Help The Middle ClassNews and Information For The Heart Of America
PREVIEW: Obama On Afghanistan (AP)
After months of debate, President Barack Obama will spell out a costly Afghanistan war expansion to a skeptical public Tuesday night, coupling an infusion of as many as 35,000 more troops with a vow that there will be no endless U.S. commitment. His first orders have already been made: at least one group of Marines [...]
Obama Faces Steep Challenges In New Afghan Policy (Miami Herald/McClatchy)
With eight years of blood and treasure already spent and perhaps his presidency hanging in the balance, President Barack Obama will tell the world Tuesday how he’ll escalate the war in Afghanistan — and how he hopes his risky decision will lead finally to a path home for U.S. forces.
The stakes of his decision — [...]
CBO Says Senate Health Plan Will Increase Some Premiums (Washington Post)
The Senate’s plan to overhaul the health insurance system would increase premiums in the individual market, but purchasers would get significantly better coverage than under current law and six in 10 would see their premium payments dramatically reduced by new federal subsidies, congressional budget analysts said Monday.
Premiums for most people, who receive coverage through the [...]
FICO Reveals ‘Credit Score Secrets’ – Mistakes That Damage Your Finances (Yahoo! Finance)
Disclosed for the 1st time, ‘damage points’ taken off for late payments
Borrowers already knew that late payments hurt their credit scores, but for the first time, they now know the extent of that damage.
Did you max out your credit card? Expect a credit score drop of 10 to 45 points. Declare bankruptcy? Your score will [...]
Let The Games Begin! Divided Senate Opens Up Health Care Debate Today (Yahoo! News & AP)
With the Senate set to begin debate Monday on President Barack Obama’s signature domestic issue, the all-hands-on-deck Democratic coalition that allowed the health care reform legislation to advance is coming apart.
While majority Democrats will need 60 votes again to finish, some in the party say they’ll jump ship from the bill without tighter restrictions on [...]
7 Stories About Barack Obama He Doesn’t Want You To Hear (Yahoo! News)
Presidential politics is about storytelling. Presented with a vivid storyline, voters naturally tend to fit every new event or piece of information into a picture that is already neatly framed in their minds.
No one understands this better than Barack Obama and his team, who won the 2008 election in part because they were better storytellers [...]
Obama Justice Department Says Acorn Can Be Paid for Pre-Ban Contracts (Post-Gazette)
The Justice Department has concluded that the Obama administration can lawfully pay the community group Acorn for services provided under contracts signed before Congress banned the government from providing money to the group.
The department’s conclusion, laid out in a recently disclosed five-page memorandum from David Barron, the acting assistant attorney general for the Office of [...]
Cautious Shoppers Hit The Stores On Black Friday (The Washington Post)
Throngs of bargain hunters kicked off the holiday shopping season Friday, buying Paula Deen cookware, Zhu Zhu toy hamsters and flat-panel TVs. But even as they filled parking lots, waited in lines overnight and loaded shopping bags, they talked of restraint, drawing names for gifts, paying cash and buying the basics.
Retailers have been looking for [...]
Opinion-Colbert I. King/The Washington Post: Obama Get Real On Afghanistan
The selection of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for President Obama’s announcement of his new Afghanistan war strategy is media manipulation worthy of Michael Deaver, the legendary image protector of Ronald Reagan. What better setting than an audience of military cadets to project Obama as the reluctant warrior and commander in chief who, [...]
Iranian Cleric Says, “Iran Will Produce Its Own Nuclear Fuel”
Iran will produce its own fuel for a medical research reactor in Tehran if it is not made available by the UN atomic watchdog, a senior hardline cleric said on Saturday.
Ahmad Khatami, speaking at a Tehran University prayer service to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, also warned world powers that Iran would not [...]
