http://www.rttnews.comGlobal financial news, market analysis, economics and forex newsen-usSat, 13 Mar 2010 15:45:01 GMTA triennial conference of the United Nations agency that is capable of banning and regulating commercial trade in endangered species is opening in Doha, the capital of Qatar on Saturday. http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1239574Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:11:16 GMTThe European Union is working on reaching an agreement on a bail-out deal for Greece, media reports said Saturday. Euro leaders are set to meet in Brussels on Monday to finalize the proposal. http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1239566Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:16:10 GMTDuring her weekly press briefing Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., revealed that the public option will not be a part of health care reform legislation. "We had it, we wanted it ... it's not in the reconciliation," Pelosi said. "It isn't in there because [the Senate doesn't] have the votes to have it in there." The decision comes despite the fact that a spokesperson for Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., made comments Friday indicating that the public option could be revived.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1239415Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:57:51 GMTRepublican leaders in the House and Senate Friday named the six members they would appoint to the deficit commission established by President Barack Obama. The commission, which Obama created via executive order after the failure of the Senate to set up a legally binding panel, is composed of 10 Democrats and eight Republicans and will be co-chaired by former Clinton chief of staff Erskine Bowles and former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1239376Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:52:39 GMTA new Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday showed that Senator David Vitter, R-Louis., holds a large lead over Democratic challenger Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Louis., in Louisiana's U.S. Senate race. According to the survey, Vitter holds a 57% to 34% lead over Melancon among Louisiana voters. Another 3% said they prefer someone else, while 6% remained undecided.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1239370Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:42:41 GMTThe White House announced Friday that First Lady Michelle Obama will make her first solo trip to another country as First Lady when she visits Mexico next month. According to the White House, Obama will visit Mexico City April 13-15. The White House said her agenda on the trip will be to "amplify" President Barack Obama's "commitment to advancing mutual interests, mutual respect and mutual responsibility between nations and peoples around the world."http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1239354Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:02:45 GMTAccording to a Twitter post from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, President Barack Obama is delaying his upcoming trip to Indonesia and Australia from March 18 to March 21. "The President will delay leaving for Indonesia and Australia - will now leave Sunday - the First Lady and the girls will not be on the trip," Gibbs posted.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1239307Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:26:40 GMTWhile many believed that the public option had died as Democrats attempt to push health care reform through Congress, comments from a Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., spokesman to a progressive political action campaign suggest that it could be revived in the Senate if the House passes it first.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1239247Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:23:29 GMTFormer Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and current Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty are set to attend a fundraiser in April to help raise money for Rep. Michele Bachmann's, R-Minn., re-election bid. Palin will serve as host for the event, which will take place on April 7 at the Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis. Pawlenty will join former Senator Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Representatives John Kline, R-Minn., and Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., as "Honorary Hosts."http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1238180Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:09:44 GMTSenators Mike Johanns, R-Neb., and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., unveiled a resolution Thursday pressing Japan to lift its partial ban on US beef. According to the lawmakers, the resolution states that Japan should immediately expand market access for U.S. beef products and urges the Obama Administration to insist on increased market access from Japan.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1238150Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:41:43 GMTPresident Barack Obama Thursday set the federal government on course to aggressively promote foreign export opportunities for American businesses. Speaking at the annual conference of the Export-Import Bank, Obama called for the country to move beyond the old debates between Democrats and Republicans, business leaders and labor, in thinking about trade in the 21st Century.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1238142Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:30:04 GMTIn an effort to signal their commitment to cutting federal spending, House Republicans announced Thursday that they have adopted a unilateral moratorium on all earmarks. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said, "Today House Republicans took an important step toward showing the American people we're serious about reform." The move comes a day after the House Appropriations Committee announced that it would not approve requests for earmarks that are directed to for-profit entities.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1238118Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:00:48 GMTAfter a month of negotiations with Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., released a statement Thursday in which he said he would offer his own version of a financial reform package without Republican support. "On Monday, I will present to my colleagues a substitute to the original financial reform package, unveiled last November," Dodd said.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1238030Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:37:23 GMTSenator Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said Thursday that a proposal to impose legally binding limitations on discretionary spending for fiscal years 2011-2013 that he reintroduced yesterday along with Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is gaining support in the Senate and now appears on the verge of approval.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1237916Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:36:16 GMTResults of a new Gallup poll released Thursday included multiple indicators showing that Americans have become less worried about the threat of global warming and are more likely to believe that the seriousness of global warming is generally exaggerated.