Today's Highlights
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House may Vote today on Rangel Censure
Today
House members are expected to vote this afternoon on whether to censure Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) after he was found guilty of 11 ethical violations by a House inquiry last month. Read More »
Before the vote, there is scheduled to be debate on the motion and Rangel may make an address on the House floor asking for a reprimand as a substitute punishment. If censure is approved, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) would give a verbal rebuke while the Congressman stands before his colleagues in the well of the chamber.
The House Ethics Committee recommended the action against the 20-term Democrat for his financial misconduct and also that he pay back unpaid taxes accrued over the years.
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Defense leaders on hill to discuss "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Today
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are facing questions on the Pentagon’s review of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
In his opening remarks, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the ranking member on the committee, said that the review report was flawed and that he continues to have reservations about changing the policy at this time.
The 10-month review, released on Tuesday, supports Sec. Gates’ efforts to overturn the current 17-year-old law, which bans gay, lesbian or bisexual service members from serving openly in the military. It included a survey of service members on the perceived impact of lifting the ban and concluded that lifting the policy will not negatively affect military operations.
Tomorrow, the committee will get personal views from the chiefs of staff of the Army, Air Force and the Navy, as well as the commandants of the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard.
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Oil Commission looks into Safety and Regulatory oversight of Deepwater Drilling
Today
The presidential commission investigating the cause of the Gulf Coast oil spill gathers today to discuss preliminary findings regarding the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion.
Earlier, Commission Senior Scientist Richard Sears said that there were problems with the entire Macondo well team and a number of decisions increased the risk on the well. Nancy Keet, a program director at the World Resources Institute, said that Halliburton’s tests on the cement consistently failed, but they still allowed the cementing on the well to go forward. She also noted that Transocean has safety culture problems.
This is the sixth series of meetings to determine the root causes of the worst oil spill in U.S. history; the afternoon session features testimony from additional experts on drilling in the Arctic and the overall oil spill response.
The commission staff released reports last week concluding that the federal government was not prepared to provide sufficient cleanup supervision and the oil industry was also unprepared to respond to a deepwater oil blowout.
The seven-member BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling commission was created by President Obama in May to make recommendations on how to prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spills that result from offshore drilling.
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Recent Programs
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The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on so-called mini health insurance policies. These policies pay for basic medical expenses, but also include strict spending caps. Once those caps are reached, patients must pay for medical expenses out-of-pocket. Witnesses at this hearing include the Chief Human Resources Officer of McDonald’s, which offers its employees mini insurance policies.
Washington, DC
: 1 hr. 56 min.
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 Hearing on Mini-Policies
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Former Secretary of State Colin Powell urged the Senate to ratify the new START treaty which would scale down U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. Those comments came after an Oval Office meeting with President Obama. The President began by praising Mr. Powell’s work on education issues.
Washington, DC
: 11 min.
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Pres. Obama & Fmr. Sec. of State Powell
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White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs conducted a daily briefing at the White House. He said he believes Congress has enough time to take up the START treaty, the DREAM Act and other issues despite Senate Republicans' threats to block all action on everything except tax policy and the federal budget.
Washington, DC
: 42 min.
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White House Briefing
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The House Foreign Affairs Committee heard from two top State and Treasury Department officials about the effectiveness of U.S. and United Nations sanctions on Iran. The sanctions are aimed at slowing that nation’s nuclear program. The hearing comes a week before diplomats from Iran, the U.S., China and several European nations meet in Geneva to discuss the Iranian nuclear program.
Washington, DC
: 2 hr. 39 min.
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House Hearing: From Earlier
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Prime Minister David Cameron participated in the weekly Question Time before the British House of Commons. He talked about a number of domestic issues, including education, crime, and the British bid to host an upcoming World Cup soccer tournament.
Washington, DC
: 32 min.
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Prime Minister's Questions
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) will attend negotiations over the Bush era tax cuts. Senator Reid starts by introducing Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who will be taking over as Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman.
Washington, DC
: 6 min.
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Senate Democrats
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Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and other Senate Republicans spoke to members of the press after attending their weekly party policy lunch on Capitol Hill. Topics discussed include the Bush tax cuts and the START treaty with Russia.
Washington, DC
: 4 min.
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Senate GOP Leaders
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This Week on C-SPAN
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Today at 2:15pm (ET)
on
C-SPAN3
Senate Hearing on International Aviation Screening Standards
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Sunday at 8pm (ET)
on
C-SPAN
Q&A: John F. Burns, New York Times London Bureau Chief
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