- Mar 13, 2010 Virginia lawmakers reach agreement on budget (Washington Post) Instead, they agreed to extend their annual session and to leave Sunday after evening votes on the budget. Senators receive $160 a day."Of course," Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) said when asked whether senators would accept pay. "Why not? more...
- Mar 13, 2010 Duncan wants 3 ratings for schools in education overhaul (USA Today) And it will require the skills, talents, and dedication of many: principals, teachers, parents, students. more...
- Mar 13, 2010 Do-it-yourself taxes vs. the CPA (Washington Post) Several friends and colleagues swore by the latest tax preparation software. Oopsie.I had entered it for the rental and for my refinanced home mortgage. But that's not just a TurboTax problem, she said. more...
- Mar 13, 2010 Obama's education plan to focus on college (USA Today) The blueprint goes before the House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday as Obama pushes Congress to reauthorize the education law this year, a time-consuming task that some observers say will be difficult. Education Secretary Arne Duncan briefed a handful of governors, lawmakers and... more...
- Mar 13, 2010 Maryland eliminated by Georgia Tech in 2010 ACC tournament (Washington Post) In the first half, the Terrapins wasted many offensive possessions with rushed, first-look shot attempts. The Yellow Jackets shot 55.8 percent from the field and 66.7 percent (8 for 12) from three-point range. It's going to be so tough watching the film because I thought we could have taken the... more...
- Mar 13, 2010 Republicans name six to Obama's deficit-reduction commission (Washington Post) Paul D. Ryan (Wis.), the senior Republican on the House Budget Committee; Rep. Judd Gregg (N.H.), the senior Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and a leading advocate of the commission approach to deficit reduction; Sen. Michael D. Crapo (Idaho), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance... more...
- Mar 13, 2010 GOP warns again against passing health bill (USA Today) Republicans in the House and Senate are unanimously opposed to the sweeping legislation, which would extend coverage to some 30 million uninsured Americans with a new mandate for nearly everyone to carry insurance. They don't have the votes," Boehner said. Brown, himself, as a state senator in... more...
- Mar 13, 2010 U.S., Europe at odds over global financial reform (Washington Post) A crisis in the financing of Greek government debt has led European leaders to call for a prohibition on some forms of those investments, something U.S. authorities are unlikely to endorse. Britain imposed a one-time 50 percent tax on banker bonuses. The United States has pushed big banks to... more...
- Mar 13, 2010 Maryland's strong alcohol lobby likely to quash tax increase (Washington Post) That's it," said Sheila E. Hixson (D-Montgomery), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, in an interview. She ruled out any increase in alcohol taxes.In most states, so-called sin taxes are among the first to rise when lawmakers look for money to balance budgets. more...
- Mar 13, 2010 Democrats more hopeful on health-care vote (Washington Post) Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who still has qualms about the Senate bill. Obama's leverage could be critical to wooing Democrats whose problems with the Senate bill are serious but narrow, and those are unlikely to be addressed in the package of fixes.Rep. Democratic leaders had considered combining... more...
- Mar 13, 2010 SEC: Kentucky survives Alabama; Miss. State stumps Florida (USA Today) The Wildcats now are 4-1 against Alabama in the quarterfinals, a program that ranks second to Kentucky in the number of tournament wins and titles in the league. Florida hit only 32.1% of its shots in the first half. Goulbourne hit a 3, and Jenkins got going. more...
