CNN Political Ticker

Stimulus money needs to be spent faster, Dems say

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:06:02 +0000

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Sunday that the president's $787 billion dollar stimulus plan was taking too long to create jobs in the struggling economy. (CNN) — A leading congressional Democrat and Republican both expressed disappointment Sunday with the pace of the government's economic stimulus program, but offered differing views on whether it was a [...]

State of the Union: Did Palin make the right move?

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:05:52 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Three of CNN's political contributors weighed in Sunday as pols and pundits alike continued to try to digest the implications of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's surprise announcement that will she will step down later this month. In deciding to leave office early, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said, on CNN's State of the Union, [...]

Queen Noor: We are approaching a nuclear tipping point

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:20:41 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – On the eve of one-on-one talks between President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Kremlin, one of the founders of Global Zero, an initiative aimed at ridding the planet of nuclear weapons, said the time was now to do away with the weapons. “We have two paths,” Queen Noor of Jordan [...]

Mullen on North Korea

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:40:41 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A day after reported short-range missile tests by North Korea, one of President Obama’s top military adviserS said it was possible the regime could be preparing to test longer range missiles capable of reaching the United States. “Certainly there are possibilities there,” Adm. Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [...]

Palin attorney warns media over 'defamatory' charges

rsinderbrand — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:31:40 +0000

In a memo circulated to reporters Saturday evening, an attorney warned that the Palins will go to court if others re-publish allegations of wrongdoing already published by certain Web sites including one run by a liberal Alaska blogger. (CNN) – As Gov. Sarah Palin blasted the media Saturday in a tough Facebook post, her attorney delivered [...]

Mullen on Afghanistan, Iraq

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:21:50 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Obama administration is committed to providing enough additional troops in Afghanistan, one of President Obama’s senior military advisers says. In an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that he, Obama, and retired Gen. Jim Jones, Obama’s [...]

Reliable Sources Web Exclusive: Pitney v. Milbank, the aftermath

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:12:49 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Watch as CNN's Howard Kurtz follows up on a recent dust-up between the Huffington Post's Nico Pitney and the Washington Post's Dana Milbank.

Rove: Palin's resignation lacks clear strategy

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:09:22 +0000

Republican strategist Karl Rove said Sunday that Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to step down risky and not clear. (CNN) — The "architect" of George W. Bush's successful presidential campaigns has questions about Sarah Palin's resignation as governor. "It's a risky strategy," Republican campaign mastermind Karl Rove told "Fox News Sunday." Palin's unexpected announcement Friday that she [...]

Biden: Isolation policy working in North Korea

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:23:53 +0000

(CNN) – There are signs that the international policy to isolate North Korea from its traditional allies is working, despite the Pyongyang regime's weekend firing of seven-short range missiles toward the Sea of Japan, Vice President Joe Biden says. In an interview broadcast Sunday on the ABC program "This Week," Biden called efforts by the [...]

State of the Union: Volunteering in inner-city D.C.

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:00:31 +0000

Related: Need for volunteers obvious in D.C.'s inner-city schools

Biden: U.S. intends to meet Iraq withdrawal timetable

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:36:32 +0000

The vice president visited with U.S. troops during his recent visit to Iraq — including with his son, Army Capt. Beau Biden, pictured here with the vice president. (CNN) — The U.S. government intends to have all its troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011, and it's up to the Iraqis to make that [...]

State of the Union: Powell on Sotomayor, affirmative action

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:44:23 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – One of the country’s most prominent African-American Republicans says the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor should not be derailed because of her ruling in a high-profile case that raised the issue of affirmative action. “What we can’t continue to have is to have somebody like a Judge Sotomayor, who is announced, [...]

History will have to make a judgment on Iraq, Powell says

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:34:52 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says history will make the ultimate judgment on whether the U.S. war in Iraq was worth its costs – in both taxpayer dollars and American lives. “A dictator is gone. A despicable regime is gone,” the former Secretary of State under George W. Bush said Sunday [...]

