A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that for the “first time in more than four years, Republicans run about evenly with Democrats on the basic question of which party they trust to handle the nation’s biggest problems.” 43 percent of voters say they trust the Republicans more to deal with the economy, while 38 percent trust Democrats — the first time the poll has found the GOP ahead on that question since 2002.
A new Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll finds that, among likely voters, “the Republicans own a dramatic 49% to 40% advantage” when it comes to who they want to control Congress following the next election. The same poll finds that the approval rating of President Obama’s handling of the economy is at a low 39 percent.
“Seeking to bolster the sluggish economy,” President Obama announced yesterday that he will ask Congress for $50 billion for new investment in transportation infrastructure. Meanwhile, “in one of his most dramatic gestures to business,” Obama will also propose Wednesday “that companies be allowed to more quickly write off 100% of their new investment in plants and equipment through 2011.”
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles are significantly reducing troop deaths from roadside bomb attacks in Afghanistan “at a time when insurgent bombings are at record levels.” The military said that MRAPs — specifically designed to shield troops from IED blasts — have reduced deaths and injuries by 30 percent since January 2009.
Former Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orzag writes in the New York Times today that the GOP and Democrats can reach a compromise on the Bush tax cuts: extend all the tax cuts for two years and then “end them altogether.” It would “make sense,” he said, because “over the medium term, the tax cuts are simply not affordable” but ending them now would stagnate the job market.
According to a new U.N. inspection report, Iran is steadily stockpiling enriched uranium, despite strong sanctions from the international community. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that due to a pattern of Iranian obstruction, it cannot confirm quantities of enriched uranium, but that there’s a growing list of questions about Iran’s stockpile.
New research suggests that the influx of foreign aid into Pakistan after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake significantly increased survivors’ trust in the West. Experts found that hard-line Islamic charities did little to actually help local residents.
And finally: While President Obama often employs automotive metaphors to accuse Republicans of being bad “drivers,” it seems everyone in Washington could use some lessons, as the city was recently ranked number one (for the third year in a row) for most accident-prone drivers. An Allstate insurance survey found D.C. drivers are “96 percent more likely to get in a wreck than the average driver in the United States.”
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