GinaMaria

Obama Agenda

81. Having recognized the power of YouTube during the presidential campaign, when the BarackObamadotcom account uploaded more than 1,800 videos to the site, Obama now maintains an entire staff devoted to new media. Making your own videos pays off. Where a YouTube search for “George Bush” turns up mostly parody, TV news clips and gotchas, a comparable search for “Barack Obama” is stacked with videos approved and uploaded by the campaign or the administration. Since Obama was elected, the White House new-media-operations team has supplied YouTube with Obama’s “Your Weekly Address” videos, among other clips. When past politicians have been praised for their “use” of media, they’re often seen as having deftly orchestrated an advantageous relationship with the press — having somehow won them over, as democratic politicians might generally aim to do. Obama’s team, in producing and distributing more video (by far) than any past administration, has not so much won over political journalists as led the pack to become the new media on the White House beat. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/magazine/12wwln-medium-t.html?scp=3&sq=obama&st=cse

Budget

82. Fate of Estate Tax Imperils Obama’s Ambitions: Studies show that the tax hits merely a sliver of wealthy American families. A proposal by President Obama would leave it at current levels, affecting only estates valued at more than $3.5 million for individuals and $7 million for couples. But now some Democrats have joined Republicans to call for setting the threshold even higher, in a rebellion that could have important consequences not just for the future of the death tax but also for Mr. Obama’s efforts to pay for his ambitious policy agenda. If that Republican-backed plan is approved, it could deprive Mr. Obama of about $100 billion for his initiatives on health care, energy and education when alternative sources of revenue are already dwindling. That prospect is plain outrageous to top Democrats, who see efforts to spare the wealthy as particularly ill-timed given the economic pain being experienced by many of lesser means. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/us/politics/12hill.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=obama&st=cse

Domestic Issues

83. The Treasury Department is directing General Motors to lay the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing by a June 1 deadline, despite G.M.'s public contention that it could still reorganize outside court, people with knowledge of the plans said during the weekend.
Members of President Obama's automotive task force spent last week in meetings and on conference calls with G.M. officials and its advisers in Detroit and Washington. Those talks are expected to continue this week. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/business/13gm.html?_r=1&hp The U.S. Treasury is directing General Motors Corp. to lay the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing by a June 1 deadline, despite GM's public contention that it could still reorganize outside court, the New York Times reported Sunday, citing unnamed people with knowledge of the plans. Members of President Obama's automotive task force are holding ongoing meetings and conference calls with GM officials and their advisers in Detroit and Washington, the report said, with the goal to prepare for a fast "surgical" bankruptcy. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/GM-preparing-poss...

Economy

84. Top bankers have been leaving Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and others in rising numbers to join banks that do not face tighter regulation, including foreign banks, or start-up companies eager to build themselves into tomorrow’s financial powerhouses. Others are leaving because of culture clashes at merging companies, like Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, and still others are simply retiring early. Some financial experts believe it is the beginning of a broader and necessary reshaping of Wall Street, too long dominated by a handful of major players that helped to fuel the financial crisis. The country may be better off if the banking industry is less concentrated, they say. “If the risk-taking spreads out to these smaller institutions, it is no longer a systemic threat,” said Matthew Richardson, professor of finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University. “And innovation is spreading out too. This is a good thing.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/business/12wall.html?scp=5&sq=obama&st=cse

Foreign Affairs

85. Top U.S. general in Iraq: I believe we'll be gone by late 2011General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander on the ground in Iraq, said Sunday that he believes U.S. troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011. CNN Chief National Correspondent John King asked Odierno to rate his confidence, on a scale of one to ten, that U.S. troops would be out by the agreed upon timeline between the U.S. and Iraqi governments.“As you ask me today, I believe it’s a ten – that we will be gone by 2011.” Odierno, one of the key architects of the surge strategy in Iraq, also weighed in Sunday on the new president’s approach to the troubled nation. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/12/top-us-... /

86. Obama vows to fight piracy, salutes freed U.S. captain: President Barack Obama said the United States was resolved to end piracy off the shores of Somalia and welcomed the rescue of cargo ship captain Richard Phillips on Sunday. http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1233011020090412 Obama twice approved force to rescue hostage: President Barack Obama twice authorized the military to rescue a U.S. captain held by Somali pirates and whose life appeared to be at risk. Officials say Obama gave the OK on Friday and Saturday to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips from a lifeboat off the Somali coast. Officials say both times the Pentagon believed Phillips' life was at risk. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Administration officials say Obama was told Sunday of the rescue while he was in the White House residence. Officials also say Obama has phoned Phillips and Phillips' family. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqznz3bUMKIUbrDYAUHHuMQ4vyJAD97H4LVO0

April 13, 2009 Monday

Obama Agenda

87. Obama didn't raise U.S. terrorist attack risk, most say in poll: A new poll indicates Americans don't agree with former Vice President Dick Cheney's recent assertion that President Obama's actions have increased the chances of a terrorist attack against the United States. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey also suggests that most people support the president's plans in Afghanistan -- up to a point. Seventy-two percent of those questioned in the poll, which was released Monday, disagree with Cheney's view that some of Obama's actions have put the country at greater risk, with 26 percent agreeing with the former vice president. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/13/obama.terror.poll/

