect not just the Gulf Coast; this thing will affect tourism, the restaurant biz, hotels housing, as well as the seafood maybe for decades.

Currently, folks are listening to Steph miller show that had Washington State Congressman Jim McDermott; who has been a champion for us here in Seattle as well as all Americans; keep it up! her other guest: Chris Matthews has a documentary about the extreme right.  I will Not be watching the Chris Matthews show because it seems like it’s stirring up the right to act out and that is scary for me; it makes my skin crawl and though it’s an attempt to shine the light on the extreme right it just seems to give them too much air time for me.

Today, the President will meet with  BP executives and get these people to do what is right for the people on the Gulf Coast the Wetlands, Marshes, Estuaries and beaches …the list could go on. Hopefully the families of the 11 men/women who died that day will be given appropriate restitution because it looks like those oil workers were an after thought.

The republican party as well as 20 democrats voted against closing the gas tax loopholes yesterday; which was a disappointment to me as a voter knowing we need Dems in Congress to work for the people but are still siding with the oil industry; not for the People. The fight to keep the Clean Air Act alive was not that hard though it was offensive  Murkowski’s dirty twist got on the floor of Congress to be dealt; she tried and failed though 5 Democrats voted with her; which is a big disappointment for our Environmental progress. The Democrats who chose to weaken the Clean Air Act and failed should be held accountable:  Blanche Lincoln(AR), Even Bayh(IN), Mark Pryor(AR),Mary Landrieu(LA),Ben Nelson(NE),John Rockefeller(WV), which was surprising; why did Rockefeller vote against this thing. Please call your Senator if listed above to support progress into major climate change and energy policies we need for our children’s future.

Other News …


C-SPAN …

President to face BP execs at white house meeting

Pres. Obama will meet with BP executives where he will discuss a victims compensation fund for those impacted by the Gulf oil spill. BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, CEO Tony Hayward, Robert Dudley head of a new disaster management team and Lamar McKay, head of BP America will all to meet with the President to discuss an escrow plan as well as BP’s cleanup efforts. Later, a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee will examine the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, focusing on ensuring a financially responsible recovery. Last night, in his first ever message from the Oval Office, he offered a plan that included making BP pay for all costs associated with the accident. Yesterday, top executives of the five largest oil companies, including BP America, testified at a House Energy Subcommittee hearing and attempted to distance themselves from the fallout of the Gulf oil spill.

watch President Obama: Oil Spill Address (Tues)
watch Pres. on BP meeting: c-span.org at 12:15pm ET
watch Senate Homeland Subcmte: c-span.org at 3pm ET
visit Complete C-SPAN Coverage: Gulf Oil Spill

Sen. Armed Services continues hearing on Afghanistan after Petraeus takes ill yesterday

During testimony yesterday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Gen. David Petraeus took ill and was ushered out of the hearing room before he could further detail the planned 2011 drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The General returned 20 minutes later to reassure the committee that he was “just dehydrated” only to be dismissed for the day when Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) announced the hearing in recess. The committee will resume today and continue discussions on the drawdown along with questions about the upcoming military offensive in the southern city of Kandahar, which has traditionally been a stronghold for the Taliban.

Conferees Continue to Negotiate Details on Financial Reform Bill

Members of the House-Senate Conference Committee on financial regulation meet for a third day of deliberations on the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010. The 43 committee members, or conferees, will debate and negotiate on sections of the bill related to investor protections, executive compensation and corporate governance – as well as rules governing audits of the Federal Reserve. The bill contains 12 major sections and spans almost 2000 pages.  The committee hopes to have a bill approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Obama by July 4th.

watch Hearing on Oil Spill Impact on Health

watch Interview with Sen. Dorgan

watch Pres. Obama Remarks to Military Personnel watch Pres. Obama with Local Officials

