Friday, March 12, 2010
Viewpoints
Politics Blog
Libby Spencer: Building a bit on Mako's post below, former FTC attorney Henry Banta scolds the media for failing … Continued
Washington Bureau Blog
Deb Price: Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, will be one of three House Republicans on the president's National … Continued
Raging Bullard
George Bullard: Even after all these weeks of patter, you have to wonder what the hell NBC was thinking when they … Continued

Detroit City Hall Insider
- Blog: Behind the scenes and beyond the headlines
- Joel Kurth: Can council by districts co-exist with downsizing?
- Christine MacDonald: Detroit's topless clubs have lots of 'friends'
- Santiago Esparza: Riddle channels Warren Zevon: Send money for lawyers
- More in Detroit City Hall Insider
Multimedia
- Interactive: Tracking the Supreme Court
- Interactive: President Obama's budget and how it would affect you
- Interactive: Bailout breakdown - who's getting how much from government
- Interactive: Designers suggest changes in White House decor
- Interactive: How the economy fared during last 10 presidents
- Interactive map: Funding earmarks, by state
- Interactive: Myths, mysteries and history behind the Great Seal of the United States
- Interactive: Our election system
- U.S. government primer
AP Headlines
Politics
- Dems seek agreement, quick vote on health care - 06:02 PM
- Government sends e-mails; it just can't save them - 06:01 PM
- Obama spokesman loses bets, dons a Canadian jersey - 05:57 PM
- Court says thimerosal did not cause autism - 05:55 PM
- AP Interview: Kerry: Energy bill more about jobs - 05:48 PM
- Clinton slams Israel on housing announcement - 05:30 PM
- Senators question $1 million pay for charity's CEO - 05:30 PM
- AG Holder didn't reveal all legal papers to Senate - 05:26 PM
- US military deaths in Afghan region at 936 - 05:26 PM
State Politics
AFL-CIO endorses Bernero for governor
The Michigan AFL-CIO's endorsement today of Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero for governor potentially gives him the upper hand for the Democratic nomination, political experts say. - 03/12/2010
Rep. Stupak's clash with fellow Democrats nothing new
West Branch -- Shortly after entering Congress in 1993, Rep. Bart Stupak of Menominee withstood President Bill Clinton's charm offensive and voted against free-trade legislation -- an early display of the independent streak that has put him at odds with fellow Democrats many times since. - 03/12/2010
Campaign roundup: Building trades council backs Dillon for governor
Lansing -- The first major organized labor endorsement in the race for governor has gone to Democrat Andy Dillon. - 03/11/2010
'08 primary voting rolls are public record, appeals court rules
Lansing -- The Michigan Secretary of State's Office can't refuse to show individual voting records from the state's 2008 presidential primary to an East Lansing political consultant or anyone else, the Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled. - 03/11/2010
Michigan public funds shortfall may hamper governor candidates
Lansing -- Michigan gubernatorial candidates counting on public matching funds to boost their campaign spending are in for a bit of a shock. - 03/11/2010
Political insider
Hundreds welcome Mitt Romney to Birmingham Borders
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney returned to Michigan for the first of two book signings Wednesday and gave the cheering crown a dire warning. - 03/11/2010
Mich. Republicans push stem cell reporting measure
Lansing -- Michigan's public universities doing embryonic stem cell research would face reporting requirements under a bill that's advancing in the state Senate. - 03/11/2010
State bills offer new retirement incentives
Lansing -- Bills calling for incentives to coax 7,900 state employees and 39,000 public school teachers to retire were introduced in the Legislature today, drawing praise from Gov. Jennifer Granholm - 03/11/2010
Plan would cut Mich. university funding
Lansing -- Michigan's public universities would face 3 percent cuts in state aid based on a bill moving through the state Senate. - 03/11/2010
Democratic activist to challenge Stupak for seat
A Democratic activist announced today she's challenging Rep. Bart Stupak out of her frustration that his hard line on abortion funding threatens to derail health care legislation pending in Congress. - 03/10/2010
Lawmakers may take school spending reforms to voters
East Lansing -- Lawmakers are working on a plan to ask voters in August whether they are on board with school reforms and are willing to spend more money to keep from having to make deeper cuts in school aid, a legislative leader on education issues said today. - 03/10/2010
Bernero pitches state-run bank for Michigan
