Welcome to The WonkLine, a daily 10 a.m. roundup of the latest news about health care, the economy, national security and climate policy. This is what we’re reading. Tell us what you found in the comments section below, and subscribe to the RSS feed. Also, you can now follow The Wonk Room on Twitter.
Economy
Is Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner at odds with FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair over the best way to handle Citigroup?
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) “indicated Wednesday that he will be ready to bring up the long-stalled Employee Free Choice Act next month, following weeks of negotiations with key stakeholders.” Harkin has reportedly “huddled with Democratic Sens. Mark Pryor, Charles Schumer and Arlen Specter to try to hatch a compromise on the measure.”
USA Today reports that “nearly 20 million children now receive free or reduced-price lunches in the nation’s schools, an all-time high…and many school districts are struggling to cover their share of the meals’ rising costs.”
National Security
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security council agreed to a U.S. led resolution increasing sanctions on North Korea, focusing on its financial transactions, arms trade and allowing for inspections of cargo vessels.
Pakistan used helicopter gunships and artillery to open up a new front in the Bannu District in their fight against the Taliban. Waziristan, the hub of al Qaeda and Taliban activity, is likely their next target.
The new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal has been given “extraordinary leeway” to implement his new strategy stepping up attacks on the Taliban and narcotics networks.
Climate
Global warming “could lead to the greatest human migration in history” uprooting between 200 million and 700 million people by 2050, according to the International Organization for Migration.
“New green jobs sprouted faster than the overall workforce expanded across the nation from 1998 to 2007,”according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts,” and “California led the nation in all categories measured.”
The Obama administration “plans to announce Thursday a proposal to eliminate the expedited reviews that have made it easier for mining companies to get approval” for mining “the Appalachians by blasting off mountaintops and discarding the rubble in stream valleys.”
Health Care
The Huffington Post reports that Sen. Olimpia Snowe (R-ME), “the Senate Republican who is front and center in the health care debate has received more than $1 million in campaign contributions from the health care industry.”
The Small Business Majority has issued a new report which says that “the proposals now being considered by the Obama administration and Senate leaders could save small companies tens of billions of dollars a year in health care costs — even if there is a mandate for employer coverage.”
Last night on MSNBC, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “a bill will not come out of the House without a public option.”
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