watch North Carolina Debate

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

thoughtful Tuesday &some News


Isn’t it enough to hear Republicans use this moment to jack the President all around not to mention talking heads say and or imply this PR problem will bring the President down? Now we have to hear progressives/libs say this that or the other; people have no idea what was actually going on and we never will but to piece together information given by talking head is just wrong. This week has been tough because the talk has become very toxic on the airwaves … many people stirring up trouble for the President and or second-guessing what this BP oil spill will do to his Presidency. It is obvious we have to say it is irritating to have to listen to my own Political Party try and put his behavior in a box. The point is he has to do what he can to get to the ultimate end. The last guy did everything for the Corporations and nothing for the People and some of us may not agree with some of the President’s efforts and a lot of us don’t agree with Rahm being in the circle of people  he listens to because he often doesn’t share our ( 53% ) left of center attitude. What I see and please if anyone feels different i am sorry; this comment was not made to hurt or make people mad.  I just don’t understand why it seems like more White People seem to hold him to a higher standard and it’s usually comes  is that most white men progressives and or libs have been the worst whining ever. If we have to pick between the McCain/Palin ticket and the President we have -Please! there is no question President Obama has obstacles to jump over and our own party is willing to shoot us as well; it’s very upsetting and instead of beating up on him we need to stand up for him and stand beside him. Democrats have a huge tent and that tent is full of people willing to kick someone to the curb if they do not do what they want. Republicans not only support other Republicans they back their members no matter what…it is disgusting but they do. Is it just me or do men; mostly white men feel that they have that much knowledge above our President? Is it a racial thing? Yes Rahm is there pulling some strings and this President needs to reconsider his circle of advisors…why? Because more than one stated they tried to talk him out of pursuing HCR- if true that in itself should tell the President some people, need to be let go if they obviously did not support his efforts? That is a red flag for me. I do not know if the administration made deals but most voters feel the President should listen to the people who put him into office in the long-term vision of what happens in 2012. I am very upset with radios stations that choose to criticize the PR aspect of this whole BP disaster because unfortunately these people are causing decent among fellow Democrats and are  forming the circular firing squad. It seems like common sense that people on the airwaves that are left of center need to remember that the public listens to their comments. The question we all need to ask is how often these comments turn on the President, when we need to support this President.

Other News …


C-SPAN …
~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

manic Monday …& some News


Today, President Obama will be on the Gulf Coast to see the progress damage and to take BP to task for what are apparently incompetent efforts to stop this gusher from covering most if not all of the Gulf of Mexico. I have to say the talk about going off oil cold turkey is just not that easy and for progressives/libs to say this that and the other is just silly; we all know that anything like solar wind and biofuels in quantities needed to make a difference will take years; we import major parts as it is now just for Wind Turbines …so, even as we try to move toward self-sufficient behavior we need to find products that can be made here in America like Solar parts Wind Turbine Parts not just the panels and or blades or tower for the turbine; we are behind and that needs to be corrected ASAP.  It doesn’t make sense to say ok we go green when we all know that the parts needed are made in other countries…they are ahead of us…we need to find companies here and finally support them but we will obviously need to wean ourselves off oil not stop cold turkey… that is reality.

This is a call to action… anyone listening to the Bill Press show or who is more in tune with the beck knows that Glenn Beck is holding a rally on the same day MLK Jr gave his “I have a dream” speech.  It would be nice if a peaceful counter rally was held on that same day to honor and recognize MLK Jr’s I have a dream speech.  This is just wrong and offensive and it just seems like it is a moment beck has decided to exploit the day, the fact that it is a Black man and the spot as sacred as it is does not deserve to be used by him, Sarah palin or that guy marcus luttrell who seems to be against immigrants in general and to top this totally offensive thing off Jo dee messina will be there; a performing some of us use to respect and I guess totally were not completely informed.  If you go to his site the event is slated as a non-political non-partisan event to restoring honor -we all have the right to freedom of speech and rally it just seems like a sham, an exploitation and a platform for the extreme right disguised as a charity event for our service people -he says to honor our heroes, our heritage and our future… by making a tax deductible donations? Anyone want to find out how much will really go to the charity? how much will sarah palin, jo dee messina, marcus luttrell get out of this not to mention the glennbeck profits and will this rally be civil or will it practice exclusion code talk. Will bill cosby cross the line and go to this rally?

This is going to be a week that was big in all things Media because Congress; specifically the Senate is back and is being asked, hopefully pressured to pass legislation for a lot of things that need to be reformed so the ruined system that we now call the US financial crisis, internet neutrality,  the BP oil disaster, the donut-hole, tax-extenders the threat to repeal things that will help everyone not just the middle class or the poor; but have people in the upper class seen how the things that the house of Bush did but failed to pay for got us into this awful financial situation,  energy/climate change, HR4213 … This is a time where we can all see the crisis for what it is and a time to call our Senators to support HR4213 and any or all legislation that will regulate all things that have exploited de-regulation for all this years; no one in their right mind can honestly say de-regulation is a job killer or a profit killer when it plays profits against the very people we all know is us… We the People.

