To the Point
Finance Reform and Confirmation Hearings
Even veterans of election-year partisanship were surprised when a joint committee of the House and the Senate reached a compromise last week on finance reform. President Obama declared it the biggest restraint on Wall Street since the Great Depression, and said he wanted to sign it by the Fourth of July. We hear what's in the bill and assess its chances. Also, confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan and General David Petraeus as commander in Afghanistan.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenEven veterans of election-year partisanship were surprised when a joint committee of the House and the Senate reached a compromise last week on finance reform. President Obama declared it the biggest restraint on Wall Street since the Great Depression, and said he wanted to sign it by the Fourth of July. We hear what's in the bill and assess its chances. Also, Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing finally gets down to questions and answers. We also update General David Petraeus' confirmation hearing as commander in Afghanistan.
Banner image: US Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan testifies on the second day of her confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill on June 29, 2010 in Washington, DC. Photo: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesSenate Confirmation Hearing for Petraeus to Lead Afghan War
General David Petraeus also faced a Senate committee today, for a hearing on his appointment as US commander in Afghanistan. Petraeus said he had agreed with the plan to begin a draw-down of troops by July of next year, but insisted it was not his idea. Peter Spiegel is national security correspondent for the Wall Street Journal .
Read the story8 minKagan in the Spotlight
After yesterday's opening statements , the Senate Judiciary Committee today got down to the business of interrogating Elena Kagan , the President's latest nominee for the US Supreme Court.
Read the story15 minFinance Reform under the Microscope
President Obama calls the finance reform compromise the biggest thing of its kind since the Great Depression, and he wants it on his desk by the Fourth of July. But the sudden death of Robert Byrd means one less Democratic vote in the Senate, and familiar questions are being raised all over again. Could banks still be "too big to fail?"
Read the story27 min