State of the Union: Powell on America's Promise

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:15:20 +0000

Related: Need obvious for volunteers in D.C.'s inner-city schools

D.C.'s Marion Barry arrested again

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:50:04 +0000

Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was arrested July 4 and charged with stalking, police said. WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former D.C. mayor, now Washington councilman, Marion Barry has been arrested again. On July 4, the U.S. Park Police arrested Barry and charged him with misdemeanor stalking. About 8:45 p.m. in Anacostia Park, a Washington woman flagged down a Park [...]

Palin: 'The media will never understand'

rsinderbrand — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:49:57 +0000

Sarah Palin blasted the 'main stream media' in a July 4 message posted on Facebook. (CNN) – In an Independence Day message to supporters, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she was leaving office for a "higher calling" and blasted the "main stream media" for failing to understand her decision. "How sad that Washington and the media will [...]

McCain weighs in on Palin decision

rsinderbrand — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:22:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, released a statement following his former running mate Sarah Palin's decision to step down as Alaska governor: "I have the greatest respect and affection for Sarah, Todd, and their family. I was deeply honored to have her as my running mate and believe she [...]

Biden on Palin: 'I take her at her word'

CNN's Jeff Simon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:35:34 +0000

Joe Biden says that he's not going to second guess Sarah Palin's decision to resign as governor of Alaska. (CNN) – Joe Biden said Saturday that he's not going to second guess Sarah Palin's decision to step down as governor of Alaska at the end of the month. The vice president would not speculate on what led [...]

Sen. Murkowski: 'Disappointed' Palin decided to 'abandon' Alaska

rsinderbrand — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:29:56 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — daughter of Frank Murkowski, who was defeated by Sarah Palin in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary — released a statement Friday after the governor announced her decision to leave office by the end of the month. Full text: “I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided [...]

Fourth of July 'tea party' demonstrations come to Washington

CNN's Jeff Simon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:02:14 +0000

Roughly 2,000 small-government, anti-tax activists gathered in Washington, D.C. Saturday, part of the latest wave of nationwide "Tea Party" demonstrations to protest the fiscal policies of the Obama administration. (PHOTO CREDIT: Cody Combs/CNN) WASHINGTON (CNN) – Instead of celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with barbecues and sparklers, about 2,000 small-government advocates, toting signs and [...]

Sanford to return to SC on Sunday

CNN's Jeff Simon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:52:47 +0000

Gov. Mark Sanford will return to South Carolina on Sunday after spending the weekend with his family in Florida. COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) — Gov. Mark Sanford will return to South Carolina on Sunday after spending two days with his wife and four boys in Florida, according to his office. Sanford departed Columbia on Friday. The visit marked [...]

Alaska's soon-to-be governor praises Palin

CNN's Jeff Simon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:41:44 +0000

(CNN) — Alaskan Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who will succeed Gov. Sarah Palin after she leaves office later this month, called the governor Alaska's greatest gift to the United States on Saturday. "I was very surprised at first," he said of Palin's decision to resign, which he said she told him Wednesday. "But then [...]

Palin aide: ‘People are focused on bringing her down’

rsinderbrand — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:28:49 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A spokeswoman for Sarah Palin blamed the swarm of ethics complaints that have dogged the Alaska governor for Friday's surprise announcement that she would be leaving office by the end of the month. When the former Republican vice presidential candidate returned to Alaska after the campaign and pressed her agenda, "she found…resistance, and [...]

Biden on July Fourth: Swearing in troops, cursing 'S.O.B.' Saddam

CNN's Jeff Simon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:42:57 +0000

Vice President Joe Biden spoke to troops in Baghdad on July 4. BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) – Vice President Joe Biden enjoyed a star-spangled Fourth of July in Baghdad, where he celebrated American patriotism and mocked the ubiquitous ghost of Saddam Hussein. He presided at a naturalization ceremony, where over 237 U.S. service members were sworn [...]

