The Hill Articles: May 8, 2012

Treasury nominee: Tax reform proposal not in the works Low student loan interest rates in limbo after Democrats’ bill stalls in Senate Lobbying World Reports: Alleged al Qaeda bomber was US double agent Lugar defeated in Indiana GOP primary Senate to consider Dems’ student interest rate legislation again Mitt Romney wins Indiana primary Senators want more info on report alleging failures protecting DoD whistleblowers OVERNIGHT BALLOT BOX: Lugar’s tough fight GOP lawmakers split as House votes down $1.4B in spending cuts Famke Janssen OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Keystone battle animates launch of highway bill talks The French elections and the future of the Franco-American relationship Mauritian Amb. Soborun and Zambian Amb. Siwela: Protect jobs supported by US-Africa textile trade Come together on education OVERNIGHT HEALTH: GOP budget bill under fire for cuts to children Swing
states Senator gets increased security after ‘kill’ comment at rally A Romney landslide OVERNIGHT MONEY: Export-Import Bank reauthorization hits the House floor Obama ad hits Romney over auto bailout claims Highway conference gets off to slow start OVERNIGHT TECH: Industry presses Obama for tough intellectual property protections Franken chides embattled medical debt collector for dragging feet on questions Education reform action needed now Patchwork of accountability could leave students behind McCain: Second Colombia briefing ‘dramatic improvement’ Cutting dropout rate in our schools starts on Day One Congress members tweet about favorite teachers Student loans latest casualty of politics DAYS END ROUNDUP To fix student loans, respect education Democrats bash Republicans for blocking student loan bill The bullying epidemic: What’s next GOP Rep. Duffy takes his hatchet to YouTube Weyants World: May 9, 2012 Democratic House candidate apologizes for offensive mailers Boehner: House will act before election to extend all tax rates House votes to cut DOJ funding to retaliate for ‘Fast and Furious’ Members of the Club: We can all do better Small-business index rebounds in April Lawmakers call for investigations into bomb plot leak Donovan: Congress needs to pass refinancing legislation Obama re-nominates Republican official to nuclear commission Following Pentagon’s lead on clean energy GOP Rep. Duffy takes his hatchet to YouTube Don’t count out the American Community Survey Genachowski fires back at AT&T over price hikes Poll finds Obama opening up 7-point lead nationally over Romney Special counsel: FAA taking too long to respond to aviation safety whistleblowers Redefining political intelligence Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Dictator’ likes Mitt Romney Rothman ties Pascrell to Romney, Chris Christie in new ad New anti-piracy warning to appear before movies Clinton: Al Qaeda’s top commander hiding in Pakistan Romney: Obama’s platform ‘a throwback to the discredited policies of the past’ Energy walks back $4 gas prediction Murdoch tweets back against campaign for FCC probe Top Dem appropriator predicts House, Senate deal returning to Budget Control Act spending levels Chamber of Commerce report urges continued investment in Europe Sen. Kirk releases rehab video, hopes to ‘climb the 45 steps’ to Senate floor DNC attacks Romney as ‘more conservative’ than Santorum Kentucky governor serves up Kansas steak Democrats try to use Romney as leverage in student loan rates fight House GOP freshman to defend Planned Parenthood at presser Top Dem appropriator decries cuts to foreign operations Boeing CEO ‘would like to see more’ from Obama administration Obama: My to-do list for Congress is ‘the size of a Post-it note’ Twitter looks to avoid revealing user’s information to police Former GOP candidate ‘would rather die’ than endorse Obama or Romney Auditor: Identity theft could cost taxpayers $26 billion GOP appropriators ignore Paul Ryan on disaster relief offsets GOP seeks to undercut White House on gas well approvals Rep. Capuano’s nephew stars in record-breaking ‘Avengers’ Sarcastic President Obama tells Congress it’s time to get to work Obama reads ‘Where the Wild Things Are’: ‘I love this book’ Sen. Brown’s campaign calls on Warren to release her law school applications Sen. Harkin threatens hearing for NLRB member in ethics scandal Biden faults Bush for Iran’s nuclear progress Pennsylvania Democrat worried Verizon deal will hurt constituents Hoyer rejects Cantor’s suggestion to extend income tax to poorer Americans House votes to advance spending bill, fix ‘deemed’ GOP budget Former congresswoman reveals hat trick Study: States should limit number of plans in exchanges GOP budget bill to cut