Day: July 13, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Biotechnology medicines would be protected from cheaper rivals for 12 years under a plan that cleared a U.S. Senate committee on Monday.

The secretary of state lamented the long evaluation required by the Obama administration at a meeting with the United States Agency for International Development.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama indicated to Jewish-American leaders on Monday that the United States and Israel are making progress in bridging their differences on the issue of Jewish settlements.

The president pressed his campaign against spending $1.75 billion for seven F-22 jets as Democratic support for the plane increased.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor fended off Republican attacks on Tuesday, saying “diversity on the bench is good for America” and promising rulings based on law, not racial bias.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced frustration on Monday at how long it has taken to name a head of the U.S. foreign aid agency and said the process of vetting candidates has become “a nightmare.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama’s plans to overhaul the $2.5 trillion healthcare industry got a boost on Tuesday as Democrats in the House of Representatives offered sweeping legislation and predicted passage on schedule by August.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Steven Rattner will leave as head of the U.S. autos task force, which oversaw bankruptcies at General Motors Corp and Chrysler Group, at a time when a probe into how the private equity firm he co-founded gained New York pension business has intensified.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama and his former Republican White House rival, Senator John McCain, found common ground on Monday to try and stop efforts in Congress to expand the F-22 fighter jet program.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government rang up a $94.32 billion budget deficit in June, a record for the month, as the price tag for efforts to prop up the economy, banks and automakers mounted while revenues weakened.