Gautham Nagesh

Frustrated by the administration's refusal to brief them on the topic, a group of Republican senators are demanding more details on a White House proposal that would overhaul the way the government awards contracts. (more)

Chuck Neubauer has a great story up this morning on how the Labor Department is rolling back the disclosure requirements for labor unions:

Since President Obama took office, the Labor Department has rescinded or delayed three sets of rules proposed by the George W. Bush administration that would have required unions and their leaders to more specifically detail their finances, according to a review of records by The Washington Times. (more)

The Treasury Department released its monthly budget statement this afternoon and the results aren't pretty. The federal government ran up its largest-ever monthly deficit in February at $220.9 billion, a 14 percent increase from a year ago. (more)

Josh Green at the Atlantic has a great scoop on why Massa may not actually want anyone to go talk to the 10,000 sailors he served with in the Navy: (more)

An ugly page in Michigan politics came to an end this afternoon when a federal judge sentenced former Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers to 37 months in prison for her role in a city bribery scandal. Conyers, the wife of House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, did not go quietly as she attempted to rescind her guilty plea at the last moment and claimed to have taped conversations that would exonerate her. (more)

Yesterday, more than a month after we first reported that the White House is considering implementing the High Road contracting policy, the Wall Street Journal's editorial board weighed in on the subject: (more)

All politics may be local but in the past few election cycles Michigan's seventh congressional district has been an excellent indicator of the nation's political currents. With less than five months before the primary, former Congressman Tim Walberg and recent transplant Brian Rooney are vying for the Republican nomination and the right to take on incumbent Mark Schauer in a climate that looks highly favorable for conservatives. (more)

Florida Governor Charlie Crist seized on a new line of attack against primary opponent Marco Rubio on Monday night, accusing the former Florida House speaker of having his back waxed on campaign donors' dime. Crist said a $130 charge at a Miami salon proves Rubio is not a true fiscal conservative. (more)

News that the Obama administration may revert to a military tribunal to prosecute the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks was roundly denounced by the left on Friday, with liberals voicing their frustration at the White House's willingness to embrace the same strategy for trying suspected terrorists as the Bush administration. (more)

Multiple sources say the White House could unveil its new 'High Road' contracting policy as early as this month in response to the recent spate of media reports. The proposal would leverage federal contracting to raise wages and support unionized companies, a significant shift from the government's longstanding emphasis on obtaining best value for the taxpayer. (more)

Not yet, according to Steven Greenhouse, but they're not happy. After months of setbacks organized labor was dealt another blow Tuesday when President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan seemingly endorsed the firing of the entire faculty of a troubled Rhode Island high school. (more)

Two-term incumbent Rick Perry will get a shot at a third term as governor after prevailing in the Republican primary Tuesday. Perry crushed Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Tea Party favorite Debra Medina by garnering more than 52 percent of the vote with a third of the precincts reporting, allowing him to avoid an April run-off and focus on the general election. (more)

Update 10:40 pm: AP is reporting that Hutchison is conceding the race to Gov. Rick Perry. (more)

The White House has acknowledged that it is considering a proposal that would significantly alter the way it awards federal contracts, but said the discussions are in early stages and that no immediate policy changes are forthcoming. (more)

In what has become an annual ritual, the nation's top accountability officer panned the government's handling of its finances and estimated accounting errors cost taxpayers almost $100 billion per year. (more)

South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford had her day in court on Friday, and mostly used it to try and protect her children from further media scrutiny. A judge said she would approve Sanford's request for divorce on the grounds of adultery and that the divorce would take effect in mid-March. (more)

January was another tough month for the housing market with new home sales falling to an all-time low and existing home sales taking a dive. Combined with a dip in consumer sentiment, the numbers may renew concerns that the economic recovery has yet to reach Main St. (more)

The recording industry and the National Association of Broadcasters have been battling for years over the so-called "performance tax," which would require radio stations to pay royalties to artists whose music they play on air. Currently broadcast radio stations are exempt from paying the royalties, also known as performance rights, while satellite and cable radio stations are forced to pay up. (more)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised the $15 billion jobs bill the Senate passed yesterday will create or save more than 1 million jobs. If Senator Reid's math is correct, the $500 billion stimulus package the Democrats passed last January should have created or saved more than 25 millions jobs. But not even the White House, which is hardly shy about touting the success of the Recovery Act, would dare float such an ambitious projection. (more)

The Senate passed a $15 billion spending bill on Wednesday that gives employers a tax break for new hires and authorizes billions more for transportation projects. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the bill will create or save more than 1 million jobs, while critics contended it will have minimal impact on unemployment while adding to the federal deficit. (more)