Archive for April, 2009

Obama to Order Cabinet to Quickly Cut $100 Million From Department Budgets
President Obama convened his Cabinet for the first time today and instructed department heads to trim their budgets by a combined $100 million over the next 90 days, cuts he said would help overcome a “confidence gap” among the American people about the use of their tax dollars.

• 

At Summit of the Americas, the Issue Is Cuba
President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, no fan of the United States, once referred to former President George W. Bush as the devil. Now, with President Obama set to arrive here Friday for a weekend meeting with Western Hemisphere leaders, the big question is: Will Mr. Chavez and Mr. Obama clash over Cuba?

Mr. Obama, who spent Thursday in Mexico City, comes to this island nation with the aim of reaching out to leaders in the Americas who have long felt ignored by the United States. But the possible theatrics of his encounters — planned or unplanned — with Mr. Chavez, especially on Cuba, threaten to overshadow substantive discussions on the economy, energy and public safety.

New embryonic stem cell rules limit funding
When President Barack Obama eased limits on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, the big question became how far scientists could go. Friday, the government answered: They must use cells culled from fertility clinic embryos that otherwise would be thrown away.

Draft guidelines released by the National Institutes of Health reflect rules with broad congressional support, excluding more controversial sources such as cells derived from embryos created just for experiments.

EPA Proposes Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposal today finding greenhouse gas emissions pose a danger to the public’s health and welfare, a determination that could trigger a series of sweeping regulations affecting everything from vehicles to coal-fired power plants.

• 

Administration Won’t Charge CIA Officers for Approved Interrogations
The Justice Department will not prosecute CIA officers who used harsh interrogation techniques against terrorism suspects with the blessing of lawyers, Obama administration officials said this afternoon, as they released four Bush-era legal memos detailing practices that critics have likened to torture.

In the fullest account to date of the questioning of al-Qaeda suspects, government officials issued long-sought documents that catalogue a list of tactics — from sleep- and food-deprivation to beatings — that Bush lawyers said comported with the law. The memos, which date to 2002, contain few redactions, despite a fierce battle within the Obama administration about the benefits of releasing the information.

Obama to Push to Ratify Treaty on Gun Trafficking
President Obama, seeking to send a strong signal that he is committed to stopping the rising tide of cross-border drug violence, will announce on Thursday that he is pressing the Senate to ratify a decade-old arms treaty intended to curb the flow of guns and ammunition to drug cartels, a senior administration official said.Mr. Obama, on his first trip to Latin America as president, landed in Mexico City on Thursday afternoon. His agenda will include the economy, immigration and a trade-related dispute between the two countries over whether Mexican trucks can travel American roads, but the dominating issue is drug violence.

Obama calls for high-speed rail development
President Barack Obama called Thursday for the country to move swiftly to a system of high-speed rail travel, saying it will relieve congestion, help clean the air and save on energy.

Appearing with Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Obama said the country cannot afford not to invest in a major upgrade to rail travel. He said he understands it necessarily will be “a long-term project” but said the time to start is now.

The president allocated $8 billion in the enormous $787 billion economic stimulus spending package for a start on establishing high-speed rail corridors nationwide.

N.Y. governor introduces gay marriage bill
Gov. David Paterson introduced a bill Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, comparing the effort to the fight for the abolition of slavery. 

Paterson, whose job approval rating has plunged below 30 percent, is making a political gamble that he can ride the momentum of other states that have recently allowed the practice, and it’s unclear how the legislation will play in New York. 

The proposal is the same bill the Democratic-controlled state Assembly passed in 2007 before it died in the Senate, where the Republican majority kept it from going to a vote. Democrats now control the Senate, but opponents are vowing to make sure this one fails, as well.

•