Raw Politics: Will tea party back Boehner's debt bill?
Editor's note: On the same day that Speaker Boehner tried to rally the House GOP together, the tea party held a rally in Washington.
Related: House vote on Republican debt plan set for Thursday
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Post by: Filed under: 360° Radar • 360º Follow • Raw Politics |
KTH: Debt plans focus on cuts only
Editor's note: CNN's Anderson Cooper reports on how the two competing debt ceiling bills are out of step with public preferences.
Related: House vote on Republican debt plan set for Thursday
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Post by: Filed under: 360° Radar • 360º Follow • Keeping Them Honest |
House Vote on GOP Debt Plan Set for Thursday: Join the Live Chat
House Speaker John Boehner has made tweaks to his debt reduction plan. The question is will his fellow Republicans support his vision when they vote tomorrow? If not, what's the next move in the showdown? We'll lay it all out of for you tonight on 360°. Plus, new video showing the aftermath of the bombing in Oslo last week. We also have new details on the man accused of setting off the bomb and shooting 76 people at a political camp. And, see who we add to our 'RidicuList.'
Scroll down to join the live chat during the program. It's your chance to share your thoughts on tonight's headlines. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
Here are some of them:
1) Keep it short (we don't have time to read a "book")
2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (there's no need to yell)
3) Use your real name (first name only is fine)
4) No links
5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated; PG at worst - and that includes $#&*)
House vote on Republican debt plan set for Thursday
Washington (CNN) - Competing Democratic and Republican plans to reduce federal deficits and raise the debt ceiling were subjected to a fresh round of criticism Wednesday, as signs of disarray emerged in a House Republican caucus split between unhappy conservatives and a leadership struggling to maintain party unity.
"Get your ass in line," House Speaker John Boehner told his fellow Republicans in the face of divisive infighting over his latest proposal, two GOP sources who attended a Wednesday morning meeting told CNN on condition of not being identified.
The House scheduled a vote on the plan for Thursday in what will be a major test for whether the GOP caucus can push through the Boehner measure in the face of an expected unified Democratic opposition. Republicans hold 240 of the 433 votes to be cast and need 217 of their members to support the plan for it to pass. Two House seats are currently vacant.
Meanwhile, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that revisions to Boehner's plan would bring a total of $915 billion in savings over 10 years, an increase of about $65 billion over the initial version. With the revisions, Boehner's proposal - which calls for an immediate $900 billion increase in the debt ceiling - now meets his pledge to match any debt ceiling hike with dollar-for-dollar spending cuts.
However, a letter Wednesday from Senate Democrats said the Republican plan has no chance of passing the Senate. For their part, top Republicans called the Democratic plan a nonstarter.
As the politicians bickered, the clock continued to tick down. If Congress fails to raise the current $14.3 trillion debt limit by August 2, Americans could face rising interest rates and a declining dollar, among other problems.
As the cost of borrowing rises, individual mortgages, car loans and student loans could become significantly more expensive. Some financial analysts have warned of a potential stock market crash and a downgrade of America's triple-A credit rating.
Without an increase in the debt limit, the federal government will not be able to pay all of its bills next month. President Barack Obama recently indicated he can't guarantee Social Security checks will be mailed out on time.
With no deal in sight and six days before potential default, the Dow Jones Industrial average fell 198 points on Wednesday.
Updated: 9:20 pm
FULL STORY
Beat 360° 7/27/11
Ready for today's Beat 360°? Everyday we post a picture you provide the caption and our staff will join in too. Tune in tonight at 10pm to see if you are our favorite!
Staff
Steve Brusk
“In a move he soon regretted, Rand Paul vowed to count out the entire national debt by hand until the situation was resolved."
Viewer
Alex
“7, my dad has run for president 7 times."
Norway PM announces commission to examine attacks
Oslo, Norway (CNN) - An independent commission will be set up to examine Friday's terror attacks in which at least 76 people died, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg announced Wednesday.
Stoltenberg said he wants the commission to prepare an overview of both the bombing in Oslo, in which eight people died, and the mass shooting on Utoya Island, where 68 people attending a youth political camp lost their lives, and report back to Parliament within a year.
He wants the commission to have a high degree of integrity, the prime minister said, and hopes its work will prevent any other such attack.
"Part of the work of the commission will be to look into the whole scale of the attack," he said. "We've never had an attack on this scale since the Second World War, and it was targeted against a youth movement - it's an attack against our nation, it's an attack against our democracy."
He said it is important for all those affected to have answers to all their questions about what happened.
FULL STORYLetters to the President: #919 'Sha Na Na Na . . . Get a job'
Reporter's Note: President Obama is no doubt spending a lot of time remembering that even when the debt ceiling matter is settled, there will still be the awful unemployment rate to face. If not, well today’s letter will remind him.
Dear Mr. President,
You’re going to thank me for this one today. Or at least you may finally call. Either way, it is good news.
I was walking through Union Station this afternoon, going to grab some lunch. The crowd was buzzing all around as it often is in the early afternoon - tourists, travelers, business types, and of course the ever-present security folks. And yet in the midst of the maelstrom I noticed one young woman standing in a puddle of sunlight, holding a phone to her ear and positively beaming.
She looked to be just slightly post-college age, and as best I could tell, she was waiting for someone to answer her call. In any event, the sheer dynamic tension she was giving off in all directions attracted my attention and as I passed she apparently connected with whomever she was calling, and the source of her joy was instantly clear: “I have a job!”
She said those four words with more enthusiasm than I have heard from almost anyone else all summer in this city. I have no idea what kind of job it is, nor how long she’d been looking, but it seemed as if the answers might be a) a good one and b) quite a while.
I’ve spent so much time covering unemployment over the past few years, I can hardly describe how happy it made me to witness this moment of unbridled celebration. As I walked past, her smile seemed limitless, and her eyes were aflame with the all the possibilities of being young, employed, and ready to make great things happen.
I wish you could have been there. It was, amid all our troubles, a nice reminder of what it can be like when things go right.
Give a ring if you have some time amid all the negotiations.
Regards,
Tom
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Post by: Filed under: Letters to the President • Opinion • President Barack Obama • T1 |
RidicuList Classic: Kardashian haters
Editor's note: This RidicuList originally aired in June, 2011
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Post by: Filed under: 360° Radar |
Crime & Punishment: 'None of this is new,' reporters says of FLDS sect
Editor's note: CNN's Sanjay Gupta speaks with Michael Watkiss, a reporter for CNN affiliate KTVK, about the sect run by Warren Jeffs.
Related: Warren Jeffs seeks to control polygamist sect from jail
Video: Inside the mind of an alleged killer
Editor's note: CNN's Sanjay Gupta reports on a detailed manifesto allegedly written by the suspect in the Norway terror spree.
Related: Manifesto suggests massacre suspect troubled, not insane, experts say
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