The Royal Wedding

I'm not one of those who is all worked up about the Royal Wedding or anything, but it does bring back some memories of a different kind of story that I covered in August of 1997. Back then, I was enjoying the August recess of Congress by visiting my grandmother ...

• 6:57 a.m. Friday, April 29, 2011

Southern Storm Aftermath

President Obama goes to Alabama today to see some of the damage from this week's tornadoes, as he vowed to make sure that the federal government aids all of those hit by storms that killed well over 200 people. "I’ve already spoken to the governors of Alabama, Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, ...

• 1:22 a.m. Friday, April 29, 2011

Take Your Kids To Work

Amidst all of the bad news from the storms in the South, there were a few smiles on Capitol Hill Thursday, as the giggles of little kids spiced up the annual Take Your Daughter and Son to Work Day. I asked my kids how they wanted to mark the 2011 ...

• 4:23 p.m. Thursday, April 28, 2011

Obama to View Alabama Damage

The White House has announced that President Obama will visit Alabama on Friday to see the damage from Wednesday's storms.  Here is the announcement and more background on the storms as provided by the White House. = THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April ...

• 12:50 p.m. Thursday, April 28, 2011

Using The Bully Pulpit

With the Congress out of town for over two weeks around Easter, the Obama White House has had the chance to dominate the news cycle in the second half of April. How well have they done? To me, one of the best tests of any White House is how well ...

• 1:22 a.m. Thursday, April 28, 2011

Dupree Test

• 9:39 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2011

More Obama Birth Certificate

Why did the White House decide to release a copy of the Obama birth certificate?  Read the off-camera discussion this morning in the White House Briefing Room with Press Secretary Jay Carney and others. This transcript was provided by the White House. - THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press ...

• 11:38 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Obama Birth Certificate

The White House today released a copy of the original long form birth certificate from the State of Hawaii, which shows the August 1961 birth of Barack Hussein Obama II. In a statement in the White House Briefing Room, the President admitted he's not sure the release of this document ...

• 10:58 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Oil Price Politics

We are seeing a replay in Washington, D.C. of what has happened over the past ten years or so when gas prices go up, as both parties scramble to point the finger of blame at the other, with little to offer in terms of short term relief. While polls indicate ...

• 1:01 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Bernanke News Conference

The Chairman of the Federal Reserve moves into a new public relations mode today, as Ben Bernanke starts what will be the first of four annual news conferences about the work of the Fed. The job of Fed Chairman has always been a little mysterious, feeding a variety of conspiracy ...

• 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Obama Letter on Oil Tax Breaks

President Obama has written a letter to Congressional leaders today, urging them to repeal some preferential tax laws for the oil industry.  Here is the text of the letter as provided by the White House: - Dear Speaker Boehner, Senator Reid, Senator McConnell, and Representative Pelosi: I am writing to ...

• 1:23 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Obama Goes Local Again

President Obama will again do a round to interviews today with local television stations, another bid by the White House to spur what is often more positive coverage than in sit-downs with national publications and networks. The interviews will be with WSB Atlanta, WKYC Cleveland, WXYZ Detroit and WTKR in ...

• 1:22 a.m. Tuesday, April 26, 2011

No Health Law Fast Track

As many legal experts had predicted, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to accelerate consideration of legal challenges to the Obama Health law. Without comment, the Justices refused to accept the suit by the Commonwealth of Virginia against the health reform law, which focuses on the constitutionality of the ...

• 9:53 p.m. Monday, April 25, 2011

The Easter Break

As Senators rushed for the exits on Thursday afternoon after approving a budget plan for the rest of the fiscal year, it turned out the best show was still to come on the Senate floor. The fun began when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to lay the groundwork for ...

• 12:58 a.m. Friday, April 15, 2011

Billions To Trillions

After finally finishing up work on the budget for the current fiscal year on Thursday, the House jumps into the next phase of this debate with a vote today on a GOP budget outline for next year. The plan from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Chairman of the House Budget ...

• 12:55 a.m. Friday, April 15, 2011

House Budget Vote Tally

The U.S. House today approved a budget bill that helped to avert a government shutdown last weekend.  The vote was 260-167. Here is the breakdown provided by the Clerk of the House: - FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 268(Republicans in roman; Democrats in italic; Independents underlined)      H R 1473      YEA-AND-NAY      14-Apr-2011      3:00 PM      QUESTION:  On Passage      BILL TITLE: Department ...

• 3:22 p.m. Thursday, April 14, 2011

Kentucky v Florida

If you see the headline "Kentucky vs Florida," some might immediately think of college basketball or college football. The Wildcats and the Gators. But that wasn't the context at a U.S. House hearing today. Instead, it was about prescription drug "pill mills" in Florida, that are sending pain killers like ...

• 12:28 p.m. Thursday, April 14, 2011

Budget Battle Is Joined

After President Obama lectured Republicans in a Washington, D.C. speech on the budget and as GOP leaders ripped the President in return on Wednesday, I received a message from a listener that sort of summed up the situation. "Jamie, how do you swallow this stuff every day?" I will admit, ...

• 1:22 a.m. Thursday, April 14, 2011

On The Record

For the second time since it became law just over a year ago, the members of the U.S. Senate will go on the record about the Obama health law today, all as part of a deal brokered last weekend to avert a government shutdown. When Republicans cut that agreement, part ...

• 1:01 a.m. Thursday, April 14, 2011

Obama Budget Speech

Here is the White House summary of what President Obama is proposing on long term budget savings.  This 10-page preview was provided to reporters in advance of the President's speech, and was embargoed until delivery. = FACT SHEET: THE PRESIDENT’S FRAMEWORK FOR SHARED PROSPERITY AND SHARED FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY     ...

• 1:49 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, 2011