Congress Votes to Stop Stockpiling Oil

Rainy day supply draws debate

(NEWSER) - The government is pumping 60,000 barrels of oil a day into a “rainy day” reserve, but with oil prices at a record high, many argue that it’s already raining. That includes the presidential candidates, all of whom want to at least stop adding to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve—and Hillary Clinton wants to release some of it. But President Bush maintains that the reserve is untouchable. More»

NY governor playing 'mind games' with media in delaying announcement

(NEWSER) - Her rivals for Hillary Clinton’s senate seat believe Caroline Kennedy is “certain” to succeed her, sources close to several contenders tell the New York Post. Gov. David Paterson thinks dissing Kennedy at this point would “greatly embarrass” and “entirely humiliate” her and her family—and potentially displease President-elect Obama, a clan ally. More»

Cuomo brings fundraising advantage, but should Paterson pick a woman?

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton’s secretary of state nomination has left New York Democrats jockeying for her New York senate seat—and gives Gov. David Paterson a little personal political leverage. Though he hasn’t indicated whom he will appoint, the Washington Post lists some key factors and candidates:

• There is pressure to replace Clinton with a woman. Strong candidates include Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Clinton-esque centrist, and Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, a more conservative “blue dog” from Albany.

Lawmakers can't take federal post for which their Congress raised the salary

(NEWSER) - Should Barack Obama nominate Hillary Clinton for secretary of state, the confirmation process could be the least of her worries, the Washington Post reports. The Constitution prohibits any member of Congress from assuming a federal post whose salary has been increased during the lawmaker’s term; cabinet salaries have risen by about $15,000 since Clinton’s current term began. More»

Congress approves weaker version of bill designed to police itself

(AP) - The Senate today sent President Obama a scaled-down bill to explicitly ban members of Congress, the president, and thousands of other federal workers from profiting from nonpublic information learned on the job. In an unusual move, the legislation passed unanimously without a vote on the measure itself. Instead it passed automatically via a procedural maneuver that only Republicans Tom Coburn, Chuck Grassley, and Richard Burr voted against. Obama has said he will sign the bill. More»