Politics - Bloomberg

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said he is “very close” to deciding on a new course for the war in Afghanistan that will set clear benchmarks for the Afghan government and a strategy to end U.S. involvement there.

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to give fellow Democrats details of his proposal to overhaul U.S. health care even as lawmakers raise concerns over issues from abortion to a government-run insurance program.

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Former Republican congressman Rob Simmons, seeking a U.S. Senate seat from Connecticut, called on Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to resign over his role in the bailout of insurer American International Group Inc.

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government identified $98 billion in erroneous or fraudulent payments made during the 2009 fiscal year, up from $72 billion the previous year, White House budget chief Peter Orszag said yesterday.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Representative Pete Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said party members have asked for a quick congressional investigation of a “systemic breakdown” of intelligence that might have helped prevent the Fort Hood shootings.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate advanced a federal appeals court nomination by President Barack Obama amid Democratic concern over the pace of filling judicial vacancies.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration plans to announce today an effort by multiple government agencies to combat financial fraud, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- A plan for reducing America’s long- term federal budget deficits will be “a key component” of President Barack Obama’s annual State of the Union address in January, according to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Joseph Lieberman was re-elected to the U.S. Senate as a political independent after Connecticut Democrats snubbed him in 2006. Now, he’s living up to that designation as a potential obstacle to President Barack Obama’s top priority, health care.

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said he is “very close” to deciding on a new course for the war in Afghanistan that will set clear benchmarks for the Afghan government and a strategy to end U.S. involvement there.

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he’s close to unveiling legislation to overhaul the U.S. health-care system even as fellow Democrats raise concerns over issues from abortion to a government-run insurance plan.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- White House budget chief Peter Orszag said the government needs to reduce the federal budget deficit to a “sustainable” level of about 3 percent of U.S. gross domestic product within six years.

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao left their formal meetings in Beijing yesterday with promises of increased cooperation amid lingering friction over currency, trade and human rights.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- New York lawmakers and Governor David Paterson said they continue negotiations on a plan to narrow a $10 billion budget deficit over the next 17 months and solve a December cash squeeze.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she expects the Senate to pass an overhaul of U.S. health care next month and President Barack Obama prefers taxing high-end medical plans to help pay for the revamp.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama called on Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao to make good on a commitment to allow the yuan to appreciate to help prevent trade imbalances that exacerbated the global economic crisis.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour opened a new state budget season in the U.S. by proposing a $5.5 billion spending plan that would reduce expenditure next year by 12 percent, or $715 million.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- New York lawmakers and Governor David Paterson said they continue to negotiate a plan to narrow a $10 billion budget deficit over the next 17 months and solve a December cash squeeze.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka proposed that the government spend as much as $3 trillion on schools and highway repairs to help create jobs, and said the U.S. should start a Troubled Asset Relief Program for small and medium-sized businesses.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao said they focused on areas where their two governments can cooperate during a first round of meetings in Beijing today.

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- A month after New York Governor David Paterson proposed a plan to solve a December cash squeeze and narrow a $10 billion budget deficit over the next 17 months, lawmakers convened in the capital of Albany today with no agreement in sight.

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, should be voted off the board of Sunrise Senior Living Inc. for failing in his oversight duties during an accounting scandal, two shareholder advisory companies said.

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration is proposing that the federal government oversee safety regulations for subway and light-rail systems in the wake of several accidents that killed or injured passengers.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- China’s military is close to fielding the world’s first anti-ship ballistic missile, according to U.S. Navy intelligence.

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid is trying to craft health-care legislation that will bridge divisions within his own party over issues such as whether to set up a public insurance program and how to pay for the plan.

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- New York Governor David Paterson’s popularity remains low and he would lose to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary race by 75 percent to 16 percent, a Siena Research Institute poll shows.

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said a deeper relationship between the U.S. and China is critical to the economic prosperity of both countries and essential to confronting global issues such as climate change.

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co., signaling confidence in its recovery from bankruptcy, said it generated $3.3 billion in cash in the third quarter and plans to start repaying government loans early.