White House on Defensive as Schumer Warns AIG

(NEWSER) - President Obama wants to put the so-called dark markets under control, the New York Times reports, seeking congressional approval to regulate the byzantine world of derivatives trading—which played a large role in the current financial mess. In a letter to lawmakers, Treasury chief Timothy Geithner calls for an oversight system to be run either by the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. More»

Prez, Geithner must quit 'coddling' Wall Street: Dowd

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama said her husband would be pulling garden weeds whether he “liked it or not”—and the president could take a page from her book, writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times. Obama and the Treasury secretary “have been coddling the Wall Street elite,” and the banking bigwigs are taking advantage, heedlessly throwing money around like nothing’s changed. More»

AIG bonuses is latest of Tim's failings: Mack

(NEWSER) - The AIG bonus flap is the last straw for Rep. Connie Mack, who today called for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to resign or be fired, USA Today reports. “The scandal is but the latest fiasco under his watch,” said the Florida Republican, the first among GOP congressmen to demand Geithner’s departure ousting. President Obama says he still has “complete confidence” in his appointee. More»

(NEWSER) - All the hubbub around AIG and its bonuses is “a complete farce,” Larry Kudlow writes in the National Review. No one should be surprised that those in charge have “completely bungled” the situation. “The government shouldn’t run anything, because it cannot run anything,” Kudlow writes. And the Obama administration was “undoubtedly informed” about the bonuses months ago. More»

President says he, Geithner will press executives on issue

(NEWSER) - President Obama denounced huge bonuses to Wall Street executives as “the height of irresponsibility” given the country’s economic hardship, the AP reports. Responding to news that financial firms paid out $18 billion in bonuses last year, Obama described the firms’ actions as “shameful” and vowed that he and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will meet with Wall Street CEOs to make the point in person. More»