CQ Politics' Web Picks

Bloomberg: Unions Win Fast Under Obama

Boston Red Sox All-Star Kevin Youkilis had to reveal his appearance fees, and actress Morgan Fairchild was forced to report corporate-paid trips. They were among about 7,000 union officials covered by financial disclosure rules tightened by the Bush administration. Labor leaders say the requirements amount to harassment and want President Barack Obama to ease them.

Boston Globe: GOP Makes Pelosi Focus in Stimulus Fight

House Republican leaders have become comfortable rejecting the cornerstone of President Obama's plan to resuscitate the economy by portraying it as the work of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom they have long demonized as an ideologically extreme, heavy-handed lawmaker. By resurrecting a favorite villain of the pre-Obama era, Republicans have found their footing as an opposition party with complex loyalties, allying with the president who calls for bipartisan consensus while standing up to the House leadership pushing his priorities through.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Plan Light on Details

In unveiling President Obama's long-promised strategy for reviving the nation's moribund financial system, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner on Tuesday offered few details on such crucial issues as helping homeowners avoid foreclosure or clearing away the toxic securities at the heart of the banking crisis.

Washington Times: Obama Stakes Presidency on Stimulus

President Obama on Tuesday for the first time staked his fledgling presidency on pulling the country from its economic crisis, promising dispirited Floridians that his stimulus plan will produce tangible results such as jobs and tuition credits or he'll be ousted from office in 2012.

New York Times: Open-Door Bailout

Leave it to a brainy Indian to come up with the cheapest and surest way to stimulate our economy: immigration, writes columnist Thomas L. Friedman. "All you need to do is grant visas to two million Indians, Chinese and Koreans," said Shekhar Gupta, editor of The Indian Express newspaper. "We will buy up all the subprime homes. We will work 18 hours a day to pay for them."

Wall Street Journal: Battered Nonprofits Seek to Tap Nest Eggs

Universities, museums and other nonprofits battered by investment losses are pushing states to ease legal limits on spending so they can tap their endowments to avoid imminent layoffs and deep cuts to programs.

Washington Post: Stimulus Debate Shines Light on Health IT Job

Former New York lieutenant governor Betsy McCaughey has caused a stir with a Bloomberg op-ed that raises questions about parts of the economic stimulus package concerning health care and the Department of Health and Human Services.