Lansing -- Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero Tuesday proposed having Michigan follow the lead of North Dakota and open a state-owned bank that could make low-interest loans to businesses and college students. - 03/10/2010
Stupak 'optimistic' on health bill
Prospects are good for resolving a dispute over abortion that has led some House Democrats to threaten to withhold support of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a key congressman said Monday. - 03/09/2010
Bouchard: Toughen tax, spending hike rules
Lansing -- Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard says Michigan should require a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes. The Republican gubernatorial candidate also said Monday that he thinks a two-thirds vote should be needed in the House and Senate to raise total state spending each year by more than private-sector spending. - 03/09/2010
Gov's plan to release inmates under fire
Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to cut the prison population through awarding "good time" credits, opening halfway houses and hiring parole officers is raising concerns among law-and-order activists of a possible crime wave. - 03/08/2010
National Politics
Official: Obama wants Yellen as Fed vice chair
Washington -- President Barack Obama wants to nominate Janet Yellen, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, to take over as vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, an administration official said Friday. - 03/12/2010
Dems near health vote without abortion deal
Washington -- House leaders have concluded they cannot change a divisive abortion provision in President Barack Obama's health care bill and will try to pass the sweeping legislation without the support of ardent anti-abortion Democrats. - 03/12/2010
Toyota tells Congress it never disclosed internal records
Toyota Motor Corp. has never produced a confidential set of documents in any court case or to government regulators, the company told Congress today. - 03/12/2010
Gov't mortgage plan aids 16 percent of borrowers
Washington -- The Obama administration's mortgage relief plan has helped only about 16 percent of borrowers who signed up since its launch last year, and hundreds of thousands of homeowners are in limbo without an answer. - 03/12/2010
U.S. Rep. Conyers avoids sentencing for embattled wife
Washington -- On a day his wife was front and center, Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, stayed in the shadows. - 03/11/2010
Senate passes aid for jobless
Washington -- The Senate voted Wednesday to extend key pieces of last year's economic stimulus measure, including help for the jobless and money to help financially strapped states pay for health care for the poor. - 03/11/2010
House leaders ban private earmarks
Washington -- House Democratic leaders on Wednesday banned budget earmarks to private industry, ending a practice that has steered billions of dollars in no-bid contracts to companies and set off corruption scandals. - 03/11/2010
Obama promotes health care reform in Mo.
St. Charles, Mo. -- Democrats claimed momentum Wednesday in their drive to enact the sweeping health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, citing near agreement on crucial issues. - 03/11/2010
Rep. Cheeks Kilpatrick subpoenaed to grand jury
Washington-- Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and a top aide have been served with grand jury subpoenas requesting testimony in U.S. District Court in Detroit. - 03/11/2010
Senate majority leader's wife, daughter injured in wreck
Washington -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's wife and daughter were hospitalized Thursday -- the wife with a broken back and neck -- after their minivan was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer truck on an interstate highway in suburban Virginia, authorities said. - 03/11/2010
Romney returns
Hundreds welcome Mitt Romney to Birmingham Borders
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney returned to Michigan for the first of two book signings on Wednesday and gave the cheering crown a dire warning. - 03/11/2010
Memo shows Toyota employees in Japan raised concerns
Toyota Motor Corp. turned over to Congress today a 3 1/2 -year-old memo written by employees in Japan raising questions about the company's safety record. - 03/10/2010
Rep wants NHTSA to investigate new Toyota incident
The top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wants federal investigators to review a California case of possible sudden acceleration in a Toyota. - 03/10/2010
Budget deficit sets record in February
Washington -- The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year's record for the full year. - 03/10/2010
Jobless benefits bill advances
Washington -- Legislation to give additional months of unemployment benefits to people who have been out of a job for more than half a year cleared a key hurdle Tuesday that guarantees it will soon pass the Senate. - 03/10/2010