- Mar 12, 2010 U.S., Europe spar on reform plan (Washington Post) A crisis in the financing of Greek government debt has led European leaders to call for a prohibition on some forms of those investments, something U.S. authorities are unlikely to endorse. Britain imposed a one-time 50 percent tax on banker bonuses. The United States has pushed big banks to... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Antiabortion religious leaders urge lawmakers to pass Senate health bill (Washington Post) We believe that the provisions below provide extensive evidence that longstanding restrictions on federal funding of abortion have been maintained. More than 30 million Americans may finally gain access to a health care system that is affordable -- providing families, children and seniors with... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Lender blames escrow shortage for $400 increase in monthly mortgage payment (Washington Post) Usually, lenders do not pay interest on escrowed funds. In September, the lender will need six months escrow payments to cover the real-estate tax. Some lenders try to increase the mortgage rate when the borrower opts to avoid escrow. more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Miami Hurricanes, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets advance in the ACC tournament (Washington Post) This latest loss was another setback for Coach Dino Gaudio, who has yet to win an ACC tournament game since taking over in 2008. The Hurricanes were undaunted by his absence, scoring 40 points in the paint.Replacement forward Reggie Johnson led Miami with 22 points on 8-for-8 shooting from the... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 The danger of the status quo (Washington Post) If health-care reform fails, the status quo is a certainty, while the perfect bill is but a dream. But that approach looks impractical, politically and economically. In interviews, Emory University's Kenneth Thorpe and Stanford University's Alan Garber, two other leading health economists,... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Education funding priorities shift (Washington Post) Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Thursday that the measure he seeks to enact would channel more than $50 billion into Pell grants. That's up from the House-passed bill's total of $40 billion. In addition, Harkin indicated that growth in... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Irish PM talks about visit to Washington (Washington Post) Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen meets with President Obama next week in Washington before a St. Cowen discussed his objectives with Washington Post correspondent Anthony Faiola. Q. Will economic issues be high on the agenda? more...
- Mar 12, 2010 With student loan bill on verge of vote, new priorities in education funding (Washington Post) Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Thursday that the measure he seeks to enact would channel more than $50 billion into Pell grants. In addition, Harkin indicated that growth in the maximum Pell grant award would be less than the House... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Obama delays Asia trip to focus on push (Washington Post) He postponed his trip to China in November because of the Fort Hood shootings and health-care votes. People are eager to move on this," Van Hollen said late Thursday. "Do people have concerns they want addressed? Obama spent several years living in Indonesia as a youth, and his mother worked in... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Obama delays Asia trip to focus on on health care (Washington Post) He postponed his trip to China in November because of the Fort Hood shootings and health-care votes. People are eager to move on this," Van Hollen said late Thursday. "Do people have concerns they want addressed? Obama spent several years living in Indonesia as a youth, and his mother worked in... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 The health-care bill's spending in context (Washington Post) Ezra KleinI've been a bit annoyed by the convention of referring to the health-care bill's 10-year cost rather than its annual cost. Ready for it?What you're seeing is health-care reform clocks in around $100 billion. Which is pretty small compared to the $600 billion going to defense, or the... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Frustrated caucus keeps quiet (Washington Post) Michael LeahyA year ago, members of the Congressional Black Caucus openly wept at Barack Obama's inauguration. Many caucus members say they feel largely ignored by key White House advisers. But several members said they have few African American contacts with substantial sway in the White House. more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Obama's ambitious export plan may rekindle free-trade battle (Washington Post) Restrictions on the overseas sale of some high-end technology goods may also be eased.If successful, the president said, the program would create 2 million jobs. China, by contrast, accumulated large trade surpluses that Obama said should now be used to expand domestic consumption -- and increase... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 A frustrated caucus keeps complaints quiet (Washington Post) Michael LeahyA year ago, members of the Congressional Black Caucus openly wept at Barack Obama's inauguration. Many caucus members say they feel largely ignored by key White House advisers. But several members said they have few African American contacts with substantial sway in the White House. more...
- Mar 12, 2010 U.S. dollar is still the world's most trusted currency (USA Today) In November, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called the deficit too high. The Chinese yuan, which most people feel is an eventual successor to the dollar as a reserve currency, is still pegged to the dollar, and it is not fully convertible to foreign currencies. The British pound, the world's... more...
- Mar 12, 2010 States may hold onto tax refunds for months (USA Today) David Paterson.Hawaii's Department of Taxation says some residents may not see state income tax refunds until the end of August, The Honolulu Advertiser reported. It was part of a plan by Gov. more...
- Mar 12, 2010 Nursing covering more health care (USA Today) Deborah Yetter and Jessie HalladayFRANKFORT, Ky. In Kentucky, for example, nurse practitioners are able to practice independently without being supervised by a physician. In 29 states, laws require physician collaboration for prescribing controlled substances.Some states have limits on which... more...
