The Senate voted 60-38 to approve legislation “to implement many of the remaining reforms suggested by the Sept. 11 commission.” Ten Republicans crossed party lines to approve the measure; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) skipped the vote to fundraise in California. Bush has threatened to veto the bill “over a provision to expand the labor rights of 45,000 airport screeners.”
78: Percentage of Americans who “do not think the Bush administration has done enough to care for [Iraq war] veterans,” a new CBS/NYT poll shows. “A majority of Republicans agree with all Americans overall on this issue.”
The New York Times reveals more “shameful details…on the neglectful care extended to soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The Army’s inspector general reports that “more than nine out of 10 disabled veterans have been kept waiting for benefit evaluations beyond the 40-day limit set by the Pentagon. Some have waited up to a year and a half for benefits.”
“A national survey showing a soaring number of homeowners failed to make their mortgage payments in the last quarter of 2006 rattled lawmakers in Washington and the markets in New York yesterday, as the Dow Jones industrial average plummeted 2 percent, or nearly 243 points.”
“The federal government is sanctioning agreements that cost whistle-blowers their jobs after they expose safety and security lapses at nuclear facilities and toxic waste sites, Labor Department records show.”
“The Army Corps of Engineers, rushing to meet President Bush’s promise to protect New Orleans by the start of the 2006 hurricane season, installed defective flood-control pumps last year despite warnings from its own expert that the equipment would fail during a storm.”
A flurry of bombings shook Iraq today. Gen. David Petraeus “said car bombs are proving the biggest headache for troops trying to enforce a new security plan.” There has been a “recent rise in violence” in northern Iraq that many blame on insurgents fleeing a security crackdown in the capital.
Detroit auto makers are teaming up with Toyota “to slow gathering momentum in the Democratic Congress to legislate tightened fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks.” The automakers are expected to push for new guidelines that would allow them to “sell more large trucks.”
And finally: “American Pie” star Chris Klein was on Capitol Hill yesterday testifying before the House Appropriations subcommittee on the interior. Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA) asked him what it’s “really like to work with Reese Witherspoon.” “Amazing,” replied Klein. Today is also his 28th birthday and he plans to stick around DC and visit the Smithsonian museums.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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