by Frank James
A quick guided tour of some of the morning’s most important or interesting (or both) Washington-related stories.
The United Autoworkers and General Motors reached a tentative agreement, ending a two-day strike by 73,000 workers. The UAW agreed to assume the cost of retiree health care while the carmaker agreed to take steps towards job security for many workers.
President Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used their appearances at a particularly drama-filled meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to indirectly outline their differences, with Bush calling for the UN to do more to promote human rights and Ahmadinejad saying the issue of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear technology was ‘closed.’
The Supreme Court decided to take up two cases that could impact on the 2008 elections, the issue of the lawfulness of voter identification laws like those in Indiana and whether the chemicals currently used for executions is constitutional or constitute “cruel and unusual” punishment.Sunni insurgents in Iraq have launched a new campaign to kill police officers, police chiefs, tribal leaders and other officials.
The military regime in Myanmar, formerly Burma, began a crackdown More Top Picks Best Sewing Machines For Fashion Designers
The State Department’s use of private security guards from Blackwater USA has caused tensions to rise between diplomats and the U.S. military which wants the foreign service to exert more control over the contractors.
The House approved an expansion of a children’s health insurance program, with 45 Republicans joining most of the Democrats, to vote for the $35 billion bill over a veto threat from President Bush.
Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign may be dinged by the untidy financial dealings of some of former President Bill Clinton’s associates, as illustrated by a dubious investment arrangement involving a former presidential aide.
News about the housing market continued to worsen, with one measure indicating that inventories of unsold homes hit its highest level in 18 years.
The Transportation Security Administration is watching the behavior of travelers passing through airports more closely, looking for nervousness and other patterns that could signal trouble in a way similar to what’s done by Israeli security officials.