youth programs by ‘tens of billions’, says child advocacy group Poll: Obama leads by double digits in swing-state Iowa Auto union president: Romney would not have saved Detroit car companies Mitch Daniels will endorse, fundraise for Tommy Thompson’s Senate bid Rep. Chu: Military ‘perpetual disappointment’ on hazing Obama, Republicans ramp up Hispanic outreach House appropriators release Homeland Security bill Romney mocks Obama for using Julia ‘cartoon’ to sell economic record Biden turns up the heat on Iran Housing prices tick up for first time since July Dems don’t wait to attack Mourdock ahead of likely primary win over Lugar Hoyer expects Cantor to deliver GOP votes on Ex-Im Bank bill VAWA: Standing up for all women Feds accuse Myspace of violating privacy Groups press for Senate hearings on News Corp. scandal A Transatlantic growth agenda US, China pledge cooperation on cybersecurity Hillary Clinton: ‘Being a vice president is kind of like being a first lady’ Lawmakers in tug of war over reforming the Fed Lois Capps’s first ads tout accomplishments, community links GOP eyes $2B State, foreign aid cuts RNC official: Romney still deciding position on immigration reform Van Hollen: Health reform ruling looms over fall budget battles House Republicans lure 
press with Chick-fil-A McConnell: Dem student loan vote a ‘cynical election-year strategy’ Boehner: Iran has ‘global ambitions’ Debate on student loan debt doesn’t go far enough Report: Romney super-PAC receives big money from federal contractors House members call for end to ‘One China’ policy, normal relations with Taiwan Obama presses Congress to extend energy tax incentives Listen live: Obama pressures Congress on jobs at nanotech facility Let’s have a real general election: Democracy for the 100% Obama leads Romney by seven in key swing state of Ohio, poll finds Cantor distances himself from Lugar despite GOP ‘Young Guns’ support HHS announces health law ‘innovation awards’ Unleash our domestic energy Political correctness and the Age of Darkness Democrats mourn ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ author Maurice Sendak on Twitter France’s American colonies Dems slam Romney for taking ‘a lot of credit’ for auto bailouts House Appropriations panel passes defense bill McConnell: Vote on Democrats’ student loan bill a ‘cynical election-year strategy’ FTC looks to force billing company to pay $52 million for bogus charges Strong VAWA protections are win-win for crime victims and law enforcement Reid offers flexibility on student loan votes if Republicans drop filibuster GOP rep. suggests bomb plot intelligence leaked prematurely DSCC locks up $14 million in airtime in 3 swing states Tim Kaine dodges questions on gay marriage Sen. Boxer to car rental companies: Promise not to rent recalled cars Anti-incumbency group to target Rangel Warren Buffett backs Keystone pipeline Panel calls for more active federal role in fight against obesity Larson: ‘Vast majority’ of House Dems with Biden on gay marriage Democratic super-PAC spending $340,000 on race for Giffords seat Early talk about top spot on House Foreign Affairs Committee is not appropriate GOP lawmaker looks to shut down sex trafficking through Backpage.com GOP congressman defends pilots for speaking out about F-22 Romney: ‘I’ll take a lot of credit’ for auto recovery News bites: Yahoo’s CEO apologizes News bites: China getting into deepwater drilling business Arab League chief: Syria on its way to ‘civil war’ News bites: Dreamliner to DCA Lugar makes last-ditch Election Day plea for votes, rules out third-party run Landrieu, Alexander spar over Senate gridlock Rep. King: Al Qaeda plot showed ‘new level of sophistication’ News bites: To-do list Report: Soros expected to contribute $2M to progressive groups News bites: Accretive executive resigns, and more Tuesday’s global agenda: Bye-bye, Lugar — and Senate collegiality? Report: US oil boom won’t end price shocks, military commitment Idealism at work Tea Party sees gains in Senate Ron Paul continues fight for nomination, to the befuddlement of observers Weak campaign, green staff blamed in Lugar’s likely primary loss Colbert super-PAC spending slows Santorum endorses Romney for president MORNING READ Tuesday: Appropriations season opens on the House floor House Budget approves bill turning off sequester Obama not comfortable on gay marriage CIA thwarts al Qaeda plot for anniversary of bin Laden’s death Political upheavals in Europe offer warnings for US elections, economy House GOP seeks austerity Polls: Obama, Romney in dead heat Insiders pessimistic about highway bill talks Union cash floods states to combat Republican agendas Charlie Rangel returns to the House