In other news that I found disturbing but confirms my earlier comments in my blog…  proves for me that the Private Sector is holding back; is not hiring people and this article by Tory from womenforhire.com talks about what people are finding complaining about and needs to be address at the Local,  State, Federal levels… there are new employment questions that seem inappropriate and it’s probably because the Private Sector gets tax credits aside from practicing exclusion …below is her article… it’s sad

Is it OK for Recruiters to Say “Must be Currently Employed to Apply?”
Talk about disturbing job ads. Last week The Huffington Post got a ton of outraged reaction to a piece about how some companies are saying that job applicants “must be currently employed” to be considered. Seemed like an incredible tactic for any company to take, since it wrongly implies that if you’re out of work you’re lazy or worthless. And it’s particularly stunning during one of the biggest economic downturns in history when millions of people have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and would love to work anywhere.
I did my own checking and sure enough, found dozens of postings for a wide variety of job sites—from medical sales jobs to business development to restaurant workers—which have that requirement spelled out in their postings. Predictably, when confronted, many of the companies backtracked, saying that the requirement was a mistake. Which makes me think it’s probably happening a lot. Could the unwritten rule at some companies be to ignore applicants who don’t have jobs?

What do you think? Does this bother you or are companies justified? Click to tell us your opinion.  http://blog.womenforhire.com/2010/06/is-it-ok-for-recruiters-to-say-1.html

Other News and what’s on C-SPAN …this week

DAILY GRILL

Flip Flop… John Boehner -source TP

“I’ve said from the beginning, BP needs to pay for the entire cost of this [Gulf oil spill].”
— House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), 6/13/10

VERSUS

“I think the people responsible in the oil spill — BP and the federal government — should take full responsibility for what’s happening there.”
— Boehner, 6/10/10


**The White House is expected to issue new rules today “that strongly discourage employers from cutting health insurance benefits or increasing the costs of coverage to employees.” “The rules limit the changes that employers can make if they want to be exempt from certain provisions of the health care law passed by Congress in March.” TP

**The Treasury Department reported on Friday that for the first time, the amount of TARP funds “repaid by banks and other recipients has surpassed the outstanding balance.” Treasury officials said repayments had reached $194 billion, topping the $190 billion still outstanding. The program has “continued to exceed expectations, substantially reducing the projected cost of this program to taxpayers,” a Treasury official said.TP


**Tuesday at 9:30am (ET) on C-SPAN3
House Energy and Commerce Subcmte. Hearing with Executives From ExxonMobil, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, BP America Inc. and Shell Oil Co.

watch Pres. Obama’s Weekly Address watch Republican Weekly Address

**Thursday at 10am (ET) on C-SPAN3
House Energy and Commerce Subcmte. with Tony Hayward, CEO, BP PLC

C-SPAN …

Financial regulation Conferees to begin debate tomorrow

Tomorrow, the 43-member House-Senate Conference Committee on financial regulation plans to start debate on the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010, which contains 12 major sections and spans almost 2000 pages.  Last week during opening statements, Chairman Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) announced that the committee will consider and possibly vote on amendments to change four titles in the bill: the Derivatives Markets Transparency and Accountability Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act, the Capital Markets, and the Non-admitted and Reinsurance Reform Act.   The committee hopes to have a bill approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Obama by July 4th.

Senate Continues Consideration of Tax Extenders

The Senate is expected to continue consideration of tax extenders legislation (HR 4213), a $140 billion package of tax extensions and social safety-net benefits. The Senate will likely spend the majority of this week on the legislation, but it is unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has the 60 votes necessary to cut off debate on the bill. He needs at least one Republican to support a cloture vote and the underlying bill.

President Obama visits the Gulf Coast

Pres. Obama will make his fourth trip to the Gulf Coast today to assess the ongoing efforts to counter the BP oil spill. During the course of the trip, the President plans to visit Gulfport, Mississippi, Theodore, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, to survey the response efforts, visit with gulf residents impacted by the spill, and meet with area officials. Read More »

Upon his return to Washington tomorrow night, Pres. Obama will address the nation on the next steps in responding to the oil spill. On Wednesday, the President will meet with BP Chairman of the Board Carl-Henric Svanberg at the White House.   Also, the Coast Guard has sent a letter to BP executives stating that they need to come up with a better plan to collect more of the oil spilling into the Gulf and that they need to present this plan to the government soon.