Buzz Feed is flagging this press conference exchange between Barack Obama and Reporter Ed Henry, in which the president answers the question (toward the end) Why did you wait so long on AIG outrage?What do you think? Did Obama get the better of this Q-and-A,…
The day in 100 seconds from TalkingPointsMemo.
Barack Obama got his pick for Commerce Secretary on the third try. That would be former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, who was confirmed today.He's doing not quite so well on his picks for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, where he's picked 33 out of the…
Blogging is a bit light on Monday and Tuesday this week, but if you're wondering what you missed on Monday, here's the TalkingPointsMemo synopsis:
Anyone who thought questions about Barack Obama’s citizenship were laid to rest by the election or a series of court decisions tossing out lawsuits trying to challenge the election on that issue might have been surprised by a question Chief Justice John Roberts got during…
Wondering about the president's picks?No, not his picks for cabinet or subcabinet posts, but the really important ones. His picks in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament.President Obama currently has picked 16 correct, as of Friday afternoon. Respectable, to be sure, but that puts him tied…
For those who forgot to set the DVR, then fell asleep with the TV on and didn't wake up until Jimmy Fallon was on, here's President Obama's appearance on the Tonight Show.They talk about a range of topics, from AIG to puppies.Question for discussion: Would…
Conservative media are abuzz with the fact that President Obama has filled out his bracket for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Some are talking heads and members of Congress are even aghast.Aghast, you say, because he filled out a Men's bracket and not a women's…
Today is the sixth anniversary of a pretty big event. It made really big headlines at the time, although now, not so much and not so often.Do you know what that event is?Answer inside the blog.
CNN catches Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., in a "misstatement" on the loophole that allowed AIG to give out bonuses, and hammers him.
Here's the official White House statement sending a proposal to change VA health benefits to the round file.You know, the Deep Six, the 86, the kybosh. Sounds like this SNAFU was FUBAR. Whatever, It's toast. Statement from Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on the President’s Strong…
The Obama Administration is dropping a proposal that would have allowed the Veterans Affairs Department to bill a vets' insurance company for treating service-connected disabilities and injuries.That's the word from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who is one of the top members of the Senate Veterans…
Fox News reports on anger and discontent brewing among the populace. The plan: Tea bag the White House.Those with a local interest in such protests might check out the Spokane Tea Party's Facebook page. (They don't have a separate Web site, apparently.)Much as Spin Control…
Sen. Patty Murray had some harsh words for a proposal being floated by the Obama Administration that would change health care benefits for veterans.You can listen to her opening statement hereand her questioning of former Gen. Shinseki, the VA secretary, hereor go inside the blog…
Something you may have thought you'd never see or hear: a White Republican rapper.Hi-Caliber is a former Jersey construction worker. So what do you think? Should he get a contract, cut some CDs and tour? Or should he not have quit his day job?
Chief Justice John Roberts doesn't do much public speaking, so it was a treat for the University of Idaho to land him for a speech and a chance to answer a few questions at the College of Law's Bellwood Lecture Series.But the first question may…
MOSCOW, Idaho – John Roberts isn’t too concerned that more people can name the judges on “American Idol” than can name him or the other members of the U.S. Supreme Court. “It’s nice to be not always recognizable,” the chief justice of the United States…
Asking for voters for more money in a recession is a difficult task. The government entities that made that request last week probably didn’t know how bad the economy was going to look by election day, so most of them had to be at least…
The City of Spokane will replace the signs it attached last month to meters in the new downtown Entertainment Parking District in an attempt clear up confusion over who can park there, and for how long.
Although it's too early to declare the Spokane School District's bond issue a winner, it is clear that it did considerably better than the City of Spokane's bond issue.It pulled more votes out of almost every city precinct that the two proposals shared. Sometimes lots…
Sen. Patty Murray wants the nation's new energy czar to come West for a visit.A visit to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, that is. At a budget hearing Wednesday, Murray, D-Wash., extended the invite to Energy Secretary Steven Chu to stop by Hanford and the Pacific…
The National Journal has developed a great resource for figuring out where your congressional delegation stands on on the political spectrum, an interactive graphic that combines the scores of several rating groups, then ranks the honorables with their photos.Rating systems aren't new, of course, but…
The Spokane School District bond issue received strong support all over the city. Even in parts of the city where it didn't receive the required super majority, voters in many precincts gave it a simple majority.Note that some of the strongest support comes in areas…
Spokane School District officials can probably rest easy tonight. Their $288 million bond issue has a comfortable lead, and seems headed for passage.News for the City of Spokane's Police Department and animal control plans is not so good. The $18.5 million "Police and Pets" bond…
From TalkingPointsMemo, the day synopsized.
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
