Sick Puppies Walk To Hospital, Wait In Lobby
Sean Hannity Says If Obama Had His Way, Bin Laden Would Be Alive --…
(March 11) -- With so many news aggregators out there, who can keep up? AOL News filters the filters to steer you to the headlines that really matter.
Skip Those, Read This: The Daily Beast leads with a London Daily Telegraph report indicating Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected peace talks with Israel because Israel says it will expand Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. The settlement announcement came during a visit to the region by Vice President Joseph Biden, who along with other world leaders criticized Israel's plan to build 1,600 new homes in disputed East Jerusalem. Biden was in Tel Aviv Thursday. For updated news on all things Middle East, check out University of Michigan professor Juan Cole's blog.
Pulling Pork: The Huffington Post leads with an Associated Press story on congressional efforts to eliminate earmarks. Democrats want to stop pet projects for corporations, which funnel money to Congress through lobbyists, while Republicans have proposed getting rid of earmarks altogether. (Some earmarks go to nonprofits, including universities.) The Daily Beast picks up a better Washington Post story on the efforts, indicating that the moves are largely electioneering by both parties, which want to appear tough on spending in today's economic climate. The moves will have little effect on reducing spending -- earmarks account for less than $16 billion of the more than $1 trillion a year Congress spends -- but leaders of both parties consider earmark reform a way to take a stand against K Street influence.
Catch of the Day: The Slatest leads with a Rolling Stone story on threats by six Democratic senators to kill health reform unless President Barack Obama abandons his plans for education reform, which target corporate profiteering on government loans for students. As reporter Tim Dickinson explains, "The system essentially operates as a lucrative form of corporate welfare, offering a guaranteed rate of return for banks and other middlemen who provide capital for student loans. The government not only makes all the decisions -- who is eligible for loans, for what amount and at what rate -- but it protects private lenders from virtually any risk: When college students are unable to repay their debts, taxpayers are required by law to reimburse the banks for 97 percent of the losses." Obama wants the government to take on all loan duties, cutting out private middlemen such as Sallie Mae and Nelnet. The opposition to the reform stems from greed (the companies contribute to senators' campaign funds) rather than ideology, Dickinson writes.
School's Out for Spring: The Slatest picks up a Kansas City Star
The Filter: Which Democrats Are Ready to Slay Health Care?
Mar 11, 2010 – 10:29 AM
Occupy Y'All Street: Occupy Charlotte Activist Gambles Everything On The Movement
Foreclosure Settlement Reached: Largest Bank Payout By Far Since Financial Crisis
Washington House Passes Gay Marriage Bill
Santorum Shakes Up Race, But Can He Win?
Conservative Conference Organizers Trying To Avoid Another Ron Paul Straw Poll Win
Syria Crisis: Shelling Rages On As UN Considers Proposal For Joint Mission With Arab League
Maldives Police Issue Warrant For Former President
Donations From Casino Owner Could Embarrass GOP Candidates
Employment Rate For Young Adults Lowest In 60 Years
Americans Prefer Random Assortment Of Strangers To Run Country
Pentagon Recommends Allowing Women To Serve Closer To Front Lines
WATCH: Congressman Sets The Record Straight About Gingrich's 'Food Stamp President' Charge
CNN Suspends Roland Martin For Controversial Tweets
Student Loans Could Be America's Next 'Debt Bomb,' Report Finds
Samsung: Cheaper TVs Coming
Kasich Imitates Parkinson's Patient, Praises 'Hot Wife' In State Of The State
WATCH: JFK Intern Discusses Sordid Details Of Affair
John Boehner Demands Reversal Of Birth Control Rule
Ex-Fannie Mae Employee: Executives 'Philosophically Opposed' To Loan Forgiveness
Shen Tong: Lessons Learned From #OWS
Canadian Pleads Guilty To Terror Charges In New York
AIDS Activists Complain Of Unfair Treatment