Obama: 'We did not get here by doing what was easy'

CNN's Jeff Simon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:49:22 +0000

President Obama gives his weekly address. WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Barack Obama pointed to the "spirit of America" to make the case for his domestic agenda in his Independence Day radio and Web broadcast. He said the same "unyielding spirit" that drove the pioneers and Depression-era workers was needed now to push for a national health care [...]

McCain: History has a 'right side and a wrong side'

CNN's Jeff Simon — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:32:06 +0000

Sen. John McCain gave the GOP's weekly radio address. WASHINGTON (CNN) – The United States was founded on the idea that "history has a right side and a wrong side," Arizona Sen. John McCain said in the weekly Republican address broadcast on the Fourth of July. "We share a kinship of ideals with every man and woman [...]

Hillary Clinton 'elbowed' aside?

CNN's Jeff Simon — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:19:15 +0000

The State Department told CNN that Hillary Clinton has not been sidelined by her broken elbow. WASHINGTON (CNN) – Washington is a town where a sharp elbow is almost a job requirement. The ability to nudge political rivals off-balance and fight for bureaucratic turf can boost a career. So it's easy to understand why the State [...]

Republicans react to Palin news

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:51:48 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Republican Governors Association released a statement Friday in response to the Palin announcement: RGA Statement on Governor Palin’s Announcement Republican Governors Association Executive Director Nick Ayers issued the following statement in regards to Sarah Palin’s announcement today that she will not seek reelection in 2010 and will step down from the [...]

Palin to step down as governor, not seeking re-election

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:45:34 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday that she will step down as Alaska's chief executive by the end of the month. She will not seek election to a second gubernatorial term in 2010. Palin, a Republican, was elected governor in 2006. She was tapped as Arizona Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate [...]

DNC reacts: Palin decision 'continues a pattern of bizarre behavior'

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:29:49 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Democratic National Committee immediately slammed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to leave office early. DNC Spokesman Brad Woodhouse: "Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and [...]

GOP source: Palin decided it was 'time to move on'

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:03:04 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday she would not seek a second term and would soon step down as governor. A Republican source close to her political team told CNN that it was a “calculation” she made that “it was time to move on.” The governor’s “book deal and other issues” was “causing [...]

Palin: ‘I look forward to helping others’

CNN's Jeff Simon — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:02:18 +0000

(CNN) – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s office released a statement Friday, minutes after she announced her decision to step down from office at the end of the month, listing the “Selected Accomplishments of the Palin Administration.” Full Palin statement after the jump July 3, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin announced today that she will not [...]

First on the Ticker: Palin will not run for re-election

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:04:05 +0000

GOP sources tell CNN Palin will not seek re-election. WASHINGTON (CNN) – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is expected to announce Friday that she will not seek a second term, three sources tell CNN. Palin has scheduled a 3 p.m. ET news conference at her home in Wasilla. The governor’s office offered no further details about the subject [...]

State of the Union: Powell 'concerned' about Obama's agenda

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:53:01 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – In a wide-ranging interview set to air Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, one of President Barack Obama's most prominent Republican supporters says he is 'concerned' about the new president's ambitious agenda and the high price tags accompanying many of Obama's initiatives. "I'm a little concerned," former Secretary of State Colin Powell [...]

Palin to make announcement Friday

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:07:45 +0000

(CNN) – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's office said Friday she planned to make an announcement 11 am local time at her Wasilla home.

Health care: Will 'pay or play' chase employers away?

CNN's Jeff Simon — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:30:39 +0000

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — It is one of the touchiest issues in the health care debate: Would a government-run health plan upend the employer-based health insurance system used by 160 million Americans? Senate Democrats behind a key proposal released Thursday say the answer is no. Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn., say their plan would [...]

Sanford leaves to visit family in Florida

CNN's Jeff Simon — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:02:56 +0000

‘Gov. Mark Sanford will spend the July 4 holiday in Florida with his family. COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) — Gov. Mark Sanford has left the governor's mansion and is on his way to visit his family in Florida, his office said Friday. Sanford departed the mansion, where he has spent much of the last 48 hours, in [...]

