http://www.rttnews.comGlobal financial news, market analysis, economics and forex newsen-usSat, 07 Nov 2009 14:25:04 GMTRepresentative Anthony Weiner, D-NY, announced Friday that he has decided to withdraw his single payer amendment to the House health care reform bill. "I have decided not to offer a single payer alternative to the health reform bill at this time," Weiner said.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1121219&Category=Political%20NewsFri, 06 Nov 2009 18:45:29 GMTHouse Democrats acknowledged Friday that they don't have the 218 votes needed to pass health care legislation, and that, as a result, they may push back the scheduled vote on the bill from Saturday to Sunday or even Monday. "There are many people who are still trying to get a comfort level that this is the right thing to do," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Friday.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1121191&Category=Political%20NewsFri, 06 Nov 2009 18:06:56 GMTThe Labor Department released its October jobs report Friday, resulting in mixed reactions from the Obama administration and various other lawmakers. "Today's employment report contained both signs of hope for recovery and painful evidence of continued labor market weakness," said Christina Romer, Chair of the President's Council of Economic Advisors.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1121071&Category=Political%20NewsFri, 06 Nov 2009 15:59:52 GMTSenator Edward Kaufman (D-Del) on Thursday continued his party's push for more regulatory oversight of the U.S. equity markets by the Securities and Exchange Commission.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1120169&Category=Political%20NewsThu, 05 Nov 2009 23:08:10 GMTPresident Barack Obama Thursday hailed two significant endorsements of a House bill aimed at reforming the nation's health care system. The bill, which is expected to be brought up for a vote on Saturday, received the backing of both the AARP and the American Medical Association, which Obama said was key in showing that the bill would move the country in the right direction.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1120001&Category=Political%20NewsThu, 05 Nov 2009 21:10:17 GMTHouse Republicans Thursday railed against the health reform bill being brought forward by Democrats, which is expected to be brought up for a vote on Saturday. Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio, speaking before a crowd of more than a thousand "tea party" anti-tax protesters on the steps of the Capitol, called the Democrats' bill the "greatest threat to freedom" he had seen in Congress.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1119824&Category=Political%20NewsThu, 05 Nov 2009 20:27:00 GMTPresident Barack Obama Thursday pledged that his administration would devote more attention to Native Americans. Obama, speaking to the Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, said that his own election a year ago had been a call for change for those who had been hindered from achieving the American Dream. "And few have been more marginalized and ignored by Washington for as long as Native Americans -- our First Americans," he said.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1119708&Category=Political%20NewsThu, 05 Nov 2009 19:21:20 GMTDemocrats on the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee passed a climate bill out of the committee Thursday, ignoring a Republican boycott of the bill. Republicans on the committee have protested passage of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, saying they needed time to determine if the cost of the legislation had been fully examined. However, committee chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., held a vote Thursday morning without the seven Republican members present.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1119517&Category=Political%20NewsThu, 05 Nov 2009 16:49:11 GMTOn Wednesday, the Senate voted 98-0 to extend unemployment benefits by up to 20 weeks and to extend the homebuyer tax credit. Under the $24 billion Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009, the unemployed will receive 14 weeks of additional benefits. Those living in states with unemployment greater than 8.5% will receive an additional six weeks on top of that.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1119456&Category=Political%20NewsThu, 05 Nov 2009 15:57:27 GMTAs part of her trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit Wednesday in Egypt, where the two discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and both the U.S.' and Egypt's stance on the issue. "The United States sees Egypt as an essential partner, not only in the Middle East, but on global and regional issues, as well," Clinton said.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1117675&Category=Political%20NewsWed, 04 Nov 2009 20:21:21 GMTSeveral Democratic Senators Wednesday sought to highlight measures aimed at promoting prevention and wellness in the health care reform bill before the Senate. Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Tom Udall, D-N.M., said the aim of those efforts was to transform what they labeled a "sick care" system into a true health care system.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1117586&Category=Political%20NewsWed, 04 Nov 2009 19:32:27 GMTThe Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it would seek to gradually shift its borrowing to longer-term investments to free up short-term borrowing capacity for unexpected circumstances. As part of the strategy, the Treasury will issue new 30-year inflation-indexed bonds, known as 30-year TIPS, said Acting Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets Karthik Ramanathan and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Federal Finance Matthew Rutherford.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1117498&Category=Political%20NewsWed, 04 Nov 2009 18:27:14 GMTFormer Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) chief executive Carly Fiorina announced in an op-ed piece for the Orange Country Register Wednesday that she will run for the U.S. Senate seat in California currently held by Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer. "I now understand, in a very real way, that the decisions made by the Senate impact every family and every business, of any size, in America," Fiorina wrote. "This is what motivates me to run for the U.S. Senate."http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1117335&Category=Political%20NewsWed, 04 Nov 2009 15:59:51 GMTRepublican Chris Christie has defeated Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine in the race for governor of New Jersey, according to various media reports, handing a second state to the GOP in Tuesday's elections.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1116259&Category=Political%20NewsTue, 04 Nov 2009 02:35:34 GMTThe Obama Administration Tuesday continued its push to enlist small business owners in support of Democratic health reform efforts. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Small Business Administration chief Karen Mills told a group of small business owners that their efforts to tell members of Congress and people back home about their struggles with health insurance would be critical to reform efforts.