Daily Briefing: Loan Rangers By David Hawkings May 25, 2012 – 1:17 p.m. Douglas Graham Sen. Tom Harkin is interviewed before the 2011 State of the Union. To buy this photo, go to: http://roll.cl/cqrcpix It sounded like a throwaway line, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may have genuinely latched on to a good idea yesterday when he suggested the Senate give the job of cutting a student loan deal to just two colleagues: Tom Harkin and Mike Enzi. “They just successfully negotiated a bipartisan FDA bill; let’s see if they can do the same on this,” the minority leader said yesterday — soon after the Democratic chairman and top Republican on the HELP Committee secured a 96-1 vote for their bill to bring the ... Continue reading →

Among the additions are phrases which reflect the spread of technology, such as OMG, a abbreviation of “Oh my God” used in mobile phone texting, and dotbomb for an internet company which has spectacularly failed. Changing obsessions in society are also reflected in the first entries for: Wags – the wives and girlfriends of footballers; muffin top – “a protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers”; and ego-surfing – “searching on the internet for mentions of one’s own name”. The newest addition to the rich variety of English words for being drunk is now lashed (also included as the phrase on the lash), while the happy camper and the domestic goddess should avoid bogus callers, or they might suffer a ... Continue reading →

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Senate Will Consider Paycheck Fairness Act By Ryan Teague Beckwith May 24, 2012 – 4:37 p.m. Archives Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid meets with Lilly Ledbetter in January of 2010. To buy this photo, go to: http://roll.cl/cqrcpix Roll Call: ”Senate Democrats intend to set up a procedural vote after next week’s recess on the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would update the Equal Pay Act signed into law June 10, 1963. … According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women who work full time still earn, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar men earn.” AP: “Food stamp recipients are ripping off the government for millions of dollars by illegally selling their benefit cards for cash — sometimes even in the open, on eBay or Craigslist ... Continue reading →

Daily Briefing: Four on the Floor By David Hawkings May 24, 2012 – 12:47 p.m. Bill Clark Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks during a press conference on a transportation bill. To buy this photo, go to: http://roll.cl/cqrcpix Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today enunciated an ambitious Senate “to do” list for the four-week run of legislating that will get started after the Memorial Day recess. The first debate in June will be on Democratic legislation designed to subject Republicans to renewed “they’re waging a war on women” complaints; the bill would boost the legal remedies available to women who aren’t paid the same as men for doing equivalent work — allowing them to win punitive damages in their lawsuits (now they can get noting ... Continue reading →