Cash-poor California turns to IOUs

CNN's Jeff Simon — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:30:57 +0000

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – Here come the California IOUs. Unable to meet its bills for the second time this year, the state started printing IOUs on Thursday. Some 28,750 IOUs worth $53.3 million will be issued initially, mainly for personal income tax refunds. The IOUs helps the state controller stave off a deficit of nearly $3 billion [...]

CNN Radio Political Notebook

CNN's Jeff Simon — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:00:30 +0000

Who "owns" the war and the economy? CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley and CNN's John Lisk take a closer look. To subscribe to this podcast go to cnn.com/podcast

Poll: Recession taking toll on Ohio governor

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:15:47 +0000

(CNN) — A new poll of Ohio voters indicates that the recession is taking a toll on Gov. Ted Strickland's approval rating, and could make his bid for re-election next year more difficult. Forty-six percent of those questioned in a Quinnipiac University survey released Friday say they approve of how Strickland's handling his duties as governor [...]

Kremlin: U.S. can ship weapons across Russia to Afghanistan

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:32:46 +0000

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) – Russia will allow the United States to ship weapons across its air space to Afghanistan, Kremlin spokesman Alex Pavlov said Friday. Pavlov said he doesn't know when the policy will take effect, but imagines the details will come out when presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev meet Monday and Tuesday in [...]

Homeland Security chief visiting Pakistan, meeting with leaders

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:51:35 +0000

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is meeting with Pakistani leaders Friday. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, on a visit to Pakistan, discussed with Pakistani leaders the fight against terrorism, as well as how the two countries share information, she said Friday. "The key concept is, you just can't start protecting [...]

Jenny Sanford speaks out

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Jenny Sanford released a statement Thursday about her husband’s affair. (CNN) — Jenny Sanford, wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, is speaking out in a new statement about her husband's affair. "Mark showed a lack of judgment in his recent actions as governor. However, his far more egregious offenses were committed against God, the institutions of [...]

State of the Union: Celebrate Michael Jackson's art, says Powell

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:30:56 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Even as the controversy that often followed Michael Jackson in life continues after his unexpected death, the country should instead celebrate Jackson's vast body of work, Colin Powell says in an interview set to air Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. "He was a great entertainer and he crossed so many lines [...]

State of the Union: Powell on the meaning of July 4

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:30:28 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – In an interview set to air Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, former Secretary of State Colin Powell shares with CNN's John King what the national independence holiday means to him. "July 4th still represents a remarkable date for us to stall or stop and reflect on what our founding fathers achieved [...]

Disney adds President Obama to attraction

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:51:23 +0000

ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) – He looks like President Barack Obama, speaks like him, and even gestures like him, but he is not exactly the President of the United States. This president is an audio-animatronic Obama surrounded by the 42 other U.S. presidents at Walt Disney World's newly re-vamped Hall of Presidents in Orlando, [...]

CNN Poll: Half of all Americans are Michael Jackson fans

rsinderbrand — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:00:06 +0000

Half of those questioned in a new poll said they are fans of the king of pop. WASHINGTON (CNN) – Roughly half of all Americans say they are fans of Michael Jackson — but there are big gender and generation gaps when it comes to the king of pop, according to a new national poll. Fifty-one percent [...]

Jenny Sanford speaks out

CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:23:21 +0000

Justice Dept. again delays release of CIA interrogations report

CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:22:34 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Justice Department informed a federal court Thursday that it now needs until the end of August to complete its review of a CIA internal investigation of its controversial interrogation and detention program. In a letter to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, Justice officials said the 2004 Inspector General's report had to be considered in [...]

Does this thing look like that thing?

CNN's Jeff Simon — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:49:11 +0000

(CNN) – Les Otten, a 2010 Republican candidate for the governorship in Maine, is getting slammed by the state's Democratic party for launching a campaign Web site that looks eerily similar to that of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign Web site. The similarities between the two sites include the fonts, the page layouts and the campaign emblems [...]