ThinkFast: October 26, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) broke with many GOP leaders and said he was against a government shutdown because it would endanger U.S. troops. “Well, I think as long as you've got men and women deployed in harm's way in Afghanistan, the last thing in the world is you shut down the support system for those men and women,â€

ThinkFast: October 27, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

“Across Washington, lobbyists have been working behind the scenes now for months to prepare for this possibleâ€

An assessment of the fallout from the Citizens United decision shows the Supreme Court majority was wrong when they promised that the “public would know – almost instantly – who was paying forâ€

ThinkFast: October 29, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

Halliburton and BP knew that the Deepwater Horizon rig was facing serious structural problems before the April 20 blowout, according to the presidential commission investigating the accident. The commission staff determined that Halliburton conducted tests indicating that the cement at the rig was not up to industry standards, but did not take action.

According to the Pentagon's DADT survey findings reported yesterday, a majority of [b]service members “would not object to serving and living alongside openly gay troops.â€

ThinkFast: November 1, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

ABC News has received wide-ranging criticism for its decision to include “dishonest hatchet-manâ€

ThinkFast: November 2, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said yesterday that “he has no regrets about saying the GOP's top priority over the next two years will be to make Barack Obama a one-term president.â€

ThinkFast: November 3, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

Last night, Republicans gained control of 63 Democratic-held seats giving the GOP a net gain of 60 seats so far. The Republican [b]wave “is bigger than the massive gains Republicans made in 1994,â€

ThinkFast: November 4, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

After securing historic state level victories on Nov. 2, Republicans will have control of about 190 congressional districts and “will dominate the redrawing of congressional districts that begins next year.â€

ThinkFast: November 5, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

The new unemployment report from the Labor Department released this morning finds 151,000 jobs were added last month, more than economists had predicted. 159,000 jobs were added in the private sector. The unemployment rate held steady at 9.6 percent. Nearly 15 million individuals are unemployed.

The Federal Reserve's aggressive action to pump $600 billion into the economy sent stocks soaring yesterday to “their highest level in two years as investors expressed renewed confidence that someone in Washington was finally giving the sluggish recovery a lift.â€

ThinkFast: November 8, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said yesterday that banning earmarks is more complicated than it appears, but he said he would be willing to consider it. While Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) wants to ban all earmarks, McConnell said it would not be a realistic way to seriously cut federal spending.

President Obama's commission into the Gulf oil spill will reveal its findings today, potentially assigning blame for the disaster and settling finger-pointing disputes among the large corporations involved. Representatives from Halliburton, Transocean, and BP will be on hand to answer the allegations and respond to questions.

Republicans made it clear yesterday they will not compromise on a temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts. Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) said he is not in favor of the White House approach to compromise: decoupling the rates for the top 2 percent and allowing them to expire early. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also echoed those remarks.

Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL), who is losing by a very slim margin to her Republican challenger Joe Walsh, is being floated as a possible candidate to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Her potential nomination is not sitting well with progressives who worry she is far too close to the banking industry. Said one administration official: “It's not clear she would be acceptable to the reformers.â€

ThinkFast: November 9, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

In a statement to viewers yesterday, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann [b]apologized for the “unnecessary dramaâ€

ThinkFast: November 10, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will file a friend-of-the-court brief in the multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of health care reform, Politico reports. McConnell argues in his brief that the reforms “dramatically oversteps the bounds of the Commerce [Clause] which has always been understood as a power to regulate, and not to compel, economic activity.â€

ThinkFast: November 12, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

FreedomWorks founder Dick Armey met with incoming GOP lawmakers in Baltimore yesterday and urged them to stay true to Tea Party principles when they assume office. Armey warned the new members not to be swayed by committee assignments or other enticements from Republican leaders if they came at an ideological price.

There would be minimal disruptions to the armed services if the “don't ask, don't tellâ€

ThinkFast: November 15, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the U.S. “must reduce the visibility and intensity of its military operations, especially night raids that fuel anti-American sentiment.â€

ThinkFast: November 16, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

On CBS's “The Early Showâ€

ThinkFast: November 17, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

According to The Hill's sources, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) may introduce a tax package that includes a two-year extension of all the Bush-era tax cuts. With Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) signaling support for a temporary extension of all the tax cuts, Baucus said he expects “to get down to serious discussionsâ€

ThinkFast: November 18, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) vowed yesterday to hold votes on two key Democratic priorities: the DREAM Act and a repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't tell policy. Senate Republicans blocked both measures this fall when Reid tried to attach them to a defense authorization act.

A bipartisan group of budget experts led by former GOP Sen. Pete Domenici (NM) and former Clinton administration budget director Alice Rivlin yesterday called for steep cuts in future military spending, intensifying pressure to reduce defense spending to help reduce the deficit. Their plan includes a five-year freeze on Pentagon spending and would reduce projected deficits by $5.9 trillion through 2020.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs “expressed confidenceâ€

ThinkFast: November 19, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

President Obama has decided to confront Senate Republicans, daring them to block the New START treaty “at the risk of disrupting relations with Russia and the international coalition that opposes Iran's nuclear program.â€

ThinkFast: November 22, 2010 » ~ By Think Progress at 9:00 am

North Korea earlier this month showed a visiting American scientist, Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford professor who previously directed the Los Alamos National Laboratory, “a vast new facility it secretly and rapidly built to enrich uranium.â€