US Political Correspondent, Financial Times
US political correspondent for the Financial Times
PROFILE
Anna Fifield
Guest
FROM Anna Fifield
Which Way, L.A.?
The Lame Duck Congress and the Republican Agenda President Obama has invited future House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to the White House two weeks from today, while the lame duck session of the current Congress is trying to deal with unfinished business.
To the Point
The New Congress and the Old One's Unfinished Business Republicans claim a voter mandate to cut federal spending, but what programs do they have in mind? The big gorillas are Medicare and Social Security . President Bush's prescription drug plan will cost more over 10 years than Obama's stimulus and health plans combined. Will they reduce defense spending or cut back on the war in Afghanistan? What about the lame-duck session of the current Congress starting in ten days? Not a single appropriation bill has been passed. The Bush tax cuts are set to expire. Nuclear arms cuts with Russia are on the table. President Obama has invited future House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to the White House two weeks from today, while the lame duck session of the current Congress is trying to deal with unfinished business.
Which Way, L.A.?
BP Attempts to Plug Well: Endless Oil and Endless Blame BP has begun implementing " Top Kill ," to stop the Gulf oil gusher with mud under high pressure. Meantime, there's new evidence of warning signs before the explosion and more testimony that federal rules for deep sea drilling amounted to self-regulation. Pressure is building on the Obama Administration to take more decisive action, but there are doubts that it has the expertise or the technology.
To the Point
BP Attempts to Plug Well: Endless Oil, Endless Blame BP is preparing for " Top Kill ," using mud to plug the broken oil well, if it concludes that high pressure won't cause new leaks in a weakened system. The company puts the chance of success between 60 and 70%. Meantime, there's new evidence of warning signs before the explosion and more testimony that federal rules for deep sea drilling amounted to self-regulation. Pressure is building on the Obama Administration to take more decisive action, but there are doubts that it has the expertise or the technology. We get a progress report on "Top Kill," update investigative hearings and hear what's happening to the habitats of fish, birds and people.
Recommended
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.