88. President Obama and family host 'green' Easter fest - and make it gay: You might call this green eggs and Bam, after President Obama hatched a whole new style of White House Easter celebration on Monday. Among the innovations: The White House rolled out new "green," environmentally friendly souvenir eggs and invited gay parents. "It's cool," said Norma Johnson, 44, of Silver Spring, Md., whose 7-year-old son, Benjamin, skipped the egg-rolling contest in favor of playing soccer with D.C. United midfielder Devon McTavish. "The administration really reached out, and there are gay and lesbian people here from all over the country. It's a really positive first step, and hopefully there are even better things to come," she said. Gay families were never invited by the Bush administration, but 100 couples and their kids crashed the celebration in 2006 to make a point. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/04/14/2009-04-14_1st_family_on_a_roll_host_green_easter_fest__and_make_it_gay_too.html

Budget

89. Obama: stimulus projects coming in under budget
U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that a raft of major infrastructure projects being undertaken as part of his economic stimulus plan were coming in "ahead of schedule and under budget." "What is most remarkable about this effort ... isn't just the size of our investment or the number of projects we're investing in. It is how quickly, efficiently and responsibly those investments have been made," Obama said at an appearance at the Transportation Department
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSWBT01103420090413

Domestic Issues

90. Obama's day: Easter Egg Roll, DOT stimulus project: President Barack Obama and family are putting a punctuation mark on Easter, presiding over the traditional Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House. Thirty-thousand people from 45 states have tickets, many of them signing up through a White House Web site. Anybody who wants to see it can follow the event on the Internet. Later the president goes to the Transportation Department to mark the 2,000th project to be helped by the $48-billion allocated for transportation infrastructure under the federal stimulus package. The latest is a $68-million project to widen a highway interchange in Kalamazoo County, Mich. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i5sAh0RZ99xl-emMZ6j5xw7deMdgD97HG0O00

91. Obama Auto Team Said to Eye GM Loan-to-Equity Swap: The U.S. government is considering taking an equity stake in a stripped-down General Motors Corp. in a swap for some of the $13.4 billion the carmaker owes the Treasury, people familiar with the matter said. A government stake would be part of an effort to cut GM’s debt and improve its balance sheet as the carmaker approaches a June 1 deadline to come up with a plan to become viable, the people said. There would be a smaller stake for bondholders, who own $27.5 billion in GM debt, and who had been offered 90 percent of the new entity’s equity by the company. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ahUyS6FcOshE&refer=home

Economy

92. Bailed - Out Banks Face Probe Over Fee Hikes: Report: U.S. banks that received money under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) are facing a probe over increases in rates and fees, the Wall Street Journal said. The Congressional Oversight Panel, the body named by Congress to oversee the federal bailout, is working on a report examining instances of potentially inappropriate lending by banks that got taxpayer capital, according to the paper. "The people who are subsidizing the activities of the banks through their tax dollars are the same people who are furnishing the high profits through consumer lending," Elizabeth Warren, chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel told the Journal in an interview. "In a sense, we're asking taxpayers to pay twice," Warren told the paper. http://nytimes.com/reuters/2009/04/13/business/business...

Foreign Affairs

93. Obama: Rescued captain's safety was 'our principal concern': The president said he shares the nation's admiration for Phillips' "courage and leadership and selfless concern for his crew." He also said that "I am very proud of the efforts of the U.S. military and many other departments and agencies that worked tirelessly to resolve this situation." http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/04/65405577/1 Obama Praises Rescue of Kidnapped Captain: President Obama vowed on Monday to “halt the rise of piracy” off the coast of Africa, foreshadowing a longer and potentially more treacherous struggle to come, a day after Navy snipers rescued an American merchant-ship captain held hostage on the Indian Ocean. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/obama-praises-rescue-of-kidnapped-captain/

94. WSJ: Obama To Allow More Humanitarian Aid To Be Sent To Cuba: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090413-706097.html Obama Eases Restrictions On US Telcos Working With Cuba: President Obama eased several restrictions involving Cuba today, including the prohibition on U.S. telecom companies working in the nation. Specifically, the Administration will license U.S. providers to enter into roaming service agreements with Cuba's telecom providers, and authorize U.S. providers to enter into agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities linking the United States and Cuba. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/13/AR2009041302317.html

95. U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Mexico this week is a signal of support for President Felipe Calderon and his efforts to confront violent drug trafficking gangs, White House officials said on Monday. "The stop in Mexico is meant to send a message ... it's a message of admiration for the courageous steps that President Calderon has undertaken," said Denis McDonough, director of strategic communications at the National Security Council. http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKN1339613720090414

96. Obama allows unlimited travel to Cuba by relatives: Reporting from Washington and Mexico City -- The Obama administration announced Monday that it would permit unlimited travel to Cuba by Cuban Americans and lift limits on transfers of money to relatives on the Caribbean island while keeping in place many long-standing U.S. trade restrictions. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-cuba-policy14-2009apr14,0,875117.story

97. U.S. May Drop Key Condition for Talks With Iran: The Obama administration and its European allies are preparing proposals that would shift strategy toward Iran by dropping a longstanding American insistence that Tehran rapidly shut down nuclear facilities during the early phases of negotiations over its atomic program, according to officials involved in the discussions. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/world/middleeast/14diplo.html?hp

98. The Obama administration is reconsidering its planned boycott of a controversial U.N. racism conference that is deeply opposed by Israel and Jewish groups and will be attended by Iran's president, the State Department said late Monday. In a move likely to upset its staunchest Mideast ally and its supporters, the department said the administration was pleased by a diplomatic push to revise an objectionable document that the meeting will adopt and suggested it could attend the meeting if the efforts succeed. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/0...

Heading into Week 13... See you next Tuesday