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1237892Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:05:41 GMTUshering in a new era of political stability, the Ukrainian Parliament has approved a three-party coalition government headed by Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. As many as 240 Deputies in the 450-member Parliament, known as the Verhovna Rada, voted Thursday in favor of the new team that replaces Yulia Tymoshenko's pro-Western Orange coalition. Earlier in the day, a new political alliance named "The Stability and Reforms Coalition" was formed under the leadership of President Viktor Yanukovhttp://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1237880Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:58:54 GMTHealth and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Wednesday challenged America's health insurers to join with the Obama Administration's efforts to reform the nation's health insurance system. Sebelius, speaking at the annual conference of America's Health Insurance Plans, said that it was understandable that many Americans around the country should be frustrated by the rising costs of their health insurance.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1236695Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:00:30 GMTHealth and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke at the America's Health Insurance Plans conference Wednesday, arguing that the health insurance companies should divert millions in anti-reform advertising dollars and instead use that money to cut premiums.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1236561Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:41:11 GMTPresident Barack Obama Wednesday reiterated the U.S. commitment to recovery and rebuilding in Haiti following the earthquake that devastated the nation in January. Speaking in the White House Rose Garden following an Oval Office meeting with Haitian President Ren‚ Pr‚val, Obama said the time has come for Haiti to rebuild following the massive quake that killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands more homeless.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1236545Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:15:32 GMTSenator Mark Begich, D-Alaska, has been appointed to a vacant seat on the Senate Budget Committee, effective Tuesday night. "As a member of the Senate's Deficit Caucus, I am committed to a new era of fiscal responsibility in Congress," Begich said in a statement on Wednesday.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1236535Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:51:47 GMTA new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed that the substantial drop in New York State Governor David Paterson's approval rating seems to have bottomed out. According to the poll, which surveyed 1,454 New York State registered voters March 5 - 8, 61% of New Yorkers disapprove of the job Paterson is doing compared to only 21% who approve.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1236503Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:25:04 GMTFollowing meetings with senior advisors, President Barack Obama will meet with Haitian President Rene Pr‚val in the Oval Office later Wednesday morning. Announcing Pr‚val's visit last week, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the two presidents would discuss discuss relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts in Haiti following the massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck in January.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1236285Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:39:09 GMTSenate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Ver., revealed Tuesday that he sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Monday, urging him to make nominations to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. "Having a fully functional Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board is a key step in protecting the privacy and civil liberties of all Americans," Leahy wrote in his letter.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1235096Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:29:00 GMTSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., released a statement Tuesday in which he urged passage of the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act. Reid said it is the responsibility of lawmakers to give families who face uncertainty with the future of their jobs "a little more certainty and a little more security."http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1235047Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:12:23 GMTHouse Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Mar., Tuesday called claims that former Representative Eric Massa, D-N.Y., resigned due to pressure from fellow Democrats over opposition to Democrats' health care bill "absurd" and "untrue." During a radio interview Sunday, Massa said, "This administration and this House leadership have said, quote-unquote, they will stop at nothing to pass this health care bill, and now they've gotten rid of me and it will pass."http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1235012Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:48:14 GMTA new Gallup poll released Tuesday showed that Democrats still hold a slight advantage over Republicans in 2010 election preferences. According to the poll, which surveyed 1,585 voters March 1 - 7, Democrats hold a 47% to 44% lead over Republicans among voters asked which party's congressional candidate they would support in their district if the elections were being held today.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1234773Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:46:11 GMTOver a month after the primary elections were held, State Senator Bill Brady was finally declared the winner of the Republican primary race for Governor of Illinois. The final tally saw Brady win with 155,527 votes, narrowly beating State Senator Kirk Dillard, who received 155,334 votes. Coming in at a not-too-distant third was businessman Andy McKenna with 148,054 votes.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1232082Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:18:57 GMTPresident Barack Obama Friday emphasized federal efforts to stimulate the economy in the face of a better than expected jobs report that nonetheless showed the economy still shedding jobs. Obama said that, although the report was better than expected, the difficult employment market is still intolerable. "Far too many Americans remain out of work. Far too many families are still struggling in these difficult economic times," he said.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1232046Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:01:28 GMTA new Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday showed that most Americans do not believe that city governments have the right to prevent citizens from owning handguns. According to the survey, 69% of Americans do not believe cities can prevent citizens from owning handguns. Only 25% believe that cities do have such a right.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1232018Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:19:39 GMTA new Gallup poll released Friday showed that more Americans are more confident in President Barack Obama's health care reform recommendations than they are in the recommendations of Democratic or Republican leaders in Congress. The poll, which surveyed 992 adults March 2 - 3, found that 49% of Americans are confident in Obama's recommendations. Meanwhile, 37% were confident in the recommendations from Congressional Democrats, while 32% were confident in those from Congressional Republicans.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1231998Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:50:44 GMT