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1115951&Category=Political%20NewsTue, 03 Nov 2009 21:04:13 GMTPolitical observers in Washington and around the country have their eyes fixed on three elections Tuesday, looking for early signs of a potential shift in political momentum. Two off-year governor's races, in Virginia and New Jersey, and a special House election in upstate New York have drawn the attention, and funding, of national figures from both parties in what some say may be an early referendum on President Barack Obama's policies.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1115480&Category=Political%20NewsTue, 03 Nov 2009 16:19:55 GMTPresident Barack Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House Tuesday morning, just a short while before she would become the first German chancellor in 50 years to address the U.S. Congress. "I am thrilled to have Chancellor Merkel here today," Obama said. "I want to congratulate her again for her victory in her recent election, the formation of a government, and we are honored to have her visit the Oval Office."http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1115444&Category=Political%20NewsTue, 03 Nov 2009 15:47:54 GMTPresident Barack Obama turned to some of the nation's top business leaders Monday for ideas about how to generate more jobs during the economic recovery. Obama, meeting with the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, which includes General Electric (GE) CEO Jeff Immelt and Oracle (ORCL) President Charles E. Phillips, said that while there were signs of economic recovery, he would not be pleased until the economy starts generating jobs.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1114159&Category=Political%20NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 20:56:15 GMTWhile visiting Marrakech, Morocco on Monday as part of her trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a statement in which she called for continued progress between Israel and the Palestinians towards a two-state solution. In her statement, Clinton said that Israel had taken things in the right direction with its decision to stop establishing settlements in Palestinian territory.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1114061&Category=Political%20NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 20:23:17 GMTSenator John McCain, R-AZ, released a statement Monday in which he said the U.S. must support Afghanistan's decision to cancel the runoff election and called on President Barack Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1114005&Category=Political%20NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 20:03:41 GMTFollowing the announcement that Afghanistan has called off its planned run-off election, Republican House Leader John Boehner issued a statement Monday in which he said the Obama administration has "no more excuses" to delay sending additional troops to Afghanistan.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1113896&Category=Political%20NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 17:47:03 GMTSupport for Democrats is ebbing, according to a Gallup poll released Monday that is designed to measure voting intentions in midterm elections using a generic congressional ballot. The poll, which was conducted at the beginning of October, shows Democrats still lead Republicans on a generic ballot, by a margin of 46 to 44 percent. However, that falls short of the previous generic ballot, which showed 50 percent of registered voters saying that they would choose the Democratic candidate.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1113847&Category=Political%20NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 16:39:52 GMTA new poll released by Public Policy Polling on Sunday showed that Conservative Doug Hoffman has a sizable lead over Democrat Bill Owens in New York State's 23rd Congressional District. The poll, which surveyed 1,747 likely voters from the 23rd district October 31 - November 1, showed Hoffman with 51% support among voters compared to 34% for Owens. Dede Scozzafava, who has since withdrawn from the race, held 13%.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1113767&Category=Political%20NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 15:18:46 GMTAfghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared incumbent President Hamid Karzai elected, after it canceled a second round of the presidential election scheduled for November 7. Announcing the decision at a press conference in Kabul Monday, IEC chairman Azizullah Ludin said it came to the decision because Karzai won the most votes in the first round on August 20 and the constitution mandates that a runoff be held between two candidates. Karzai had effectively secured a secohttp://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1113438&Category=Political%20NewsMon, 02 Nov 2009 12:18:19 GMTNew Jersey has the right man at the helm, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday when he took time out of a busy schedule to put in a appearance at a political rally Sunday on behalf of Governor Jon Corzine.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1112869&Category=Political%20NewsSun, 01 Nov 2009 22:04:59 GMTA White House report released Friday indicated that the $787 billion economic stimulus and recovery act has saved or created at least 640,000 jobs, with Vice President Joe Biden suggesting that the number could be as high as 1 million. Biden, flanked by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, said that reports from recipients of the federal funds indicated that the stimulus had directly saved or created 640,329 jobs.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1112565&Category=Political%20NewsFri, 30 Oct 2009 20:05:44 GMTPresident Barack Obama announced Friday that he will lift the travel ban that prevented those with HIV from entering the United States. In remarks made before signing a bill to extend the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, Obama said his administration would publish a final rule on Monday that eliminates the travel ban effective just after the New Year.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1112439&Category=Political%20NewsFri, 30 Oct 2009 17:52:47 GMTDr. Regina Benjamin received Senate confirmation late Thursday to serve as U.S. surgeon general, making her only the third African-American to hold the position. She was nominated for the position by President Barack Obama back on July 13 and received unanimous approval during the confirmation vote Thursday night.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1112368&Category=Political%20NewsFri, 30 Oct 2009 16:21:32 GMTSenator Mike Johanns, R-Neb., wrote an op-ed piece for the Omaha World-Herald Friday in which he voiced his concerns about the healthcare reform bill making its way to the Senate floor that would allow states to "opt out" of a national government-run insurance plan.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1112362&Category=Political%20NewsFri, 30 Oct 2009 16:14:03 GMTRepresentatives of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya finally reached an agreement with the interim government of president Roberto Micheletti that ousted him in a June 28 coup, paving the way for an end to the dispute between the rivals, and possibly Zelaya's reinstatement. The Organization of American States (OAS) announced Thursday night that Zelaya agreed to sign a pact Friday with Micheletti so as to end the political crisis in the impoverished Central American country.http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1111857&Category=Political%20NewsFri, 30 Oct 2009 11:22:34 GMT